WeAreDevs - Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits

Discover the transformative power of atomic habits in your journey as a developer. Join us in this captivating talk to unlock the secrets of becoming a remarkable developer through small, achievable changes.

In this session, we will delve into the Four Laws of Behavior Change, empowering you to adopt new habits that will propel your coding skills to new heights. Learn effective strategies to enter the coding flow state while minimizing distractions, and master the art of acquiring new tech skills with ease.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain practical insights and actionable takeaways that will revolutionize your development process. Embrace the power of tiny atomic habits and unlock your true potential as a great developer.

1. Supercharge Your
Developer Journey
with Tiny
Atomic Habits


Natan Silnitsky - Backend Infra Tech Lead, Wix
July 2024
natansil.com twitter@NSilnitsky linkedin/natansilnitsky github.com/natansil

2. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky

1903 - 2002,
No British Tour de
France Winner

3. →Dave Brailsford
→2003 - Performance Director
British Cycling organization
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:BRAILSFORD_Dave.jpg

4. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:BRAILSFORD_Dave.jpg
2008 beijing
olympics
60% of all
gold medals
2013 - 2017
Tour de France
5 out of 6
wins

5. Strategy:
Accumulation of
tiny achievements
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:BRAILSFORD_Dave.jpg Photo by Munbaik Cycling Clothing on Unsplash

6. Supercharge Your
Developer Journey
with Tiny
Atomic Habits


Natan Silnitsky - Backend Infra Tech Lead, Wix
May 2024
natansil.com twitter@NSilnitsky linkedin/natansilnitsky github.com/natansil

7. About me
Before we start...
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
* 20, name/role, curious, 9
ago, personal, audio, 7
habits, mindfulness

8. * James, transformed, cycling,
recommend, even if you, by the
end, we can apply, you become
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky

9. You want to become a better
developer
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
* talking to dev, all kind, FAANG,
OSS

10. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LinuxCon_Europe_Linus_Torvalds_05.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/skrb/10507883455
Linus Torvaldas
Linux Kernel & Git
James
Gosling Java
* goals direction, driven
No guarantee, momentary
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky

11. Avoid Goals - Prefer Systems
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky




* achieve long term. make most day. Improve
system? Change habits, other goals

12. Good
Developer
Habits

My Personal
Take

→Learning new tech skills
→Getting into coding flow / Avoiding
distractions while coding
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
* System for myself, habits achieve,
Hopefully sharing, you can choose,
curious, trouble focusing,

13. The Four Stages of Habit
This is a fact
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
This is a fact
Craving
This is a fact
Response
This is a fact
Reward
Time
* before changing, how formed,
Notifications, Brain same order

14. 1. Building a Good Habit
Make it
obvious
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
attractive
Craving
Make it
easy
Response
Make it
satisfying
Reward
* each stage has simple rules

15. 1. Building a Good Habit - Learning New Tech Skills
Make it
obvious
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
attractive
Craving
Make it
easy
Response
Make it
satisfying
Reward
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it obvious
Cue
•Learning on your
commute to
work

16. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Set specific implementation
intentions


I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it obvious
Cue
•Learning on your
commute to
work
I will Listen to Engineering books and
podcasts in the morning on my commute.

17. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Stack your habits


After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW
HABIT].
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it obvious
Cue
•Learning session
after another
habit
After walking my dog, I will sit down and do a code kata

18. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Pair the Context


We mentally assign our habits to the locations
where they occur
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it obvious
Cue
•Learn at your
desk
Don’t do learning session in living room near
TV, but at your desk

19. 1. Building a Good Habit - Learning New Tech Skills
Make it
obvious
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
attractive
Make it
easy
Response
Make it
satisfying
RewardMake it attractive
Craving
•Learn with a
colleague

20. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Join a culture that
reinforces good habits



Behaviors are attractive when they help us fit in.
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it attractive
Craving
•Learn with a
colleague

21. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Temptation bundling




After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT].
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it attractive
Craving
•Learn with a
colleague
•After coding,
take coffee
break
After performing code kata, I will take a coffee break
with my colleague

22. 1. Building a Good Habit - Learning New Tech Skills
Make it
obvious
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
attractive
Craving
Make it
satisfying
RewardMake it easy
Response
•Listen to the
book 1 chapter at
a time. increase
after a while

23. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Two minute rule





“Always stay below the point where it feels like work.”
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it easy
Response
•Listen to the
book 1 chapter
at a time.
increase after a
while

24. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Reduce Friction
Download engineering podcast episodes in advance
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it easy
Response
•Listen to the
book 1 chapter
at a time.
•Download
podcasts in
advance
Minimize actions you need to take

25. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Design your environment
to make good habits easy
“Redesign your life so the actions that matter most
are also the actions that are easiest to do.”
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it easy
Response
•Listen to the
book 1 chapter
at a time.
•Download
podcasts in
advance
•Put book on
desk
Put the book on your desk

26. 1. Building a Good Habit - Learning New Tech Skills
Make it
obvious
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
attractive
Craving
Make it
easy
Response
Make it
satisfying
Make it satisfying
Reward
•Share what you
learned with your
colleagues

27. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Create immediate reward
“What is rewarded is repeated. What is
punished is avoided.”
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it satisfying
Reward
•Share what you
learned with
your
colleagues

28. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Habit tracker
Start tracking, keep your habit streak alive
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it satisfying
Reward
•Share with
your
colleagues
•Track when you
listened to
podcasts
Track the days in which you listened to
engineering podcasts on your commute

29. 2. Breaking a Bad Habit
Make it
invisible
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
unattractive
Craving
Make it
difficult
Response
Make it
unsatisfying
Reward

30. 2. Breaking a Bad Habit - Avoid Distractions
While Coding Getting Into Flow

Make it
invisible
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
unattractive
Craving
Make it
difficult
Response
Make it
unsatisfying
Reward
•Block
notifications

Make it Invisible
Cue

31. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
•Block
notifications

Make it Invisible
Cue
Reduce exposure to bad
habits
“Hiding” a cue is a good way to eliminate
existing bad habits.

32. Make it
invisible
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
unattractive
Make it
difficult
Response
Make it
unsatisfying
Reward
Make it unattractive
Craving
•Don’t miss the
deadline
2. Breaking a Bad Habit - Avoid Distractions

33. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
•Don’t miss the
deadline

Make it unattractive
Craving
Highlight the benefits of
avoiding a bad habit


Highlight the benefits of avoiding the
behavior to make it seem unattractive.

34. 2. Breaking a Bad Habit - Avoid Distractions

Make it
invisible
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
unattractive
Craving
Make it
difficult
Make it
unsatisfying
Reward
Make it difficult
Response
•Set rules to block
social media
apps and sites
during work
hours

35. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky

36. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
•Set rules to
block social
media apps
and sites
during work
hours

Make it difficult
Craving
A commitment device

A choice you make in the present that
controls your actions in the future.

37. 2. Breaking a Bad Habit - Avoid Distractions

Make it
invisible
Cue
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Make it
unattractive
Craving
Make it
difficult
Response
Make it unsatisfying
Reward
•Share relapse
with your partner

38. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
Accountability partner
Someone who keeps you accountable
Make it
obvious
•Block time in
your calendar for
learning session
•Put the book on
your desk
Make it unsatisfying
Reward
•Share relapse
with your
partner

39. Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
•Share relapse
with your
partner
•Pay penalty
Make it unsatisfying
Reward
Habit contract
Penalty if you fall off the habit wagon
If you browse social media during work hours
- pay 100$ to a charity

40. Summary →Specific Intention
→Stack your habits
→Pair Context
→Reduce exposure to bad habits
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | May 2024
Obvious/Invisible
Cue

41. Summary
→Temptation bundling
→Highlight benefits of avoiding a bad habit
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | May 2024
Attractive / Unattractive
Craving
→Join a culture

42. Summary →Reduce friction
→Downscale big habits - two-minutes rule
→Commitment device
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | May 2024
Easy / Difficult
Response
→Design your environment

43. Summary
→Habit tracker
→Accountability partner
→Habit contract
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | May 2024
Satisfying / Unsatisfying
Reward
→Immediate reward

44. Summary →Setting goals is not enough, focus on
your system / habits
→Tiny Habits over long period
Leads to big gains
Supercharge Your Developer Journey with Tiny Atomic Habits | @NSilnitsky
* deliver better results, focus, skills
Hope, motivated you, start, first.
enjoy rest of day

45. Thank You!
natansil.com twitter@NSilnitsky linkedin/natansilnitsky github.com/natansil
?????? slideshare.net/NatanSilnitsky
Any questions?