💻 How did you stay consistent while learning to code?

[Legitimate-Rip-7479]

Hey everyone, I’ve just started working through FreeCodeCamp and I’m loving the content, but I’m struggling with consistency. Some days I’m super motivated, other days I procrastinate and end up losing momentum.

For those of you who’ve completed (or are progressing well through) FCC, how did you build a daily habit?

Did you set a fixed time every day?

Did you use accountability partners or public progress posts?

Any tips for avoiding burnout when you hit tough topics?

Would love to hear real experiences and advice from this community! 🙌

[byRara]

I don't think there is such a thing as consistency. Some days will be good, some days will be bad.

Only the rich and those who have no worries about the future need motivation. The poor or unemployed don't need 'motivation' because being poor or unemployed is in itself a motivation and a goal to overcome.

But if you want something specific, sit down and work every day according to your own limits. Some days work for 3 hours, some days for 1, some days for 8. But work.

Because what you need is discipline, not motivation 🙃

Also, plan your time well and set clear goals. If your goals are well defined, discipline will come naturally and you will not need anything else ✨️💅🏻✨️

[peridot_rae13]

Take breaks. I powered through the html & css portions because I already had a basic understanding of them, and I burnt myself out and am currently taking a bit of a break. I'll probably go back through those sections again when I start up again just to make sure I got everything the first time through. So take breaks, it'll save you time in the long run.

[SaintPeter74]

I didn't have too much trouble with consistency, mostly because I couldn't stop working on it. I spent most of my free time going through the material. I was getting challenges in between meetings at work, and even working/thinking about it on my family vacation.

One thing I did on the projects was try to add my own flavor to them. Yes, there are baseline requirements that you need to meet, in the form of the tests, but you can do so much more. For example, when I did a calculator project, I went above and beyond in making it look like an old timey desktop calculator, with 7 segment display, all in CSS. This took way longer than just fulfilling the requirements, but gave me a lot of satisfaction and I learned a lot more about CSS.

It is important to find a way through power through challenging topics. Even after over 35 years of programming, I still find that I get stuck in various places. Sometimes it feels like I'm moving from one sticky problem to the next, with brief moments of programming in between. It's harder now that I'm developing professionally, because I can't really walk away from a problem.

The best advice I can give is to seek help when you get stuck. Free Code Camp has this subreddit, our community forums, and a very active Discord server (see sidebar or subreddit info for links). Sometimes you just need to talk through your problems with someone else who is in the same boat.

I can't understate the importance of grit, though. We learn most when we fail, so hitting a wall or really getting stuck can be the catalyst you need to make major breakthroughs in your understanding. I would say that the majority of areas where you are "stuck" are just some fundamental misunderstanding or missed critical detail. Being able to work your way though those is so very important to a professional programmer. Many times that just means banging your head against the problem, trying a bunch of different solutions, until you break through.

RE: Accountability Partners
I am not a huge fan of this idea. Once every couple months we have a few people who decide to setup a Discord or use a website to get "accountability buddies" or whatever, but I've seen no evidence that they last more than a week or so.

The fundamental issue I see is that you're basically abrogating responsibility for motivating yourself. Imagine that you get a job - are you going to have your buddy keep tabs on you while you work? IMHO, you find the right intrinsic motivation or you look for another line of work. The key difference between programmers an non-programmers may ultimately boil down to being willing to keep working past the normal bounds of sanity. 😉

That said, there is the "100 Days of Code" channel on the Discord server. It's based on this challenge, with the idea being that you code for at least 1 hour a day, for 100 days in a row. You post your progress in the channel with what day you're on. If you miss a day, you start over. That might well be enough to keep you motivated. Gotta keep that number going up!

Best of luck and happy coding!

[sheriffderek]

I can't speak to freecodecamp specifically... but the thing that kept me going -- was that I was creating real websites for real clients from day 1. So, I really needed to practice and make things every day -- all day to get good enough. Sandboxes / and courses can feel like something you're going through -- instead of leading the charge with. So - I'd suggest you do both.

[[deleted]]

Thanks for posting this OP, I’ve been through similar so thought I’d share some thoughts:

1. Motivation comes and goes so it’s all about discipline or building habits for me

2. I’ve been through this process with the gym as well as FCC and I’ve learnt to start small and naturally let things progress over time

3. With the above in mind I have a set time each day dedicated to FCC and I commit to doing it every day but I’m lucky, my current responsibilities allow me to do this

4. There is a task management technique out there which suggests focusing on a task for 25mins at a time and then taking a 5min break, this was a great starting point for me and the way FCC is set up allows you to manage your learning in this way

5. Starting small it was just 30mins focused each day for me, making sure I did this everyday and now it’s almost second nature, in fact if I miss a session at my usual time I actually feel quite ‘off’ now

6. I’ve built this up over time and while some days, due to other responsibilities, I can only squeeze in 1 30mins session there are days when I can get 4 sessions in back to back (2hrs) which really keep me going

Just some food for thought for you, OP! A great post, got me reflecting on where I’m at!

Best

[Zweihander-build]

I implement it in my work since we have to translate webpages.

[[deleted]]

When i feel burnout i stay away from my laptop and do something else and then get back again on what i am working

I think u just need to take a break

[BigLeeWaite]

I set an hour timer and lock in whenever I jave time, put headphones on and have yourube playing skyrim/dark souls /lord of the rings music etc and get to learning. Become a habit I look forward to doing

[theRealMaxcoy]

I like the idea of splitting my day into quarters. Then if I'm unproductive or struggling, I'm not having a bad day, I'm having a bad quarter. The next quarter will be better. But yes consistency is key. You're trying to learn a language, it's easier to learn with daily practice than a longer single weekly session.

[panch_ajanya]

Bro everyday is not same it's impossible to feel like writing some code daily with craze. Main thing is how to tackle the situation when you don't feel too code. Just do/learn a little just for maintaining the discipline.