10 Habits of Highly Productive Developers

Productivity isn't just about writing more code—it's about writing better code, collaborating effectively, and maintaining sustainable work practices. Here are ten habits that highly productive developers do every day.

1. Master Your Tools

The best developers don't just use their tools; they master them. Whether it's your IDE, terminal, or version control system, invest time in learning keyboard shortcuts, plugins, and advanced features. Master the fundamentals. Tools such as Git has hundreds of commands to merge and rewrite history in your projects. But there are really only four commands you need to know in order to get by in your day-to-day. You can get through your whole development career only flexing the same four commands, but when the .git conflict from hell emerges, knowing how to rebase a commit could save the day

IDES are another topic of heated debates on which is the right tool for the job. I prefer VS Code because the price is right (free) and is the most flexible IDE for my purposes. But you may prefer vim. It isn't even the newest or most popular tool which distinguishes the seasoned developer- it's how it is used to its fullest. As a vibe coder, your tool is your LLM, your documents, and your planning and organizational skills.

Action item: Level up and Spend 30 minutes this week learning three new shortcuts with the tools you use every day.

2. Write Tests First (Or eventually)

Don't skip this! Test-Driven Development (TDD) isn't just a methodology, it's a mindset that forces you to think about your program design and edge cases before writing the first line of code. I use this term loosely myself, as I believe it can apply on the unit, feature, integration, or behavioral level.

// Write the test first
describe('UserService', () => {
  it('should create a new user with valid data', async () => {
    const user = await UserService.create({
      name: 'Jane Doe',
      email: 'jane@example.com'
    })
    expect(user.id).toBeDefined()
    expect(user.name).toBe('Jane Doe')
  })
})

// Then implement
class UserService {
  static async create(data) {
    // Implementation follows test requirements
  }
}

3. Use Code Review as a Learning Opportunity

Code reviews aren't just about catching bugs, they're opportunities to share knowledge and improve your skills. The best programmers can learn from others.

Best practices:

• Review others' code daily
• Be specific and kind in feedback
• Ask questions to understand reasoning
• Accept feedback gracefully

4. Keep a Developer Journal

Document solutions to tricky problems, interesting patterns you discover, and lessons learned from mistakes. Your future self will thank you.

5. Time-Box Your Learning

Set aside dedicated time for learning new technologies and concepts, but be strategic. Not every shiny new framework deserves your attention.

The 70-20-10 rule:

• 70% time on current stack mastery
• 20% time on adjacent technologies
• 10% time on experimental/emerging tech

6. Automate Repetitive Tasks

If you do something more than three times, automate it. Write scripts, use snippets, and leverage tools like GitHub Actions.

# Simple automation example
alias deploy-staging='git push staging main && npm run notify-team'

7. Take Real Breaks

Your brain needs rest to process information and make connections. The Pomodoro Technique works well:

• 25 minutes focused work
• 5 minutes break
• After 4 cycles, take a 15-30 minute break

8. Practice Deep Work

Block out distractions for focused coding sessions. Turn off notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and communicate your availability to the team.

9. Contribute to Open Source

Contributing to open source projects exposes you to different codebases, coding styles, and collaboration patterns. Start small:

1. Fix documentation typos
2. Add tests to uncovered code
3. Tackle "good first issue" labels
4. Eventually graduate to feature development

10. Know When to Step Away

Stuck on a problem for hours? Sometimes the best solution is to step away. Take a walk, work on something else, or call it a day. Fresh eyes often see solutions instantly.

Compounding the skills over time

None of these habits will transform you overnight. The key is staying on track and excercising these habits every day. Pick one or two habits to focus on, practice them daily, and gradually add more over time.

Above All

Productivity is personal. What works for one developer might not work for you. Experiment with these habits, keep what works, and discard what doesn't. The goal isn't to be busy, it's to be effective.

Just a reminder that the most productive developers aren't necessarily the fastest coders. They're the ones who consistently deliver quality work, help their teams succeed, and continue growing throughout their careers.

Practice Makes Perfect: Build Real Projects

The best way to develop these productivity habits? Build real projects. Start with tutorials that teach you practical patterns:

• Build a Blog - Learn fundamentals while creating something useful (also available for Flask or vanilla JavaScript)
• Build a Portfolio - Showcase your work professionally (also available for Flask or from scratch)
• Build E-Commerce - Master complex business logic (also available for Flask or vanilla JS)

Each tutorial includes AI-assisted prompts to help you build faster while maintaining quality. Choose the stack that matches your career goals and start shipping.