Deliberate practice techniques for software developers
It’s summertime here in the Pacific Northwest, and seven months into the first year of this blog. After thirty weekly posts, I thought it would be a good time to consider the themes that have come up so far this year. If you’re a new reader, I hope you’ll find this to be a useful primer.
The theory of deliberate practice is a popular starting point for online article writers. I subscribed to an alert for the term, and I generally get a few results every day (of varying quality). Its popularity isn’t surprising. Deliberate practice offers a process that anyone can use to get better, assuming they are willing to follow it carefully and put in the required hours. Articles and books on the topic often provide examples of well-known experts who followed a deliberate practice process. Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated mentions Tiger Woods pushing golf balls into the sand to make them harder to hit. James Clear writes about Kobe Bryant’s 800 jump shots before practice. But there are also examples of people who didn’t have coaches to steer them towards the right practice steps, but nevertheless achieved incredible results. I recently finished reading Masters of Doom, the story of the founders of id software. One of the recurring themes in the book is the incredible work ethic of John Carmack, co-founder, graphics engine developer, and all-around game programming legend.
When you’re working on a serious learning project, especially if you’re applying deliberate practice techniques, it’s essential to have a set of core habits that you can rely on. Deliberate practice is intended to be a demanding process (see elements #4 and #5 from the linked post). This is good because it makes you push against your limits, but it can also make it difficult to maintain a schedule if you’re just using an ad-hoc process. Experimenting with habits and selecting a few that work for you makes it more likely that you’ll be able to continue working on your project for as long as it takes to complete it.
A productivity habit is something you do on a regular basis (often daily) to help you be more productive. Although the habit may have some value on its own, what’s more important is the effect it has on your work. For example, I find it useful to keep track of how long it takes to complete various tasks. Analyzing this data over time can uncover some interesting trends. But it’s even more powerful to use time tracking for setting time goals, like the number of hours per day that I commit to spending on a project.
Here are the habits that I have found to be the most useful as I work on Project 462.