As developers, we must learn and practice a broad range of skills. It might be any skill, such as web development or Android programming, but the common stage that every developer goes through is the Getting Started stage.
The Mindset
Just keep the following in mind:
- It takes time and effort to master a skill.
- Many things aren't pleasant until you're competent at them.
There is a period when you are unskilled and painfully aware of it while acquiring any skill. One of the most appealing aspects of learning any topic is that you don't have to know everything. What's crucial is that you only need to grasp a few key principles to gain the majority of the benefits. This is what is called the Pareto principle.
Pareto principle
The Pareto principle, commonly known as the 80/20 rule, was one of Vilfredo Pareto's most famous theories, stating that 80% of results are typically derived from only 20% of the inputs. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Pareto was an Italian economist who contributed to the development of modern economics as we know it today.
Make it a Habit
The greatest method to attain your objective when you commit to anything is to make it a habit. The only requirement is that you learn regularly.
The fact that it takes discipline to maintain doing something you don't want to do is usually the biggest hurdle to creating new habits. The solution for this is something called Mini-Goals.
Mini-Goals
Assume I'm learning Python as a programming language. I need to write five programs. That was my daily goal; I stuck to it for a few days, but for some reason, I missed one. It's easy for me to miss a day once I've missed one. This happens with all of us every time we commit to something.
That is the most difficult aspect of creating new habits. You can't form a habit if you aren't consistent. As a result, I've finally grasped the issue. When you feel resistant to something you probably won't do it. Motivation and willpower are useless in the long run if you don't feel like doing anything.
Mini-Goals are a way to overcome this resistance. You will do what you are intended to do when there is no resistance. This is how the solution appears: I'll set a tiny target for myself, such as completing only two programs per day. This may sound absurd, but even if I had a poor day, if I only had one hour, I could still fulfil my daily objective, boosting my confidence to new heights.
And it will be OK if I have enough time to fulfil the target as well as some additional work. And believe me, after a week or two of doing this, you will never consider skipping the task again.
Compound Improvement
Any skill cannot be mastered in a single day. Every single day, you must improve a bit more. It combines. Every day is significant. You can either increase or reduce your skill level by 1%. It's entirely up to you.
At first, there's no visible difference between choosing a 1% better or 1% worse choice. It will not affect you today. However, these minor decisions add up over time.
Finally
I must emphasize that these are only a handful of the ways that can help us achieve our goals. Whether or not to do a task, however, is totally up to you. Maintain a positive attitude.