I rewrote my dotfiles and learned to stop tinkering
On the diminishing returns of configuration, and the surprising calm of a setup you no longer touch.
I have rewritten my dotfiles more times than I have finished side projects. Each rewrite promised to be the last. This one actually was — not because it is perfect, but because I finally noticed what I was really optimizing.
The tinkering trap
Configuration has a seductive property: every change produces a visible result instantly. That tight feedback loop feels like productivity while reliably costing you an afternoon. The work is real; the value plateaus fast.
# the entire bootstrap, now
git clone https://github.com/jannabiforever/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles && ./install.shThat is the whole thing. No framework, no plugin manager with its own plugin manager. Two commands and the machine is mine.
Rules that stuck
- If I can’t explain a line, it goes. Inherited config is just cargo cult with good intentions.
- Defaults win ties. Every override is a small maintenance debt I pay forever.
- Boring is a feature. The best compliment my setup gets now is that I forget it exists.
The surprising part was emotional, not technical. A setup you have decided to stop touching is quietly restful. The cursor blinks, the tools work, and the urge to optimize finally has nowhere to go but the actual work.