The Best Time to Program

Sun, 15 May 2011

When is the best time to program? For myself, during a freelancing it would often be one random time in the day when I'd get a burst of inspiration, but this happened mostly in the evenings and unholy hours of the night. As a working stiff at a 9-5 job, I find it's a rare gem to experience. Perhaps it's only me, or perhaps it's the work I'm doing, but when I do get it, it's when I'm not at work. That's not to say work is the problem.

It seems to me that those bursts of inspiration and creativity come randomly when I'm not thinking about programming at all. A problem I'd be stuck on for days suddenly comes to light while ordering a sandwich. Why? I suppose putting things on the back-burner isn't a bad idea! For me, the less I constantly think about programming, the better I do. When I'm in the thick of code, I don't usually have those moments of creativity.

So when is the best time to program for you? Immediately when you get a burst of inspiration! If you aren't near a computer, draw what you are thinking on a napkin and write it down. Those sparks don't fly often so you have to seize the moment. Lastly, if you want to become a good programmer the best thing you can do is enjoy what you do. And it's far more beneficial to practice programming 30 minutes a day for 30 days, than for 15 hours in 2 days. Just like it's better to walk 1 block a day for 30 days, rather than walk 30 blocks in 1 day once a month. It's how the body works, and I think it's how the mind works.