The unsexy parts of shipping

Everyone talks about the thrill of launching. The dopamine hit of pressing "deploy." The Twitter likes. The Product Hunt upvotes.

Nobody talks about the 80% of work that makes launches possible.

The stuff nobody wants to do

I'm talking about:

• Writing error messages that actually help users
• Testing on slow connections and old devices
• Making sure the loading states don't feel jarring
• Documenting the weird edge cases
• Setting up proper logging and monitoring
• Writing the migration scripts
• Handling the subscription billing edge cases

This is where products are actually made. The unsexy parts.

The compound effect of small details

Every small decision compounds. A confusing error message multiplies into thousands of support tickets. A janky loading state becomes the thing users remember.

The best products feel inevitable because someone sweated the details.

Embrace the grind

I've learned to find satisfaction in the unsexy work. There's a certain clarity in it. No ambiguity about what needs to happen—just execution.

The next time you're tempted to skip ahead to the exciting parts, remember: the unsexy work is where the magic happens.