Ready to discover a set of effective time management principles to improve your productivity?

Ever settled into your developer workstation with a fresh cup of coffee, ready to tackle the day’s tasks. As you open your project, you’re hit with a wave of emails, notifications, and urgent requests from colleagues; responsibilities and other commitments too that demands our attention. The day quickly slips away, and by the time you look up, it’s already evening. Sound familiar?

A Developer’s Guide to Peak Productivity

Can you keep track of time? lack accountability and time management skills? your 24 hours seem to be 12 hours? Mondays to Fridays seem like Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? Feel like you don’t know what you’re doing with your time or why time is going so fast and you can’t identify solid achievements? you’re not alone.

I had a contract in an organization, and it was quite exciting to get to meet and network with other developers, gain industry experience, add value to the organization and improve my skills.

So I had a web app design to implement. During that period, I also had a fullstack mobile app and an agency website freelance offer. I needed the cash, so I couldn’t say no - at the moment at least. You’re probably nodding your head in awe of my decisions.

So, all the opportunities were important, but as we’ll discover later, I had too much to chew, and I had to deliver them ASAP. It was overwhelming, but I did not only underestimate the complexity of the tasks ahead, but I overestimated my skills, and was so confident I could do them - why’d I take them duh? Summarily, I ended up delivering utterly late, and incomplete projects; which were to be handled with care when using, else it’d break terribly.

Let’s journey through the adventure of time management as I made terrible mistakes and decisions, how I learned from them, and how I cracked productivity codes for better development. I’ll list out strategies, and what mistakes I made.

Introduction

Time management is the cornerstone of a developer’s success. With the rapid pace of software development, juggling multiple tasks, and staying focused amidst distractions, developers must wield effective time management strategies to maintain productivity. In this blog post, we’ll explore actionable and proven time management techniques that empower developers to take control of their workdays and deliver exceptional results.

Strategies for time management

Establish Objectives

Have you ever played a game that had no objective? or just hopped into your vehicle and started driving without a destination? Yeah … thought as much. Knowing were you’re going to guides you how to get there, and we often ignore this fact.

Where do you want to be or achieve/accomplish today, in a day, a week, a month, a year or next 5 years? Doing this (establishing your objective) gives a sense of purpose and direction, as such, it increases the probability for you to make goal-oriented or result-oriented plans, thereby enabling you to know what to prioritize.

When I got all three offers, I didn’t have a clear objective, I didn’t breakdown the process into achievable milestones or any of that stuff. I just got into my workstation after research and started coding in turns. I would always waste time figuring out what to do, as I had no plan, and when I start implementing a feature for example, and I realize another feature is needed for the one I am working on to be implemented, I halt and get to the next feature. Imagine implementing production-ready Data Access and Authorization features or User Profile features without first implementing User Authentication, it’s a colossal disaster - even viruses have a sense of purpose and direction.

Prioritizing Tasks

The foundation of effective time management lies in prioritization. Developers often have a multitude of tasks, from bug fixes to feature implementations. Start by listing all pending tasks and categorize them into high-priority, medium-priority, and low-priority, based on an objective. Focus your energy on high-priority tasks that directly contribute to project milestones or deadlines. Tools like the Eisenhower Matrix can help you categorize tasks based on urgency and importance.

I started developing the web app, mobile app and web site concurrently. I prioritized whichever had more pressure in a given time frame. What a measure!

I couldn’t give 8 hours a day to each project, as that would consume my entire 24 hours, so I gave 6. But in the end, the project with more pressure took the largest fraction. If I was pressurized more on the web app for example, I would work on it about 12 hours, then work 6 hours on the mobile app, and not work on the agency site that day. This was the normal routine. Burnouts became a norm.

Batching Similar Work

Context-switching can consume valuable time and mental energy. Believe me, moving from the web app to the mobile app to the website sure was hasslesome. Batching similar tasks together minimizes the cognitive load associated with switching between different types of work. For instance, dedicate a specific time block for code reviews, another for design discussions, and yet another for coding tasks. This way, your brain stays in the flow state, enhancing productivity.

Eliminating Distractions

In the age of constant connectivity, distractions abound. To mitigate their impact, create a distraction-free work environment. Silence unnecessary notifications, close irrelevant tabs, and communicate your focused work hours to your team. Consider using website blockers during focused work periods to avoid temptations. There’s a focus mode on computers nowadays, and a don’t disturb mode on mobile devices.

