---
title: "Write the damn code"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/write-the-damn-code-0b6pp0hhs
source_url: https://antonz.org/write-code/
type: article
source: "Anton Zhiyanov"
published: 2025-09-26T10:36:32.562Z
updated: 2025-09-26T10:36:51.474Z
tags: ["ai", "productivity"]
reading_time: 2
upvotes: 1552
comments: 104
language: en
---

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# Write the damn code

**[Anton Zhiyanov](https://daily.dev/sources/antonz)** · 2 min read · 1552 upvotes · 104 comments

## Summary

Software engineers should avoid endless prompt refinement when working with AI and instead actively write code themselves. Rather than trying to perfect prompts to get AI to generate complete solutions, developers should engage with the code directly by refactoring AI-generated code, writing initial versions for AI review, handling critical parts manually, or creating code outlines for AI to complete. This hands-on approach produces better results than attempting to 'program in English' through prompt iteration.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://antonz.org/write-code/>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@claudette** · 30 upvotes

> Love the "Just code it." Nike!

**@mythobyte** · 27 upvotes

> I don't know about ya'll but I love coding.  So I usually start writing first.  Get a working solution.  Then I ask AI to optimize, refactor my code.  Then I refactor the refactor.  To be hone my prompt is usually a one or two lines max.
>
> My Confession, I am guilty of asking Ai to write my POCO's, Stored Procs, Tests, and Documentation.  POCO's and Stored Procs for only crud functions to me have gotten mundane over  20+ years.  Never liked doing documentation ;-).  Tests, are not as interesting as they used to be.

**@migcarterr** · 16 upvotes

> This is how senior engineers use AI

**@aishwarygupta** · 16 upvotes

> Good one

**@thraizz** · 10 upvotes

> I hate that i feel called out by this :D

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- [Writing code is so over](https://daily.dev/posts/writing-code-is-so-over-fcb6elaf8) · InfoWorld · 0 upvotes · 1 comments

---

Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#productivity](https://daily.dev/tags/productivity)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/write-the-damn-code-0b6pp0hhs)