10 Effective Tips to Increase Productivity of Developers & Programmers in 2021

It isn't easy to remain productive as a developer. It's cognitively demanding work that can quickly drain the mind and necessitates much focus. However, understanding how to focus on your work, use automation to save time, and manage distractions can help you reap the most out of your working hours. This pack contains top productivity advice for developers and programmers, ranging from locating the best developer tools to taking regular breaks to successfully removing distractions while working.

We've all struggled hard with being productive at some point in our careers. However, when we start working for a company or a customer as developers, we become consumed with code. We spend much time in front of the computer screen creating code, correcting bugs, reading technical articles, and experimenting with new programming techniques.

We adore it and spend countless hours coding, even on weekends. But, unfortunately, many of us mistakenly believe that stepping away from our computers indicates laziness and not working hard.

If you spend more time at something, you will get better at it, and that's the truth. But after years of coding, do you notice that you are starting to burn out and that this habit is no longer sustainable? You might have had a really busy day at work, but you are no longer efficient, and you don't get anything done despite having spent the entire day coding. You stare at your screen, puzzled and tired, just wanting to finish one difficult assignment. Still, no code comes out of your fingertips. You're drained out at the end of the day, and there's no production.

Programmers know how it feels to write the same code every time or the same command type. Coding can also be a repetitive and arduous task when you do a similar study. Your job consists of copying and pasting many data from one location to another. You become sidetracked and begin to procrastinate on a variety of functions. You can name it coding burnout or whatever you like. You can call it coding burnout or something else. Still, the truth is your productivity starts decreasing day by day, and you aren't the same developer as you were before. This is a frustrating phase for both programmers and developers. Today in this post, we will examine this issue and address it. We will talk about some effective and practical tips to increase productivity in both.

1. Reduce distractions

Most programmers and coding people work on a wide range of difficult challenges. They use countless tools, coding platforms, online resources, and apps daily. All of which necessitates understanding at both the fundamental and advanced levels. They must remain attentive and pay attention to solve complex problems and code. If they are stopped, it may not be easy to get back into the grove, and it may take up to fifteen to twenty minutes to regain attention.

Stop wasting time on social media, news, and other distractions. Turn off all notifications from your computers, mobile phones, and other gadgets while you're working. It just detracts from your ability to focus and reduces your overall productivity. You can use apps or plugins to limit your time on specific websites, or you can block them entirely. Also, attempt to minimize the number of tabs or windows open in your browser. In 90% of circumstances, you don't need more than five browser tabs or five code windows open at once. The more windows and tabs you have opened, the more distractions you'll have, as well as the greater the likelihood of programming errors.

I came across an intriguing question on StackExchange regarding how to let folks know you don't want to be disturbed when working. Make your workplace a calm and productive place.

2. Search for the best code editor

A good source code editor is the first step toward increased developer productivity. Although there are many excellent solutions on the market, it is difficult to determine which is the finest - it all depends on your objectives and demands. Therefore, it's good experimenting with several code editors to see which one works best for your workflow. Here are some critical points to consider.

Which programming language(s) do you use? First, you'll need a code editor that supports syntax highlighting for the languages you'll be working with (at least as a plugin). Do Not only certain code editors have syntax highlighters for programming languages, but also popular technologies such as React.

Your preferred code editor offers a good theme and plugin ecosystem that provides the capabilities you want (for instance, a high contrast theme if you have a low vision).

Suppose you commit your work to a code-sharing network like GitHub or Bitbucket. In that case, the built-in Git capabilities may come in handy. Visual Studio Code, for example, allows you to commit your work to GitHub without leaving the editor.

If you want to use your code snippets and keyboard shortcuts, choose a code editor that allows you to add or import them.

3. Each day, start with the most challenging task.

It's easy to get caught up in daily activities, and developers frequent procrastination, especially if you work as a freelancer and manage your deadlines. As a result, it is common to work all day only to realize that you have achieved so little at the end of the day. You can avoid this by creating a hierarchy of daily chores and starting with the most difficult activity every day rather than multitasking.

Although multitasking was formerly thought to be a good thing, it has been proven unsuitable for most people. According to research, just 2% of the population is competent at multitasking. In comparison, the remainder can lose up to 40% of their productivity. So, if you are in the 2%, keep multitasking; otherwise, prioritize your duties and focus on only one item at a time.

4. Avoid multitasking.

Multitasking: Making a mess of numerous things at the same time.

