Background

A while back I read an article about the concept of “No broken windows”, it may seem odd, but what does it mean to have no broken windows? It is an old criminology theory Simply put The Broken Window Theory suggests that visible signs of disorder, like broken windows or graffiti, encourage more crime. Keeping areas clean and well-maintained helps prevent this by promoting order and discouraging bad behavior.

What does this have to do with Code?

The Broken Window Theory in coding suggests that what may seem like small issues in code—like messy formatting, minor bugs, and temporary workarounds, lead to larger problems over time. If these “broken windows” aren’t fixed, they signal to programmers that low-quality code is acceptable, which can snowball into more serious technical debt. Keeping the codebase clean and addressing issues early on helps maintain overall code quality and will prevent bigger problems down the road.

This also helps in life..

You can even take this principle into your daily life, showing a willingness and pride to prevent broken windows will result in a more fulfilling life.

Summary

I wanted to keep this one short and sweet, try to prevent broken windows in your life, abeit in coding and in general. A good piece of advice I recieved was to always leave a codebase a little bit better off than when you started working with it, and remember No Broken Windows