Habits are the cornerstone of success. At least that's what I believe. In case one wants to become a great developer, good habits are vital.
In this short article, I list the 7 habits I believe have made me a better developer.
This content is also available on my Youtube channel called developerHabits.
Constant learning
The world of IT is moving really fast, both software and hardware. That's why we as developers must also educate ourselves all the time - learning new concepts, be knowledgeable of the improved technologies, etc.
I do not think one should spend hours doing that every day. Subscribing to some weekly newsletters and reading some technical books is enough.
Just make sure to make it a habit to consume some new knowledge on a regular basis.
Learning the fundamentals.
Learning fundamentals is important in every aspect of life, but especially in programming.
By learning the fundamentals, you can build new knowledge on top of the foundation, making it easier to connect the dots.
For example, before I jumped into React, I made sure I had a solid understanding of Javascript and its main concepts.
Thinking about the problem and the solution
When I was less experienced and was asked to solve a problem, the first thing I did was coming up with a technical solution with all the cool features.
Nowadays, whenever I'm approached with a problem, I first try to ask more questions, analyze the problem, and only then find a proper solution. It may, but does not have to be, technical. The goal is to solve a problem, not write code.
Chunking tasks into smaller parts
Big tasks can always be made smaller. Doing that is a great habit to establish.
By making tasks into smaller chunks, you will:
- Have a better overview of what you have to do
- Make it easier to delegate some parts of the task to colleagues
- Have a sense of accomplishment more often
So next time when the task seems too hard, try to decompose it into smaller parts.
Naming variables
Sounds easy, right? Well... Too often do I see code where variables are named x, y, z.
We don't write code just for the machines, but also for other people. One of the easiest ways to improve the quality of your code is by putting conscious effort into naming your variables.
For example, when you have an array of animals, do not name the array x, but give it a descriptive name, like animals.
Testing
Testing testing testing. Test what you produce. Either by writing unit tests, functional tests, or manual testing.
If you won't, your visitors will.
Take breaks
I used to hate it(and still do sometimes) when people tell me to take breaks. But the reality is that it's necessary for various reasons.
Your body needs movements, eyes require rest and well...I'm sure you've been in a situation where after a small break, the solution miraculously comes to you! One of the reasons is because you've given your brain something other to think about for a while, but subconsciously, it still continues to work on the coding problem you had.
So remember to take breaks. Even if you don't like it!
What are the habits you believe a good developer should establish?
Oh and...! If you are interested in coding, growth mindset and are willing to share your experiences, ideas, then please do PM me in Twitter :)!
DeveloperHabits
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Top comments (7)
Great thoughts. Too often people act like "Learning the fundamentals" is not important / or think they already know them... or don't want to be compared to someone else. If only we could get a little more honest - and less fearful - we could excel so much faster!
I guess knowing what you don't know is the hardest part
Ooh yes. And we'll, if you're a beginner, then not knowing what you don't know is also quite dangerous :D. But one learns, through experience.
I have 15 yrs of experience and still I find it quite difficult to keep on steadily improving. Basically the only way I know with which to keep on learning is just doing new projects with fresh tech, the only way I ever learnt.
We don't need remember all fundamental or basic, but we need understand and comprehend it, first we get problem, we know what we will do it.
Well written!
Wonderful lesson 👍👌