Efficiency = Re-factoring

I've been thinking a lot about efficiency when coding, how to quickly churn out a project, but at the same time maintaining a good level of quality.

One way I've tried to improve my efficiency is through re-factoring. When I'm writing code I do spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to write, is this the best way to write this function, is there a better way to write this class? These are the kinds of questions I keep asking myself when writing code.

Spending time thinking about what I'm going to write slows down the speed of development. So one way I've thought about how to get round this procrastination is to employ a strategy of re-factoring.

By leaving markers in my code of places where I think the code could be re-factored I can get moving on creating the first working version of the app or project I'm working on. Knowing that I can go back and improve the quality of the sections marked as possibly needing re-factoring. This means a early version can be delivered.

To implement these markers in Flex/Flash Builder I've added a new Task Tag called Refactor. To create a Task Tag all you need is to go to Preferences > Compiler > Task Tags, which brings up this screen

Then click the New button and add the new task tag in the opened panel

I've set the Priority as High, so I know its important to go back to these sections. So far this is helping, getting on with coding, writing long blog posts isn't so best get on.