The Pragmatic Programmer

by Andy Hunt

Don't leave "broken windows" (bad designs, wrong decisions, or poor code) unrepaired.

Great software today is often preferable to perfect software tomorrow. If you give your users something to play with early, their feedback will often lead you to a better eventual solution

Don't spoil a perfectly good program by overembellishment and over-refinement. Move on, and let your code stand in its own right for a while. It may not be perfect. Don't worry: it could never be perfect.

Make what you're saying relevant in time, as well as in content. Sometimes all it takes is the simple question "Is this a good time to talk about...?"