I've realised that lately I don't really code in the zone anymore. My workflow is completely tied to testing. Spec, red, code, green and the code just grows and

I've realised that lately I don't really code in the zone anymore. My workflow is completely tied to testing. Spec, red, code, green and the code just grows and adapts. All consuming flow is now very hard to achieve, there's simply too much time waiting for the computer to run tests, it's the stuttered conversation of a satellite phone. On the other hand it's far easier to return to work. Distractions used to feel like being forced to stop whilst cycling up a steep hill. Now the pace feels slower but it's steadier and more controlled. I miss those old sessions. Lost in my own world, code flying out for hours at a time sometimes straying far from the next compile but certain that if I just kept hacking there would be a glorious moment when it burst into life. I wouldn't go back now though, the red, green has me. I'll just have to wait for that cloud editor I'm longing for, the one that'll run tests instantly as I type.