“Atomic Habits” and Learning to Code.
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I have just finished reading “Atomic Habits”, the best-selling productivity book by James Clear, I would highly recommend the book to anyone looking to improve productivity and create better habits. Many of the tips and techniques put forward in the book can be very effective for developing coding skills, in this post I will outline three key concepts from the book and how they can be applied when building up coding knowledge.
Atomic Habits
“Atomic Habits” provides practical insight and strategies for building effective habits and breaking unproductive ones. It is emphasised that small, incremental changes, or “atomic habits,” can lead to significant improvements over time.
In essence, “Atomic Habits” teaches that success is not about drastic changes, but about consistently making small, positive choices that compound over time. By understanding and applying the principles of habit formation, readers can transform their lives by making positive habits an integral part of their daily routine.
Learning to code is not an overnight process and is something that requires persistant good habits to be built up. Patience and dedication are fundamental to success when learning to code and the concepts within “Atomic Habits” are very powerful in aiding and understanding our code learning journey.
The Plateau of Latent Potential
The concept of the ‘Plateau of Latent Potential’ is summed up nicely by the above graph. When learning and developing new skills we often start off by hitting a “Valley of Disappointment” within which we feel let down and underwhelmed by the results of our efforts.
This can be extremely discouraging and cause us to feel uncapable, possibly even throwing in the towel. We expect to make steady progress when in fact learning takes a curve, we do not make much progress at first but at some point things ‘click’ and we seem to make great strides much faster.
Understanding this concept can be extremely powerful when developing our coding skills. At first, learning to code can be extremely overwhelming, concepts do not seem to stick and it seems that not much progress is being made at all. It is imperative that we stay committed to learning and upkeeping the habits we have built in relation to developing our coding skills. Stick with it and things will eventually click and we will gain ground at a faster rate.
The Two Minute Rule
This rule suggests that any habit can be kick-started by beginning with a two-minute action. By breaking down a habit into this small timeframe, the initial hurdle is lowered, making it easier to overcome procrastination and build positive habits.
The rule capitalizes on the idea that starting is often the hardest part. By initiating with a quick and easy action, you not only begin the habit but also create momentum for continued progress. In essence, the 2-Minute Rule harnesses the power of small, consistent steps to foster lasting change.
Okay, so I know what you are thinking, learning to code is going to take a lot more than regular sets of 2 minute actions and yes I completely agree. That being said, I think we can stilll take something from this idea. When developing new coding skills we do not want to get burned out by jumping directly into mega-long code-learning sessions.
On my learning journey, I have certainly found that shorter, regular sessions were the way to go to build long lasting skills and knowledge. Starting off with shorter sessions and turning these into a regular habits paves the way for consistent and solid learning in the future.
The “Goldilocks” Rule
The Goldilocks rule, is about finding the right level of difficulty for a task or goal that is not too easy, not too hard, but just right. When applied to habit formation, this principle emphasises the importance of setting goals and tasks that are challenging enough to keep you engaged and motivated, but not so overwhelming that they lead to frustration or burnout.
This concept in particular struck a chord with me in relation to my experience of learning to code. I would always either seem to find myself going over the same old coding concepts and challenges, or eager to move on to the next new framework that I wasn’t ready for. I was extremely keen to jump ahead and learn React as it seemed to be the the thing everyone was talking about, when in truth I hadn’t gotten to an adequate stage of javascript and therefore could not properly engage with it.
I would make minimal progress as I was not being challenged, or frustrated and out of my depth as I quite simply wasn’t ready for more advanced topics. Finding the “just right” zone in our learning is a challenge in itself.
These concepts and ideas are not hard and fast rules that are instrumental in learning to code, but I do think they can help us to learn in a more efficent and motivated manner.
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