Now, we’re in the first official week of the Code Newbie #CNC2018 “Code More” Challenge! Last week, I wrote about what has worked and not worked when it comes to goal setting. This week, the challenge focuses on what can prevent us from reaching the goals we set. Here are my thoughts.
- I want to code more because:
I really like learning about coding for the web. I’ve worked with code in one way or another for the past five years and I always come back to wanting to learn more about building websites. As a self-taught developer, I felt like I was always missing something from being an actual web developer (hello imposter syndrome!), so I tend to focus my energy on building that skill set. The web changes fast and I want to avoid becoming stagnant or falling behind! - I know I’ll have reached my “code more” goal when:
This is a tough one. You’ll never know everything about code, or the web, or coding for the web. However, I consider myself as having met my goal when I can look back and clearly see what skill gaps I have filled or are working on filling. I also consider feeling more confident in my skillset as a sign that I have completed my code more goal. - My top three assumptions for reaching my goal are:
- Working full time. After being in the office, sometimes, I do not want to spend more time staring at a computer screen. Also, my brain hurts sometimes 😐
- Managing my time. See above. If I am clear about my goals, I can better manage my time and make progress. However, that is easier said than done
- Personal life. As much as I love to learn to code and wish that was my full-time job, it is not. For me, there is more to life than sitting in front of a computer screen. Health, family, and friends are priorities too.
- Of these assumptions, my riskiest is managing my time.
- When I think about my riskiest assumption, three possible root causes are:
- Prioritizing easy/instant gratification over long-term goals.
- Saying “yes” to being lazy, instead of “yes” to being productive/working toward my long-term goals.
- Being too generous with my time. I need to respect my own time in order to be successful.
- 3 ways I might address these root causes are:
- Do not overcommit! I’m guilty of taking on “all of the things” and not really having time to do them all. Or letting not-as-important things (I’m looking at you Netflix!) take up the time I do have.
- Focus on one thing at a time. Humans are terrible at multitasking.
- Track accomplishments. I did this last year and it made a big difference when I was feeling unaccomplished.
- Of these, the biggest cause that’s worth tackling first is focusing on one thing at a time.
Photo by Anas Alshanti on Unsplash