Computer programming is a pretty daunting task given the myriad of languages available, and the vast amount of information that needs to be memorized for even the most basic tasks. However, it doesn’t have to be this way if you stay focused and organize your resources efficiently. In this article, we’ll cover several tips on how to stay focused so that you can continue to improve in coding.
The importance of staying focused
We all know that coding can be a challenging and demanding task. Especially in big project, there are countless tasks and objectives need to done.
During the process, it is easy to get lost and start working on something that is not relevant to the task at hand. This can lead to frustration and wasted time.
I am a coder who used to be unproductive by not staying focus when coding in the past. I remember the day which I could not write a single line because of losing focus. I was busied on checking my phones, my social networks, my stocks, cryptos... and forgot that I still had important tasks to complete.
That day, I told myself that I need to change and find a way to stay focus when coding. In this article, I will show you how I get myself (yourself too, of course) stay focus when coding step by step.
Steps to stay focus in coding
By following these steps , you can learn how to stay focus:
1. Set out all objectives which need to be completed.
First of all, you need to have a list of all objectives (to-do-list) need to be completed within your working day. When being clear about all the tasks need to be done, especially difficult ones, you will know how much time you need to spend to complete them and prevent yourself on wasting your time. This to-do-list should be prepared before the beginning of the working day.
2. Prepare yourself and eliminate all distractions.
In order to be productive, you need to stay conscious and feel refreshing. Wash your face if you feel sleepy, make a cup of coffee or tea if it can help you to stay awake and improve your concentration. Clean your working table if it's untidy. Remember, be quick.
Then you need to shut off all distractions that you may get during your working hours in one minute. Turn off unnecessary notifications from your phone, close all social network tabs, stock or crypto tabs, gaming tabs or programs. You should leave only things needed for your coding on your screen.
I know this will make you feel uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it soon later.
3. Pick a the first objective and try to complete it as soon as possible.
After everything is ready, pick a objective in your to-do-list (an easy one is recommended) and try to complete it as soon as possible.
Why? When you reach your first objective, your brain will produce dopamine and it will make you feel energetic. This motivates you to keep going and achieve more objectives.
4. Take breaks periodically and timely.
Breaks during your working is necessary. However, if you take them in a wrong way, it will negatively affect your productivity.
Your break should be short, only enough for refreshing yourself. For example, you can take a 10 minutes break after an hour of working. During your break, you should only do refreshing activities, such as going to the toilet, taking a nap, drinking water, listening to a song and be ready for your next 'round'.
Stay away from heavy entertaining activities like watching movies, tiktok, youtube clips, gaming... because those activities will drain out your energy and make you be late when the break end.
5. Keep your workflow until the end of your working day and remember to save your files regularly.
When you have a good workflow, don't lose it, just keep it up. Once you lose it, it's hard to get it back. Keep it up until your last objective is completed or the end of your working day.
In addition, remember to save your files regularly to avoid possible data loss.
6. Repeat it in your following working days.
If you feel productive today, keep repeating it in your following days. Great results do not generated from a single day but many days of repetition. You should be disciplined and patient.
Conclusion
Coding can be a challenging and rewarding pursuit, but it requires focus and dedication to achieve high performance. Even until now, I sometimes make the same mistakes like I did in the past.
The steps which I shared above can be done by any coder (amateurs to pros) to stay focused while coding, so you can get the most out of your time and efforts. I hope that this article will be helpful for you in your coding journey.
