Introduction
During the last week of October last year, I decided to do the #100DaysOfCode challenge. To those who may be new to coding or not aware of the challenge, it is simply making a public commitment to code at least an hour a day for 100 days. And while at it, you share your progress, lessons and struggles publicly.
So I signed up for Twitter primarily to do the #100DaysOfCode challenge. I'm proud to announce that I successfully completed the challenge. I have plans of taking up the challenge for a second time.
However, I thought I should take a moment to reflect on my experience during the first round of the challenge. That way, I can highlight some useful lessons to take along for my second ride.
If you're thinking of (or have already started) doing the challenge, I hope you find this useful too.
Does programming ever gets easier...?
Before I decided to learn how to code, I always had the suspicion that programming is hard. Well, these 100 days of coding confirmed my suspicion. In my experience, I've found it to be more challenging than I thought it would be. If you're a beginner, that's probably not what you want to hear but that's okay.
I think for most of us, it won't come easy. You won't simply wake up one day and become a "badass" programmer. It takes time and effort. Learn to be patient with yourself especially in those moments when if feels like you're getting nowhere.
So back to the question. Does programming gets easier as you learn more? To be honest, I don't know the answer to that. I think there's a better question to ask. Does your problem-solving skills improve if you're consistent with learning and practicing? Without a doubt, the answer to that is a YES!
Measuring your progress.
Like I've already mentioned, programming can be hard. I found that tracking your progress can help keep you motivated. I tried to keep a programming journal during these 100 days. I was terribly inconsistent with it. Still, its fun looking at the few entries I made.
There are a number of ways to track or measure your progress. You can do this the old school way with a notebook. You can also use notion or whatever journaling app you prefer. The daily #100DaysOfCode updates on Twitter can also be a way of tracking your progress
In the day to day, its hard to keep track of how far along the road you've come. As we look forward to becoming better, we should also look back every now and then to appreciate our progress. This way, we can stay motivated to keep moving.
Taking regular breaks to avoid burnout.
Staying behind the screens for long periods of time can have its toll on your mind and body. Deliberately adding break times to your schedule won't slow you down. Find other activities besides coding that you enjoy doing. For me, it is running, 🏃♂️🏃♂️ reading 📚📖 and writing articles I never share. 😂😂
I also made a decision of "no coding on Sundays". Those Sundays were dedicated reading tech blogs or listening to podcast. Recently, the "no coding on Sunday" rule has changed as I've been meeting with some coding buddies on Sundays to solve algorithm challenges.
About podcasts... Before the 100 Days, I only knew of the Code Newbie podcast . In the course of the challenge, I discovered the Scrimba Podcast and the HTML All The Things Podcast . Do well to check out these three, especially if you're a beginner. Thank me later. 😉 If you have a favorite tech podcast, kindly let me know about them in the comments section. I would love to check them out.
Its 100 Days, Not 100 perfect Days of Code
One thing I learned very early (and I'm glad I did) was to understand that there will be bad days. Days when you have a feeling that you've not done enough. If you think you did way below what you could have done, do not be too hard on yourself. Just move on.
What if you miss a day or two? Again, just move on. It will be great if you're able code everyday for 100 Days. For me, I did not. I know many who took on the challenge and missed some days too. That's fine. Its 100 days of coding. Not 100 perfect days of coding.
Stuff happens. Sometimes things happen in our lives that we could not have anticipated. Learn not to be too hard on yourself when things don't go as you planned. Just keep learning. And try as much as you can to be consistent.
Conclusion
I’m excited about how much I’ve learned in just a short period. I can't wait to discover the possibilities ahead if I keep at it in the months (or even years) to come. If you’re on a similar journey (or choose to go on one sometime in the future), best wishes to you!
Thanks for reading this far. If you have any feedback, don't hesitate to drop it in the comments.