"Atomic Habits" and Learning to Code - Setting Goals and Achieving Them.

Another productivity post this week, this time centered around setting goals. I hope this can be found useful by all of my wonderful subscribers. As usual please hit up me up with anything :)

This is the third piece on the ideas put forward in James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” and how they can be utilised in improving coding skills and knowledge. 

“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.

There is a more in depth analysis of the book in my first “Atomic Habits” post so it may be worth checking that out before proceeding, although it is certainly not imperative for getting something out of this post. My second post on the topic looked at identity and beliefs when establishing improvement in our coding journeys. 

So without further ado, I will now unpick the ideas put for on setting goals and how to achieve them put forward in “Atomic Habits”. 

SMART Goals

Setting clear goals is a crucial aspect of forming effective habits in learning coding. When your goals are well-defined, they provide you with a sense of direction, motivation, and a benchmark for measuring progress. The acronym SMART oulines some key components as a basis for setting goals.

Specific: Your coding goals should be specific and well-defined. Instead of a vague goal like “I want to learn coding,” specify what coding language or skill you want to learn. For example, “I want to become proficient in Python programming.”

Measurable: Make your goals measurable so that you can track your progress. Quantify your goals when possible. For instance, “I want to complete five coding projects in Python by the end of the year” is measurable because you can easily count your completed projects.

Achievable: Ensure that your coding goals are achievable. They should be realistic considering your current skill level, available resources, and time commitment. Setting goals that are too ambitious can lead to frustration and burnout. Gradually increase the complexity of your goals as you gain confidence and experience.

Relevant: Your coding goals should be relevant to your overall learning objectives and career aspirations. Make sure they align with your interests and the direction you want to take in coding. For instance, if you’re interested in web development, your goals might revolve around HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Time-Bound: Assign a timeframe to your coding goals to create a sense of urgency. Having a deadline helps prevent procrastination and keeps you accountable. For example, “I will complete an online Python course within the next three months.”

Break Down Larger Goals:

If you have a big coding goal, break it down into smaller, more manageable milestones. It is easy to get swept away with grand ambitions of developing complex applications. It may sound obvious, but problems and learning needs to be broken down to make these ambitions a reality. 

For example, an idea that implements a full-stack application will require frontend, backend and database knowledge. Rather than setting a goal of becoming competant at full stack development, it will be more useful to set a goal of becoming handy at frontend development first, gradually setting more goals of developing more complex features. Patience and persistence in achieving progress is key. 

Adjust and Update Goals

Your coding journey is dynamic, and your goals may need adjustment along the way. If you encounter unexpected challenges or opportunities, be open to revising your goals to accommodate these changes.

If it turns out you are not enjoying a particular tech stack or framework as much as you thought, be open to moving in a different direction. Furthermore, if an exciting opportunity to work and learn on a project comes up at a coding meetup or online group, considering taking it even if it is in a slightly different direction from what you had in mind. 

Share Your Goals

Sharing your coding goals with a friend, mentor, or online community can provide external accountability and support. When others are aware of your goals, they can offer guidance, encouragement, and feedback.

When learning to code, I found it particularly useful to commit to working on side-projects in a group or with another developer. Also, commiting to build a website for friends / family peaked my productivity and progress. The accountability of others relying on our coding means we are more likely to knuckle down and get it done, in turn developing skills at a faster rate. 

Celebrate Achievements: 

Celebrate your accomplishments when you reach your coding goals, even if they’re small milestones. Acknowledging your progress reinforces the habit and provides motivation to continue learning.

It is easy to become complacent in our achievements once we voyage further down the coding rabit hole, realising we have a lot more ground to cover the journey. Despite this, it is important to think back to times when we had far less knowledge and appreciate how far we have come. 

Thanks you for reading as always! Hit me up with any feedback, queries, questions or banter!