6/12: Be 10x Better in your craft: Dear Software Developer

The demand for a proficient and quality-driven software developer has never run out of fashion. As per the recent survey by StackOverflow, most developers work full-time for somebody else, and about 10% of them freelance. Only 5% of developers who want to work are currently unemployed — much better employment stats than pretty much any field.

But Wait,

Out of 1.5 million people who show up to become a software developer, only 10% of them get their break, and only 3% are able to get to work for the dream companies where they write meaningful code, build real software and earn 6 figure income year on year than the rest of people.

And the most of those who’ve been in the top tier, their surest path to success is getting into the ritual of deep work — learning, practising and delivering the result through focused work.

Warning: When I say deep work, it means not jumping from your code editor to a chat room to a social network, to an email to a pantry or getting into a meaningless conversation with people.

Shipping lots of code is not necessarily emblem you in the hall of fame of top software developers. What counts is when you ship something that has created a meaningful impact in the lives of people around you, your company, your client, your society, your country, and your world.

If you are curious, let me share with you how the 10x developers get there so that you can too:

Every day, a few hours of undistracted, deep work produces more quantity and quality than a full day of scattered and distracting work.

Start building the habits of doing deep work with the Pomodoro technique:

Each Pomodoro is an interval of 25 minutes of pure work followed by a five-minute break.

After setting a timer for 25 minutes, dedicate yourself to intense, distraction-free software development. This means no checking your phone, answering email, or opening a new tab in your web browser. Avoid anything that would interrupt the task at hand.

Once the 25 minutes is up, stop working immediately and take a five-minute break to disconnect from your work. You can take a short walk, stretch, drink a glass of water, or do anything else that does not require much mental effort.

After four Pomodoros, take a longer 15- to 30-minute break.

You’ll find getting into a flow state easier, and it will happen more often.

This is when the hard thing that’s been kicking your ass becomes easy.

This is when your coding skills level up exponentially.

This is when you are firmly placed in the league of the top 3% creamy layer of software developers doing meaningful work daily.

Try it out, and let me know what you think. If you have other productivity techniques, hit the reply button to share them with me!