I found it effective but exhausting. Did it for a full year, full time in an XP software shop. Burned out, needed six months in a low-pressure solo work team to recover.
Pairing wasn't boring to me, though. Are you trading drivers regularly? Catching bugs as you go? Thinking out loud and getting feedback as you consider options? Discussing the interesting bits, like debating pros and cons of different design patterns? Parallelizing the boring bits so you're burning through it together quickly? If you ever find yourself quietly watching someone else do menial work for any great length of time without providing meaningful input, something is wrong.
I found it effective but exhausting. Did it for a full year, full time in an XP software shop. Burned out, needed six months in a low-pressure solo work team to recover.
Pairing wasn't boring to me, though. Are you trading drivers regularly? Catching bugs as you go? Thinking out loud and getting feedback as you consider options? Discussing the interesting bits, like debating pros and cons of different design patterns? Parallelizing the boring bits so you're burning through it together quickly? If you ever find yourself quietly watching someone else do menial work for any great length of time without providing meaningful input, something is wrong.