Pinned — 28 Oct 2025 #codingStreet-Smart Coding: 30 Ways to Get Better at Coding Without Losing Your Mind
I spent five years in college learning to code.
A stupid dissertation delayed my graduation. But that’s another story.
Most of my five-year program didn’t prepare me for real-world coding. My real coding journey began at my first job, with one Google search: “how to get good at coding.”
I found a lot of conflicting advice:
“Use comments”
“Don’t use comments”
“Do this”
“Don’t do that”
Arrggg!
It took years of trial and error to learn what worked.
I had to survive on-call shifts, talk to stakeholders, and say “no” politely. More importantly, I had to learn that coding takes more than just syntax.
That’s why I wrote Street-Smart Coding— a roadmap of 30 lessons I wish I had when I started. For every dev who’s ever typed “how to get better at coding” into Google or ChatGPT. (Back in my days, I didn’t have ChatGPT… Wait, I sound like a nostalgic grandpa…)
Preview of the first ~12 pages
Inside “Street-Smart Coding”
This isn’t a textbook. It’s a battle-tested guide for your journey from junior/mid-level to senior.
Some lessons are conventional.
Others were learned the hard way.
And a few are weird.
One lesson comes from a TV show. Nope, not Mr. Robot or Silicon Valley. That’s on Chapter #29. It will teach you about problem-solving.
You’ll learn how to:
Google like a pro
Debug without banging your head against a wall
Communicate clearly with non-tech folks
…and 27 more lessons I learned over ten years of mistakes.
Recently I’ve been struggling with my sleep. Two nights without sleep took a toll on my sleeping habits and mental health. That’s why I’m resurfacing some of my posts on the subject. As a reminder for my future self.
#1. Disconnection syndrome.
Big corporations and our bad daily habits have hijacked our brains.
We live disconnected from ourselves, from people around us, and from nature.
#2. Your brain can heal and change.
Between your ears, you have the most powerful device in the world.
It’s resilient and adaptable.
You can take back the control.
#3. What you eat affect directly your brain.
You’re eating not for yourself, but for billions—your microbiome.
It has a directly line to your brain.
What you eat affects how you feel.
#4. Nature heals you and reconnects you.
Aim to spend at least 30 minutes in a park, at the beach, or outdoors.
#5. Move!
Combine strength, cardio, and stretching.
Exercising reduces inflammation, lowers cortisol levels, and delays Alzeihmer’s.
Inflammation is directly linked with more diseases.
#6. What you see on a screen is designed to take you something:
Your data, attention, or money.
Social media is designed to hijack your reward mechanism to keep you hooked.
We’re being robbed.
#7. Sit in silence with your thoughts for 12 minutes every day.
Meditation and mindfulness literally reshapes your brain.
Breathing deeply trains you to live calmer.
Miss two days of good sleep in a row and you’ll feel like a walking dead.
And no amount of cups of coffee will help.
I know because I’ve struggled with my sleep recently.
On a recent checkup, I brought up the subject with my doctor.
Here’s what she recommended:
#1. Have a light dinner and have it early, preferably while there’s still sunlight.
#2. Before going to bed, turn off LED lights and go with a soft lamp in a corner.
#3. Keep electronic appliances out of your bedroom.
No more TV, LED alarms, or phones.
Sleep in a dark room.
#4. Go to bed early.
Better to wake up early next day than staying in bed longer.
#5. Avoid drinking fluids after dinner and go to pee before going to be.
And resist the temptation of get out of bed, if you’re used to waking up to pee.
#7. As soon as you wake up, get some sun light to synchronize your circadian rhythm.
#8. Keep your stress under control.
Stress raises cortisol and if your cortisol levels are already high, anything will wake you up at night.
This last 100 posts felt like crossing the final line in a marathon, without realizing how you got there.
It was just one foot in front of the other—or one post after the other.
My daily writing started in Nov 1st, 2024.
I was recovering from burnout and writing was my way of bringing joy back to my life.
I knew writing would take me somewhere else.
And I was right.
It’s one of the habits has changed my life.
If any of my posts has inspired you or taught you anything, and you want to support this blog, grab a copy of one of my books. You can pay what you want via Gumroad. They’re also available in Kindle and paperback formats via Amazon.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. Do you remember the first lines of code you wrote? I do! It was in school using QBASIC. Here are 10 lines of code that shaped a career (6min). Maybe you recognized some of them too.
#2. When AI handles almost everything, we lose touch with our systems (6min). Just like pilots, we should train for what the autopilot can’t and shouldn’t do.
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A case against syntax obsession. Because real impact comes from skills outside your IDE.
