Write Code Every Day • Hacker News Board

Re: Write Code Every Day

#211

Post by krallja » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 4:33 AM UTC

bvi wrote: post #98

antjanus wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[HabitRPG]( http://habitrpg.com ) is totally awesome for this, a great motivator. You can setup "Dailies" so that when you're done writing your daily 500 words, you just check it off. Or set it up as a habit and give yourself a "+" whenever you get a new chapter done. I use it all the time for just these purposes.

This is brilliant. Thanks! Are there any other similar apps out there?

If you need more motivation than the other apps, you can try beeminder.com which will fine you (!) if you don't achieve your goals.

Re: Write Code Every Day

#212

Post by alttab » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 6:30 AM UTC

munificent wrote: post #32

I am a total convert to the "don't break the chain" idea. I started writing a book on game programming[1] about four years ago. At the time, I was working at EA, miserable, and highly motivated to have the book done so it could help pad my resume. I got a book deal (O'Reilly) then, when that fell through, another (Apress). I had a real writing schedule, and a very supportive wife, and I would work on it for hours at…

I really love this. Great job.

Re: Write Code Every Day

#213

Post by dools » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 8:19 AM UTC

groby_b wrote: post #208

dools wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't found this. Because I can still see a calendar that shows all the days I hit my goal, my motivation doesn't suddenly evaporate if I miss a day. One of the keys I think is setting goals that you can't fail at. So rather than "go to gym" which is a hard habit to form, you could start with "do 10 pushups". Eventually once the habit has formed you can step it up, but it's far more valuable to win/succeed every…

Another side note - where is the "My Chains" app? The app store doesn't know it...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.lixi.mychai...

Sorry it's MyChain

Re: Write Code Every Day

#214

Post by slowblood » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 1:15 PM UTC

I've made it a point to NOT check things in on Sundays. I break my own rule. I get the OCD gimmick to get yourself motivated but ...

I flies against of my philosophy of coding. Less is more, quality over lines of code. Not coding for coding sake. And coding on paper and writing out data structures and algorithms.

Hey, if a whole bunch connected green dots gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Enjoy!

Re: Write Code Every Day

#215

Post by jmzbond » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 5:32 PM UTC

suyash wrote: post #70

hawkharris wrote: post #30

Telling a programmer to write code every day is a bit like asking an aspiring carpenter to swing a hammer: it's a necessary component of improving your skills and building things, but it is also a narrow, technical task that has limited value in isolation. Having said that, programmers should spend at least as much time reading and thinking about code as they do writing it. You can write code for hours each day and d…

I see your point but I don't think when John says "Write Code Every Day" he means writing without thinking. Of course any decent programmer knows thinking about the architecture, pattern, design, data structure and algorithm while writing code is paramount. What I see him saying is that practice the art of coding every day but you can't write code without thinking so it's kind of implied to me.

Agree with both you and enterx.

For me the interpretation is to not just write code everyday, but write QUALITY code everyday. Quality code that improves what you're working on, challenges you to learn new things, and contributes to the development of this skill.

Otherwise I could write hello world for 30 minutes a day.

Re: Write Code Every Day

#216

Post by gohrt » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 6:52 PM UTC

runjake wrote: post #116

gdubs wrote: post #2

This "don't break the chain" approach has worked extremely well for me, particularly during busy periods of high stress. I first learned about it in my college writing classes, where you're supposed to write something, anything, meaningless jibberish even, every single morning. Recently I read about Seinfeld using this approach to great successs. Every day he works on material, and puts a big, fat, "X" on the calenda…

Seinfeld did not invent this "don't break the chain" method and even called it "dumb" [1]. 1. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ujvrg/jerry_seinfeld_...

Parent said that Seinfeld used it. That reddit post is Seinfeld declining credir for an idea which he considers a non-idea. He called it a "dumb non-idea" in the sense of "runjake's running program: put your shoes on evey day, so you are ready to go for a run when you have time." It's a "dumb non-idea" because it's so basic, but it's still something some people do.

Re: Write Code Every Day

#217

Post by ScottyE » Sat, Apr 12, 2014, 6:54 PM UTC

Jeff Haden refers to this mindset as a systems-oriented mindset as opposed to a goals-oriented mindset. He's written a great article about it here: http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/an-nearly-foolproof-way-to-ach...

Re: Write Code Every Day

#218

Post by dools » Sun, Apr 13, 2014, 9:22 AM UTC

bkmartin wrote: post #138

dools wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't found this. Because I can still see a calendar that shows all the days I hit my goal, my motivation doesn't suddenly evaporate if I miss a day. One of the keys I think is setting goals that you can't fail at. So rather than "go to gym" which is a hard habit to form, you could start with "do 10 pushups". Eventually once the habit has formed you can step it up, but it's far more valuable to win/succeed every…

On a side note... neat skin... what is that?

You mean the wallpaper? Just one of the default things on the old xperia sk17a :)

Re: Write Code Every Day

#219

Post by bkmartin » Mon, Apr 14, 2014, 7:22 PM UTC

dools wrote: post #218

bkmartin wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On a side note... neat skin... what is that?

You mean the wallpaper? Just one of the default things on the old xperia sk17a :)

Well, I thought the whole corner groupings was neat. Novel compared to stock android, which is what I've been running for a couple of years.

Re: Write Code Every Day

#220

Post by dools » Tue, Apr 15, 2014, 8:38 AM UTC

bkmartin wrote: post #219

dools wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean the wallpaper? Just one of the default things on the old xperia sk17a :)

Well, I thought the whole corner groupings was neat. Novel compared to stock android, which is what I've been running for a couple of years.

Oh yeah the corner groupings are rad. best thing about the xperia is the keyboard though... I can't stand touch screens!! Although my ideal form factor is candybar the only other phone in existence that does what I need is the Motorola Pro+ which is really fragile. I currently have like 4 xperia sk17a's ... Stockpiling them like a survivalist.