I've often heard this expression in the context of ExtremeProgramming.

Not sure where it first came from in XP (was it in KentBeck's book? I don't have mine handy right now - shame on me).

Basically, if you stay fresh, you'll end up doing better work. You'll probably also have less work to DoOver than you would if you plowed right through the stress. You could call it RelaxFirstProgramming :) Cheers, --JasonNocks

See also SustainablePace and FortyHourWeek.

Beware of the ProgrammerSmoking anti-pattern.
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CategoryExtremeProgramming