Leave it better than you found it. Product development.

“Leave it better than you found it” is a common principle in camping and hiking, encouraging people to clean up after themselves and even improve the space by picking up litter or restoring any damage. It aligns with the broader “Leave No Trace” principles, which promote responsible outdoor recreation.

I'm a firm believer that the “leave it better than you found it” principle works just as well when applied to product development. When you’re building a feature, you’ll likely find plenty of clean-up opportunities throughout your product: refactoring code sections, updating layouts to incorporate design system components, or streamlining customer experiences. These small changes will add up.

Sure, it’s work and requires effort. But if you adopt this principle, your teammates, customers, and business will be impacted in a positive way. If there’s a clear and simple path forward, there won't be a better time to clean things up than when you’re already there.