0: Don't optimize anything, it's too difficult, just hack on the code until it produces correct answers without regard to performance. 1: Optimization takes ti

0: Don't optimize anything, it's too difficult, just hack on the code until it produces correct answers without regard to performance. 1: Optimization takes time, so optimize the critical sections (by choosing appropriate algorithms + data structures) and don't worry about the rest. 2: Don't optimize anything, just write code naturally. The libraries your code calls into are already fast enough because they're written by experts. 3: Optimizing makes code more complicated, so only optimize the critical sections (e.g. with vector intrinsics or atomic memory operations). 4: Just write the code naturally and avoid writing any slow code. You could create many Twitter-appropriate bell-curve images out of a single real-life distribution of skills/experience.