Apply seat of trousers to surface of chair – how not to write great software

When PG Wodehouse was asked what the secret of writing was, he replied that it’s to apply the seat of your trousers to the surface of your chair.

In software, the secret is the opposite. It’s to remove the seat of your trousers from the surface of your chair. At least, remove the tips of your fingers from the surface of your keyboard. Go out and talk to users; get a pencil and paper and sketch; take a long walk and think. But don’t code.