The Error Log I Read Every Morning Before Anything Else

Description and use

The developer changed their morning routine to check error logs before email. This enabled proactive issue detection before customer reports, transforming support from reactive to proactive and reducing stress from unexpected incidents.

Problem

Reactive support and delayed incident detection caused by checking error logs only after receiving customer complaints or support messages, allowing small glitches to compound into noticeable issues.

Outcome

Shifting the error log review to the first task of the day transformed support from reactive to proactive. The developer now catches issues before they impact customers, improves response tone and speed, and reduces personal stress by eliminating the uncertainty of overnight failures.

Workflow

• Open the aggregated error log for all tools immediately upon waking, before checking email or messages.
• Scan the log for patterns (repetition and shape) rather than individual isolated errors.
• Assess the severity based on the tool type (paid vs. free) and the pattern of errors.
• Fix identified issues proactively before customers in the current timezone begin using the tools.
• Use the morning log state as a baseline to compare against afternoon anomalies.
• Respond to support tickets with pre-verified information if the issue was already detected in the morning log.

Evidence

The habit moved my worst moments from a customer's inbox to my own coffee, which is a trade I would make every single time

Source

Now, more often than not, by the time a message about a problem arrives, I have already seen it in the log, already understand roughly what happened, and can respond with an actual answer instead of a promise to look into it.

Source