If developers and programmers want to be more productive, they should include this new definition of multitasking in their lexicon. Instead of multitasking, they should constantly focus on one item at a time. For example, do not inspect someone else's code while writing your code in your application. If you think this will increase your productivity, you are mistaken. According to several studies, multitasking is also bad for your brain. When you try to perform numerous things simultaneously, you have to transition between tasks, which becomes a distraction. Instead of being productive, you will discover that you must frequently retrace to determine where you last left off.

5. Take regular breaks in between work

Humans cannot focus on the same subject indefinitely, especially in difficult mental labor such as programming. Therefore, various experiments have been conducted to determine how long people can focus on a subject without their attention drifting off to anything else. For example, one study claims that sustained attention may be maintained for 45 minutes, while another claims 52 continuous minutes followed by a 17-minute rest.

Then there's the well-known Pomodoro Technique, which measures time with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. It operates in 25-minute increments with 5-minute short intervals and 10-minute long breaks. The Pomodoro Technique has gotten so popular among developers that there are now Pomodoro apps that you may use while working. Overall, there is no tough and quick rule here, and everyone has a different time limit, so you might have to experiment a bit to find out what works best for you. On the other hand, it's also not worth breaking a very tight guideline - if you're currently in the zone, don't stop working just because it's time for a break.

However, there is one critical point to keep in mind. It would help if you took a genuine break when you got up from your desk. Checking emails, Slack notifications, social media, blogs, or simply staring at any form of device will not provide a break for your brain. Every single study on the issue proves this.

6. Schedule and prioritize your tasks in advance.

Planning your work ahead of time might also help you be more productive. For example, to-do applications such as Wunderlist and Todoist allow you to create tasks and mark off finished chores. At the same time, Trello will enable you to set up workflows. In addition, many excellent solutions these days allow you to link various productivity apps, such as Zapier and IFTTT (If This Then That).

You'll also need to do some trials and consider what kind of tools you'll truly need when it comes to task scheduling. You can, of course, utilize multiple apps to manage chores; but, there is a risk of employing too many tools at once. In some circumstances, excessive complexity can even result in a loss of productivity.

7. Keep track of your working hours.

Although not everyone enjoys recording their working hours, using a time tracking tool can be extremely beneficial if you struggle with time management. Time monitoring can boost your productivity since it allows you to observe how you spend your time throughout the day, allowing you to screen out any distractions. Time trackers are particularly useful if you work as a freelancer because they will enable you to bill your clients hourly.

8. Automate repetitive tasks

As a developer, automating repetitive processes is necessary these days. It's no coincidence that DevOps (the junction of Development and Operations) has recently become popular, as it focuses on automation. Of course, you won't need much automation; nevertheless, getting your development code ready for production involves a lot of repetitive operations.

As a frontend developer, for example, you can utilize a task runner to do routine operations on your code, such as minification, image optimization, auto-prefixing, and so on.

9. Acquire and learn new skills and work on new projects.

When you start working as a developer, it's easy to slip out of the practice of constantly learning new things. You become complacent with the technologies you use at work. Your passion fades, and you may suffer later in your career. Instead, work on various side projects and expand your knowledge. This will also help to keep your thinking sharp. Engineers can become bogged down when working on a single project or using the same technology and tools. As a result, their employment becomes repetitive and frustrating for them. Doing a side project or learning a new skill helps you grow and makes you more productive in future endeavors. You can also listen and use podcasts while driving, working out at the gym, or reading a book when traveling. Learning new abilities increases your creativity and introduces you to fresh ideas.

10. Make use of the command line

Aside from automating chores, it's also a good idea to incorporate the command line into your daily workflow. First, using a CLI (Command Line Interface) instead of a GUI can substantially speed your productivity (Graphical User Interface). For example, here's a lesson on configuring the WordPress CLI to expedite WordPress development and maintenance. Second, utilizing CLI commands safely is a crucial programming skill that you may use in many other aspects of your job.

Conclusion

Follow these productivity tips or at least some of them. You will be able to use your working hours better while also improving your development workflow. Although developing a new habit can be difficult at first, it gradually becomes second nature.

Remember that the secret to productivity is experimentation. If a strategy or tool doesn't work for you, abandon it and go on to the next one. And keep doing it until you find the one that works best for your workflow and personality.

The most crucial thing to improve your coding productivity is practicing mindfulness. Coding is a significant mental drain. You have to educate your machine on how to work for you, which is both fun and difficult for developers. In addition, being consistent in your career requires a lot of energy and patience. In programming, productivity always shows up with amble practice and time, so don't attempt to push yourself too hard at first. You will become a better developer with good planning, execution, and preparation.