This. However for the last while I’ve been using a language on the front end that let’s me prototype ideas with a slightly higher up front cost and then when it ends up in production it’s close to bulletproof and easier to refactor (not that I always get the chance, but I still feel safer knowing it probably won’t break).

Then if the code / project / product refuses to die (success!), I can come back some day and refactor without being scared to dig in again.

So even though my original code is a bit messy, I’m not scared to change it a couple years later.