I had demanding projects to deliver in little time, yet unproductive conversations and I were BFFs. Entertaining pointless conversations was like a yoke. At the time, I didn’t know how to break free from the enticement of attention from the opposite sex, I knew I had to draw a line, but didn’t. I’m not saying this is entirely bad, but there’s time for everything aye?

While I’m coding, I get a notification, and I attend to it, I see an entertaining social media post or conversation on a trending topic and I engage. Then when I realize I have a lot to do, I quickly get back to work. Lord have mercy!.

Taking Breaks

Working incessantly might seem productive, but it often leads to burnout and reduced efficiency. The Pomodoro Technique, a time management method, suggests working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break. This approach maintains a balance between productivity and self-care.

According to Wikipedia, Francesco Cirillo created the Pomodoro Technique as a time management technique in the late 1980s. Users of the approach divide their work into intervals, which are typically 25 minutes long, and then take brief breaks in between, typically 5 minutes, and after 4 cycles, take 15 minutes break. Pomodoros, the Italian word for tomatoes, are the name given to these intervals in work in honour of Cirillo’s tomato-shaped timer. You can get the Pomodoro timer mobile app on your device store or visit https://pomofocus.io/ for a web-based version.

Under pressure, we often ignore breaks. Well, any time you start experiencing burnouts, take a break, get some rest. It’s about how much we can do, not how long we can do it. Ever implemented a complex solution to a simple problem, then wake up the next morning and ask who the hell did this? that’s what burnouts can do if you keep going without rest. If you were rested, you’d have probably thought of a much simpler solution.

I guess you’re anticipating to hear that I wasn’t resting or taking breaks. You got me! Takings breaks, resting and sleeping was like luxury to my being. When the pressure got worse, for example moments I had to do a presentation of work done, knowing I hadn’t done much, I’d go about 2 or 3 days without rest or sleep so I can do something tangible and show. I know, it’s terrible.

Tracking Time

Do not worry if you are unable to make any plans at the time; you can do so later. Simply keep a record of everything you accomplish. At the absolute least, at the end of the day and/or the beginning of the next task, be accountable for what you’ve done so far. This will assist you in identifying frequent interruptions and recurrent tasks so that you can know how to plan properly. Even logging our daily activities for one week can shed insight on our way of life.

Examine your time log to identify tasks that are unnecessary, that someone else could complete, that can be completed more quickly or effectively, that wastes the time of others, or those that can be automated etc. Just be accountable.

Awareness is the first step to improvement. Track the time you spend on different tasks to identify patterns and bottlenecks. Use time-tracking tools or task management software. Analyzing this data helps you allocate time more efficiently and make informed decisions about task allocation.

I personally use TickTick

Using Productivity Tools

Numerous tools can significantly enhance a developer’s time management capabilities. Project management tools like Trello, Asana, or Jira streamline task organization and collaboration. Version control systems like Git help maintain codebase integrity. Integrated development environments (IDEs) offer features that boost coding efficiency. TickTick too for task management, and many more.

I had more than I could chew

About the story from my experience, I didn’t know any of these strategies. Cut it short, I delivered the web app about two weeks late, I delivered the mobile on time, but with incomplete features, and no stable build, I also delivered the agency website but about three weeks late. The deliveries weren’t enhanced or top-notch either. It was a rough experience.

What would I have done? Maybe decline one or both freelance offers, knowing it would impact my productivity negatively to have more than I can chew.

I subsequently focused solely on the organization, put all these strategies to practice, and became so productive I couldn’t believe it myself.

Conclusion

As a developer, mastering time management isn’t just a skill – it’s a survival tactic. By prioritizing tasks, batching work, minimizing distractions, taking regular breaks, tracking time, and leveraging productivity tools, you can optimize your productivity without sacrificing work-life balance. The strategies shared here are your roadmap to achieving more in less time and thriving in the fast-paced world of software development. Embrace these techniques, and watch your productivity soar. Remember, every minute invested in refining your time management skills pays off in code, accomplishments, and personal satisfaction.

That’s all folks, hope you had an amazing time!

Please let me know your experiences and what tools you use to enhance productivity in the comments section below!.