Every Claude Code beginner makes the same mistake: coding before planning
goyalshaliniuk · x · 2026-09-15
The author argues nearly every Claude Code user makes the same mistake on day one: asking the model to write code immediately with no plan, no context file, no rules, and no tests—then spending two hours refactoring output that never matched the real need. It's a workflow problem, not a model problem.
The key trick is adding "Explain how you'd solve X. No code yet." to the prompt, forcing Claude into planning mode first; review and refine the plan before executing. Every hour of planning saves three hours of refactoring. Other rules include a CLAUDE.md for persistent session rules, TDD with failing tests first, and subagents for parallel tasks.
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