Outline Speedrunning for Programming

This article coined a catchy term for something I do occasionally but should do more: “outline speedrunning.”

The method:

1. Figure out the main purpose or function of your program.
2. Break the program into parts, grouped by functionality.
3. Repeat steps 1–2 for each part, until it is very small.
4. Implement the components, starting with the lowest level.

Use tldraw bullet lists to break things down, as they can nest several levels deep.

I’ve found that this approach helps me move faster and spend less time perfecting one part before I’ve built enough of the system.