# When is it right to throw away work and start over?

URL: https://wonderful.so/blog/throw-away-work
Markdown URL: https://wonderful.so/blog/throw-away-work.md
Content type: Question and answer
Published: 2025-12-04
Updated: 2025-12-04
Author: Rulian at Wonderful
Asked by: Anonymous
Tags: Building

## Question

When is it right to throw away work and start over?

## Answer

It's simple. It's right to throw work away when that's the most efficient way to get to the next place you need to be. If transforming the existing code is slower and messier than writing it again, then rewriting is the better option.

To use a cliché that still works: it's better to be at the bottom of a ladder you actually want to climb than halfway up a ladder you don't.

The only real question is "what is the most efficient way to get there from here?" Sometimes that answer is a cleanup, sometimes it's a refactor, and sometimes it's starting fresh.

The mistake is holding onto the wrong path just because you already spent time and money on it. If the honest answer is "start fresh," then that's what we do.