A good programmer does more than write code. They also build routines, tricks, and attitudes into their daily work that help them become more productive, more creative, and better professionals. Repeat them and make them second nature until they become habits—and only then will you have taken a leap forward in your career.
Also available as an audiobook.
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The only thing that sets a good professional apart from the rest is their habits.
You don’t need to work many more hours; you need to work more effectively, productively, and with greater focus. Don’t produce software full of bugs—write better code by following good design and clean-code practices. Develop the soft skills a programmer needs. You don’t need to push yourself to exhaustion, either; instead, truly adopt the habits of an expert, in-demand programmer. Keep going until you have mastered all thirty-nine nuggets of wisdom in this book, which will take your career several steps further.
You’ll understand why some people accomplish much more with less effort, while others work hard and achieve little.
The Coder Habits: 39 Habits of the Professional Programmer describes all these habits—technical and otherwise—which will multiply your results and help you join the top 10%.
An eclectic book, unique in its field, The Coder Habits shows that technical development cannot happen without personal development, and that only by bringing both together can you become a great professional.
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Start reading an excerpt from The Coder Habits: 39 Habits of the Professional Programmer
Book chapters
- Introduction
- #1 - Apply the 50/50 rule
- #2 - Learn something new every week
- #3 - Know and use data structures and algorithms correctly
- #4 - Don’t make the same mistake twice
- #5 - Write readable code
- #6 - Start with the hardest task (or the one you are most reluctant to do)
- #7 - Type fluently
- #8 - Finish what you start
- #9 - Apply design principles and patterns
- #10 - Don’t implement features that weren’t requested
- #11 - Write modular, flexible code
- #12 - Develop your soft skills
- #13 - Comment only when necessary
- #14 - Maintain thorough version control
- #15 - Ask yourself these questions before every new project
- #16 - Use your editor productively
- #17 - Work productively
- #18 - Avoid overengineering
- #19 - Make things productive
- #20 - Write traceable code
- #21 - Avoid a chaotic work environment
- #22 - Become an expert in clean-code practices and refactoring
- #23 - Reuse parts of your own projects
- #24 - Write consistent code
- #25 - Stay focused
- #26 - Identify code smells
- #27 - Work on personal projects
- #28 - Test exhaustively and avoid the happy path
- #29 - Become an expert in only a few areas
- #30 - Read continuously
- #31 - Start with what delivers the most value
- #32 - Don’t create knowledge silos
- #33 - Read projects written by others
- #34 - Always work on planned tasks
- #35 - Think and work for the customer
- #36 - Invest in your education
- #37 - Practice continuous improvement
- #38 - Pay attention to details
- #39 - Learn to take criticism
- To wrap up