growth

10 Positive New Year’s Resolutions for Your Future Coding Success

by: Travis Media
Dec 29, 2018
8 minute read

It's New Year's Eve, developers, and it's time to start thinking about the year ahead of us. In this article, I'll share 10 positive New Year's Resolutions for coders and developers to hit the new year running.

First, let me say thanks to all my readers this year. It's been a really good one and you all are an awesome community to be a part of. I'm looking forward to what next year has in store.

New Year's Resolutions are a very serious matter to some. To others, it's basically just another day. Wherever you are in that debate, I believe it's always good to at least reflect a little and set some goals for yourself. Especially when you are in such a fast-paced field as web-development and tech in-general can be.

If you've waited until the last minute to set some goals, or haven't put much thought into it yet, then let me help you out with a few.

Here are 10 Positive New Year's Resolutions for your future coding success:

1. Become a contributor to your field

As you continue to advance in your programming knowledge, you should be sharing everything! People like me are always Googling how to do stuff, how to build X, or some sort of definitive answer to a technical question.

Your expertise is not only helpful, but needed in this fast-paced field of web/software development.

You have a unique voice. Let it be heard.

If you haven't AT LEAST started a blog, that's your first priority. As I've said before, nothing has advanced my freelance and coding career faster than my blog.

Here's how to get a blog started for $3.95 a month WITH a FREE domain!

Other options that you should explore are:

Starting a YouTube channel. Show us your code, your tips, and your life hacks through video!
Regularly contribute to social media. Twitter is a great hub for web development networking. Check the hashtags #100DaysOfCode #coding and #codenewbie.

Recommended Reading:
– epeat with another gadget in 5 days.

Here's are two tips that have liberated me completely:

It takes time to learn a lot and become "seasoned." Stop trying to speed up the process. Enjoy and find confidence in where you're at..now.
You don't need to know everything to have a solid coding career. I mean, one can make a lucrative living on CSS alone. Look back at how far you've come and, again, find confidence in what you know already.

Wrestle with the concepts, build a little at a time, and Voila!..you will be amazed at how much you already know and how much you are capable of when you really challenge yourself.

I mean, you get a whole year to do it. So do it!

5. Do some freelancing on the side

I'll repeat it, you have the skills. You just need to connect those skills with someone who needs them.

That's all freelacing is … meeting the needs of someone else.

There are tons of businesses, bloggers, etc. who don't know how to make that button green, how to create a landing page, or how to rank better on Google.

That's where you come in.

This year let everyone know what you do. Hand out your business card to everyone.

Make some moola on the side.

But beware, you may just become enamored with it and end up quitting your day job. That's what I did!

I cut my teeth on Upwork. Do you know people are charging $80+/hr on there and making quite a living on Upwork alone! More and more well-known companies and hiring on there.

6. Start reading more

Personal and professional development through books is a trait found in all successful people. Leaders are readers.

From encouraging biographies, classic novels, and business and personal develpment books, making a regular reading habit will propel you forward in life.

It has been a major factor in my own business from learning how to run a business, to technical skills, to inspiration from the lives of others, to hobbies, etc.

Start reading more this year. Create a list of the books you'd like to read and schedule out time to read them. Shoot for 1 book a month to start.

Not a reader? Try Audible and listen to them when you drive, when you workout, when you go on a walk, etc. You'd be surprised how many books you can get through this way.

One subscription I added this year was Kindle Unlimited. I can't express how many hundreds of fabulous books I now have access to at only $10/month!

In summary, there is no excuse with all the mediums out there.

Get TWO FREE AUDIOBOOKS right now with a free Audible trial. Keep them even if you cancel! Here's the link.

7. Step out of stagnation

Take some time to reflect if you have become stagnant in life.

I worked 10 years in a corporate job I only meant to stay at for a number of months. I got comfortable in it (though miserable) and time flew by. Before I knew it I was in my 30's.

This year zero in on those habits, jobs, etc. that you have become stagnant in, comfortable with, and make a plan to exit or propel out of it.

Learn a new skill ( like learning to code!), take a new challenge, stare life down and take charge. Leave no regrets!

8. Work on your confidence

One way to build confidence is to look back at how far you've come, ANDstop looking at those far ahead of you.

Another is to stop thinking everyone is looking at you when you enter a room. They aren't. You know what I mean.

Realize that it takes time to become a seasoned coder and at the same time realize how far you've progressed in so little time.

Stand up straight. Speak louder. All those things you truly want for yourself. Read the book below.

9. Meet up with online aquaintances

Some of us have some close online followers and friends. We present ourselves certain ways to them and vice-versa. But oh how neat it would it be to switch things up and meet in person.

Wow I didn't know you were so short! Ha, your voice is super deep. You're so much more reserved in person!

If you frequently talk with certain people online and feel comfortable doing so, plan a meetup during the year or a plan to attend a conference together ( like a WordCamp ).

10. Start a new hobby

You cannot code forever. We talk on Twitter about how we've been up late … again … coding or that you've completed your sixth #100DaysOfCode in a row, but is that really good for us?

Is there more to life than coding?

It's always helpful to cease doing something that you've been doing for hours on end, and engage in something completely different for a while. That's common sense.

This year, find a hobby. Pick up biking, hiking, volleyball spiking (yeah I just wanted to rhyme), crafting, photography, blogging, etc.

Don't let coding be your whole life. There's much, much more out there to enjoy.

So what positive New Year's Resolutions have you set for next year?

If you had them for this year, how'd it go?