diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 46b0c99..c9cd220 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1,121 +1,150 @@
-
 module.exports = SQSWorker
 
 function SQSWorker(options, fn) {
-  if (!(this instanceof SQSWorker)) return new SQSWorker(options, fn)
+    if (!(this instanceof SQSWorker)) return new SQSWorker(options, fn)
+
+    this.client = options.client || new (require('aws-sdk').SQS)(options)
 
-  this.client = options.client || new (require('aws-sdk').SQS)(options)
+    // default to long polling
+    this.waittime = options.waittime || 20;
 
-  // Five seconds more than WaitTimeSeconds
-  this.client.config.httpOptions.timeout = 25000
+    // Five seconds more than WaitTimeSeconds
+    this.client.config.httpOptions.timeout = 25000
 
-  this.url = options.url
-  this.parallel = options.parallel || 1
-  this.timeout = options.timeout || void 0
-  this.parse = options.parse
-  this.log = options.log || console
-  this.attributes = Array.isArray(options.attributes) ? options.attributes.slice() : []
-  this.attempts = options.attempts || 3
+    this.url = options.url
+    this.parallel = options.parallel || 1
+    this.timeout = options.timeout || void 0
+    this.parse = options.parse
+    this.log = options.log || console
+    this.attributes = Array.isArray(options.attributes) ? options.attributes.slice() : []
+    this.attempts = options.attempts || 3
 
-  if (this.attempts && !~this.attributes.indexOf('ApproximateReceiveCount')) {
-    this.attributes.push('ApproximateReceiveCount')
-  }
+    if (this.attempts && !~this.attributes.indexOf('ApproximateReceiveCount')) {
+        this.attributes.push('ApproximateReceiveCount')
+    }
 
-  this.fn = fn
+    // the worker function to call when a message is received
+    this.fn = fn
 
-  this.handling = 0
-  this.receiving = 0
+    this.handling = 0
+    this.receiving = 0
 
-  this.maybeMore()
+    this.maybeMore()
 }
 
 SQSWorker.prototype.maybeMore = function (retries) {
-  if (this.receiving) return
-  if (this.handling >= this.parallel) return
+    if (this.receiving) return
+    if (this.handling >= this.parallel) return
 
-  this.receiving++
+    this.receiving++
 
-  retries = retries || 0
-  retries++
+    retries = retries || 0
+    retries++
 
-  var self = this
+    var self = this
 
-  var params =
-    { 'QueueUrl': this.url
-    , 'MaxNumberOfMessages': Math.min(this.parallel, 10)
-    , 'VisibilityTimeout': this.timeout
-    , 'WaitTimeSeconds': 20
-    , 'AttributeNames': this.attributes
+    var params = {
+        'QueueUrl': this.url,
+        'MaxNumberOfMessages': Math.min(this.parallel, 10),
+        'VisibilityTimeout': this.timeout,
+        'WaitTimeSeconds': this.waittime,
+        'AttributeNames': this.attributes
     }
 
-  this.client.receiveMessage(params, function (err, data) {
-    self.receiving--
+    this.client.receiveMessage(params, function (err, data) {
+        self.receiving--
 
-    if (err) {
-      self.log.error({ err: err, params: params }, 'failed to receive messages')
-      setTimeout(self.maybeMore.bind(self), Math.min(Math.pow(2, retries), 300) * 1000, retries)
-      return
-    }
+        if (err) {
+            self.log.error({
+                err: err,
+                params: params
+            }, 'failed to receive messages')
+            self.log.error('Will try again in ', Math.min(Math.pow(2, retries), 300), 'seconds')
 
-    self.log.info({ params: params, response: data }, 'receiveMessage response')
+            // Progressively increase timout up to a maximum of 300 seconds then call myself
+            // with the same context and an argument of the number of retries.
+            setTimeout(self.maybeMore.bind(self), Math.min(Math.pow(2, retries), 300) * 1000, retries)
+            return
+        }
 
-    if (Array.isArray(data.Messages)) {
-      data.Messages.map(self.handleMessage, self)
-    }
+        // uncomment to log every message
+        // self.log.info({ params: params, response: data }, 'receiveMessage response')
+
+        // data.Messages will be an array if each returned messages, call
+        // the handler for each message returned. (this is the .map method)
+        if (Array.isArray(data.Messages)) {
+            data.Messages.map(self.handleMessage, self)
+        }
 
-    self.maybeMore()
-  })
+        self.maybeMore()
+    })
 }
 
 SQSWorker.prototype.handleMessage = function (message) {
-  this.handling++
-
-  var payload = message.Body
-
-  if (this.parse) {
-    try {
-      payload = this.parse(payload)
-    } catch (err) {
-      this.log.error({ err: err, message: message }, 'error parsing message body')
-      return
+    this.handling++
+
+    var payload = message.Body
+
+    // Can choose to pass in a function to call to parse the payload, this function
+    // should return the properly parsed value.
+    if (this.parse) {
+        try {
+            payload = this.parse(payload)
+        } catch (err) {
+            this.log.error({
+                err: err,
+                message: message
+            }, 'error parsing message body')
+            return
+        }
     }
-  }
-
-  var self = this
 
-  if (this.fn.length === 2) {
-    this.fn(payload, callback)
-  } else {
-    this.fn(payload, message, callback)
-  }
+    var self = this
 
-  function callback(err, del) {
-    self.handling--
-
-    if (err) {
-      self.log.error({ err: err, message: message, payload: payload }, 'error handling message')
-      del = (self.attempts && Number(message['Attributes']['ApproximateReceiveCount']) >= self.attempts)
+    // .length here is the number of artuments; if three arguments, pass the full
+    // message structure, otherwse just pass the payload
+    if (this.fn.length === 2) {
+        this.fn(payload, callback)
+    } else {
+        this.fn(payload, message, callback)
     }
 
-    var params =
-      { 'QueueUrl': self.url
-      , 'ReceiptHandle': message.ReceiptHandle
-      }
-
-    if (!del) {
-      params['VisibilityTimeout'] = 0
+    // the callback below is called when the worker calls done();  It handles
+    // removing the message from the queue or relasing it for other workers
+    function callback(err, del) {
+        self.handling--
+
+        if (err) {
+            self.log.error({
+                err: err,
+                message: message,
+                payload: payload
+            }, 'error handling message')
+            del = (self.attempts && Number(message['Attributes']['ApproximateReceiveCount']) >= self.attempts)
+        }
+
+        var params = {
+            'QueueUrl': self.url,
+            'ReceiptHandle': message.ReceiptHandle
+        }
+
+        // if marked not to delete, set VisibilityTimeout to 0 which immeidately
+        // releases it for another worker.
+        if (!del) {
+            params['VisibilityTimeout'] = 0
+        }
+
+        self.client[del ? 'deleteMessage' : 'changeMessageVisibility'](params, function (err) {
+            if (err) {
+                self.log.error({
+                    err: err,
+                    message: message,
+                    payload: payload
+                }, 'failed to ' + (del ? 'delete message' : 'change visibility timeout'))
+                return
+            }
+
+            self.maybeMore()
+        })
     }
-
-    self.client[del ? 'deleteMessage' : 'changeMessageVisibility'](params, function (err) {
-      if (err) {
-        self.log.error(
-            { err: err, message: message, payload: payload }
-          , 'failed to ' + (del ? 'delete message' : 'change visibility timeout')
-          )
-        return
-      }
-
-      self.maybeMore()
-    })
-  }
 }