When I first started coding, the main point of practising was to understand the code; however, now that I’m more experienced, the point of practising isn’t to understand; it's to improve my speed. Consider where you are in your coding journey and see if you need to enhance your understanding before your speed.
1. Plan and organise your work
Before you start coding, take some time to plan and organise your work. This includes defining your project requirements, creating a project outline, breaking down the tasks into smaller, manageable chunks, and setting realistic deadlines for each job. This will help you stay focused and motivated and reduce the chances of getting side-tracked or overwhelmed during the coding process.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can save a lot of time and effort when coding; some people still don❜t know the most useful ones. It would help if you took some time to learn and use the keyboard shortcuts for your text editor, integrated development environment (IDE), and operating system.
For example, the obvious ones, using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste text, and using Ctrl+Z to undo your last action, can save a lot of time. If you use Visual Studio Code for your IDE, you can use Ctrl+X to cut a whole line of code and then Ctrl+V to paste the entire line anywhere else in the code.
3. Write reusable code
Writing reusable code can save you much time in the long run. Identify everyday tasks or functions you frequently use in your code and create reusable code blocks for them. This will save you from repeatedly writing the same code and help you produce more efficient and maintainable code.
4. Use version control
Version control software, such as Git, can help you keep track of changes to your code and collaborate with other developers more efficiently. By using version control, you can quickly revert to previous versions of your code if something goes wrong, and you can work on multiple versions of your code simultaneously. This can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run; collaborating with your team will permanently save time.
5. Practice, practice, practice!
The more you code, the faster and more efficient you will become. Practice coding regularly and try to tackle new and challenging projects that will help you expand your coding skills and knowledge.
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