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When you think there is no time for Learning or Coding

ConFrontJS - Warsaw - 2019

Hi!

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Who Am I?

Eleftheria Batsou

App developer | Content creator | Master student | UX/UI enthusiast

eleftheriabatsou@gmail.com

@BatsouElef

@eleftheriabatsou

youtube.com/c/EleftheriaBatsou

HOLA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

My Coding Journey

Tips and Techniques of Habit Formation

Dealing with Frustration/Stress

01

02

03

How I started to code and what am I doing

Or how to form habits

Cause we’ve all been there

3

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My Coding Journey

01

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An exploratory journey

100DaysOfCode

@BatsouElef - ConFrontJS

Every day I read articles from the Medium platform. One day I saw a post about a coding challenge called #100DaysOfCode, the creator Alexander Callaway was explaining the rules and the benefits of taking part. The rules were to code for at least 1 hour, every day, for 100 days and to post your progress on Twitter. The 1 hour of coding should be outside of your 9-5 developer job. The benefits were making coding a habit and improving your skills. During that time I was serving as an intern in a start-up company in Amsterdam where I was working as a front-end developer. I knew I wanted to get better at coding, I wanted to level up my skills, and grew my portfolio. After my internship, I was going to search for my first job. I immediately signed up for the challenge, and my coding journey started.

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Daily rules

Code 1 hour, every day, for 100days

Upload the code on Github

Tweet using the hashtag #100DaysOfCode

Encourage & support people

Code

Share

Encourage

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But… What do I code?

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Sources to learn Inspiration for projects

Online educational platforms
YouTube
Online communities
Coding challenges
Magazines and books

Read blogs, browse forums
Follow publications on Medium
Follow developers on social media
Go to meetups
Attend conferences

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What did I learn?

Goals: Be a rockstar on the basics → HTML/CSS/Javascript

Use more: Flexbox, Less, Sass, Bootstrap + Javascript

Stop being afraid of:

Console, Developer tools

Be friends with

Framework: AngularJS

Data visualization Library: D3.js

AngularJS?!

Javascript?!

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What did I build?

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Pure Css Images

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Simple games: Tic Tac Toe game

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Simple games: Simon game

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Website with AngularJS

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Data Visualization - D3.js

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Advanced game with AngularJS

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Last project on DailyUI

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What about the other challenges you mentioned?

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Challenges...

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What inspires/motivates you?

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// It’s up to you…

if (youWant() === true) {

// Getting better

youCan();

} else {

youCant();

}

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“You are the average of the five people you most associate with”

-Tim Ferriss

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What did I gain?

I learned to be more optimistic and grateful for the things I have accomplished and for the people I have next to me.

I got better at time-management, setting my priorities and goals.

I met a lot of people with different backgrounds & different aspirations.

I learned to believe in myself.

I travelled… a lot more than I would ever think.

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Would I recommend signing up for a challenge?

“Believe in yourself. Be persistent, consistent and determined.”

If you want to improve, grow, learn, share, get feedback, make friends, earn endless possibilities for connections, then yes!
Not everything is going to be easy.
Track your progress, set daily or weekly goals.
Don’t get easily disappointed.
Be grateful yet humble for your achievements.
Remember to help, share, encourage, give feedback, be patient but eager to learn and grow.
Stick to your goals, work towards them and soon you’ll see great things happening with your professional and personal life.

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Tips and techniques of habit formation

02

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I am not telling you it’s going to be easy -

I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it

- Art Williams

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How to form habits

Everyone experiences resistance

Resistance: it always gets you, it always finds excuses.
Resistance has no problem with you eating junk food or watching tv, or playing video games all days. But dare you try to use your time well and it will do anything to stop you.

How?

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How to form habits

The power of limits

Don’t spray your efforts around.
Focus on one thing at a time.
Try for consistency over volume.
It’s better to have just a little free time rather than too much.

Set limits

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How to form habits

Track progress visually

“Don’t break the chain”
Keeping a log / a calendar / write on a notebook

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How to form habits - Examples

Stay away from toxic environment:

If you are dieting don’t keep cookies but have healthy options like fruits near you.
If you know you are going to get distracted by your phone, keep it away.

The idea is to make the unwanted behaviour difficult, and the desired easy to perform:

Have your editor set up, your softwares updated, manage your passwords.
Block the notifications.
Delete distraction apps or log out of from certain services.

