How to enjoy programming?
Kevin Akkermann
19/07/2024
I have been programming for over 10 years and have had quite a few low moments when I’ve had no motivation to continue. Such moments still occur, but having participated countless times in five-hour Olympiad sessions, I’ve learned to maintain motivation both day by day and in the long haul.
As follows, I will share some of my tips to make programming more enjoyable. NB! They may not work for everyone, because all people are different.
1. Make sense of why you do something
If programming for you is just a chance to spend time and slowly solve courses, then you may not stay motivated in the long haul. Motivation can arise during studying, but when you have a definite goal (for example a result in the Olympiad, a certain project, or a cool job, etc), then it will be much easier to remind yourself why you’re actually programming.
2. Take breaks
Very few people can program effectively five hours straight. You should definitely take a break when you’ve been stuck on a bug for already 20 minutes. But the timing of breaks is unique for everyone.
What you do during breaks is also important. In my case, a quick walk outside or making coffee works best. The most important thing is for the brain to have a break from screens.
3. Find yourself study and work buddies
Although programming is essentially individual, working through problems together with someone is much more effective and fun. It would be useful to have friends at the same level as you, as well as some mentors who already have work experience and can help you during tough moments.
For example, in my high school I had a programming Olympiad hobby group, where we got together every Thursday and solved programming tasks and also discussed previous competitions.
4. Reduce distractions
In today’s information society, people’s most valuable asset is their attention. If you check social media every five minutes and chat with someone, whether you want it or not, less attention goes into studying and working.
Programming is solving small and big problems using available tools, and focus is certainly a necessary attribute for that.
5. Only if you’re crazy
Sometimes if motivation is especially high, it happens that at night you get criminally little sleep, the caffeine level in the body is crazy high, and that hardstyle music beats in the headphones as loud as at festivals. That happens when you find how to get into the flow state. Then you can program even 10+ hours straight.
These destructive periods shouldn’t last too long, because everyone’s first priority should be their health. No project is worth ruining that! ;)
- Kevin