Once I developed a web site. The deadline was approaching. I worked day and night. My eyes suffered, my hands trembled, but I couldn’t allow myself to have a break. An unexpected error emerged, while the scripts were being tested. In some cases the main top menu disappeared. Why was it happening? What was the pattern of the flaw?

The problem had to be eliminated as soon as possible. A quick scan of the source code revealed nothing suspicious. The algorithm seemed to be simple. I knew it was a bad idea to continue working, but the mistake in the program bugged me so much. Could it be something serious? Perhaps, the logic was faulty. Choosing another strategy would steal time and lead to an unpleasant conversation with my supervisor, which I didn’t want to happen at all costs.

I figured out the error occurred approximately ten percent of the time. I ran out of any ideas how to fix the problem. I ascribed the error to magic. Maybe, it was a flaw in a computer language. I turned off the laptop in total frustration.

A half of an hour later, when my mind settled down, I decided to have a look at the source code once again. Within a couple of minutes my eyes spotted a line of the code with a wrong conditional clause. Several moments passed before I could cause the error at will. If I had stopped working when I got tired, I wouldn’t have made the mistake.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. Sometimes it’s better to have a break, than continue doing a difficult task, which requires full attention. If you miss important details, the consequences may be disastrous. Imagine a person who drives a truck full of flammable liquid half asleep at night. This driver poses a threat to other people. His inaccuracy has a power to destroy infrastructure and carry away human lives.

Agitated mind may play tricks on you.