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The loop: → Trigger → Routine → Reward

Bright line rules

Get from vague (general) to specific.
The more you define what you want to succeed the easier is going to be to succeed it.

Keystone habit

It leads to the development of multiple good habits.
Make the keystone habit easy to maintain over time.

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Loop: → trigger (or cue) → routine (habit) → reward

It refers to a clearly defined rule or standard. it is a rule with clear interpretation and very little wiggle room. Get from vague (general) to specific
Have certain rules that apply for you
The more you define what you want to succeed the easier is going to be to succeed it.
e.g. “I will code every night for 30min” VS “I will create this app in 2 months”
e.g “I will code every night for 30min” VS “I ll start coding every night for 30min and the 1st thing is to create the login view of the app”
Habits are a system, like a machine or a robot, but like a clever robot, with enhanced AI! you control the habits and the habits control you. It’s a loop.

Keystone habit → it leads to the development of multiple good habits. They start a chain effect in your life that produces a number of positive outcomes. Make the keystone habit easy to maintain over time

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Find time in little things

Claim back the time

Be ruthless about what you have to learn.
Change only 1-2 things at a time and the changes have to be sustainable.
Make it so small you cannot say no.
Start from something, and think not only the best case scenario but also the worst!
Have a minimum standard and you can always do more.

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Find time in little things - Claim back the time

Waiting in a queue, waiting for the bus, being in the bus

Washing the dishes

Jogging

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Cut some time from TV, video games or youtube

Instead listen to audiobooks and podcasts

Be ruthless about what you have to learn (for e.x don’t open all the tabs, open specific tabs with what you need, dont take all the tutorials, take only the ones you re sure you want). It’s ok to want to learn a lot but if you dont have time then be very specific.

Change only 1-2 things at a time and the changes have to be sustainable (this is why usually New Year Resolution don’t work)

Make it so small you cannot say no. Start from something, and think not only the best case scenario but also the worst! what will happen if you fail?! (do the dishes every night, meditate for 5min, workout for 20’). Have a minimum standard and you can always do more :)

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Consistency over Quantity

“Part of courage is simple consistency.” – Peggy Noonan

Keep a “Not to do list”.
Analyze your day, what activities do not worth your time?
If you don’t have something imitate it!

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Community and Accountability

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs

Commit publicly that way you will “afraid” to fail.
Connect with others because you want to, not because you have to.
Don’t ignore situations or people.
Start doing. The more you do the more you will want to do.

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Time and Mind

Do 2 opposite things (the Yin Yang Principle)

Learn 2 different things at the same time.

code and yoga
code and music
code and cooking

Time concepts

Pomodoro technique (3x20 minutes)
Pareto's principle (80/20 rule)

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Dealing with frustration/

stress

03

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“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

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Dealing with...

Is it only you?! Talk to someone.
Leave toxic places at any cost.

Every day counts.

Problems at workplace?

...work

...colleagues

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Dealing with...

Learn how other people started their careers.
Know that coding is complex.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
It’s not only about coding but it’s about compassion, logic, creativity, skill sets…

People think they are not smart enough...

...work

...colleagues

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Dealing with...

Build projects → projects are way more important than tutorials.
“Build” your experience by volunteering, doing internships, working for friends and family.
Have an updated portfolio.

How to speed up the learning process (1/2):

… learning

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Dealing with...

Create a sustainable plan → commit publicly to it.
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there.
Tip: Listen to podcasts/audiobooks/videos at 2x speed, your brain will adjust.

How to speed up the learning process (2/2):

If I don't give up, I’ll know something more that I did yesterday.

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Dealing with...

Don't judge yourself too hard.
It’s ok to fail, it’s ok to change your goals.
From time to time take a break.
It’s better to loosen the ‘rules’ than drop out.
Remember we all stuck, don't punish yourself.

… yourself (1/2):

but I...

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Dealing with...

Take care of yourself: eat, workout, shower, sleep.
Don't act like there is something wrong with you.
Even if you coming from a different background, adjust your experiences and make them work for your current situation.

… yourself (2/2):

but I...

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THANKS!

Does anyone have any questions?

Connect with me :)

eleftheriabatsou@gmail.com

@BatsouElef

@eleftheriabatsou

youtube.com/c/EleftheriaBatsou

BYE!