Programming Momentum

Writing code everyday has been an interesting challenge.

In 2015 I started to work towards a long streak on GitHub which eventually capped out at 250 days. The questions I wanted to answer was:

• Can I apply ‘deliberate practice‘ to programming and get better?
• Can ‘free coding’ (like free writing) be effective way to push through writers block?
• How important is memorising to your coding performance?
• If syntax and API unknowns don’t present bottlenecks to your flow how fast can I translate an idea into code – can it be limited by typing speed?

I started a repository for my daily coding.  It had a simple script to generate a blank file everyday for me to code in and I would try to code something.  Sometimes it would be to explore a new python module, or fiddle with syntax, or challenge myself with a rosetta code example or replicate a previous day’s code from memory.  I wrote dozens of Flask apps, memorised the methods of lots of APIs, and gained a level of confidence with writing Python that I don’t have with any other language.

At the end of the streak I had a repository with hundreds of small scripts.  Only a handful of them were multi-day efforts or had any real value.  The variety of this collection proved to be useful on it’s own too – several times I have referred back to these examples to help with my actual work and to copy/paste snippets from.  Some of them started me down a path of exploration – like calculating the return on investment for solar panels.

Part of what enabled me to maintain this streak as long as I did was a simple script I wrote to check GitHub for daily activity and email me if I hadn’t yet committed any code.  This simple hack was enough of a reminder to keep me focused even when I was otherwise distracted.

This past week I turned that script into a web service anyone can use.  CodeStreak.io will watch your public github activity and email or SMS you if you haven’t yet pushed any code for the day.  This is the first project of 2017 that I plan on building to expand on my previous streak.

In 2017 I want to build 12 projects.  Each should be roughly 10-20 hours of effort and result in something that provides value for other people.  CodeStreak.io is an example of the kind of project that I want to undertake this coming year, but it is also a tool to help ensure that the momentum is sustained for 12 months.  Blocking out 4 hour chunks of time is a helpful way to really focus and be productive, but 4 hours once per week has been (for me) too sparse to maintain interest in something long enough to finish it.  A little bit everyday keeps a project on your mind.  Attempting to maintain a streak will be a tool to power through the bits that are otherwise uninteresting or difficult.  CodeStreak.io is a foundational tool necessary to accomplish my 2017 goal.

The questions I want to explore with this new goal are:

1. Without a concern for generating revenue can I just write cool things and get them out there?
2. Can I get deeper into something new and create something useful out of it with less than 20 hours of effort?
3. Can you get good at seeing a project from start to finish – what skills or traits will improve the odds?

Hopefully, I’ll have some answers at the end of 2017.