Not sure if this will resonate with others, but something weirdly powerful happened to me recently.
I was feeling stuck — not in terms of code, but direction. I’d fix a bug, build a small feature, help someone, learn something — and then forget it the next week. It all felt like I wasn’t making progress, even though I was.
Then I started logging. Like, really small entries:
- "🔥 fixed weird async bug after 2 hrs—learned about event loop.”
- “I don’t write code — I plant bugs and call it ‘feature growth’ 🙃.”
- “🚧 messed up prod config — learned to double check .envs lol”
Nothing fancy. Just me and my thoughts. Sometimes code-related, sometimes personal growth.
I used a platform called Devmate — it gives a kind of "command-line journal" for devs. It felt like a private logbook — but if I wanted, I could also share it with others. And it slowly started showing stats, clone count, logs per day, and even latency time (I’m a sucker for metrics 😅).
What changed?
- I saw my growth clearly.
- I felt more accountable, even on bad days.
- I now have a timeline of my effort, not just achievements.
Looking back, I realized how far I’ve actually come.
And weirdly... I stopped comparing myself to others.
I’m not trying to "sell" anything. I just wanted to share this with other devs who might be feeling like they’re not doing enough—when in reality, they’re doing a LOT. They just aren’t capturing it.
Anyway, if you feel like giving it a try:
(it’s free and lightweight and honestly feels kind of calming.)
Curious—does anyone else keep a dev journal or log? How do you reflect on your daily growth?
Top comments (21)
I find the most value of my dev log is if I forgot something, I can look back and see "uh, that's how/why I did it". This is especially useful in large projects where lots of decisions are made which may not be carefully documented.
I also use it as a way to keep small "snippets" and notes that I might not have a better place to put them.
For that reason, I always keep my dev log informative, and usually follow the structure - why (motivation), how (implementation) and what (observation).
That’s exactly the mindset we had when we built DevMate Logs! 🔥
Really love how you break down your logs — the why, how, and what. That’s gold.
If you're up for it, we’d love for you to try out DevMate. It’s built for devs like you—to capture those small wins, thoughts, and decisions in a simple, command-style flow.
Would really value your feedback!
By the way—what tools do you usually use to document your dev journey or keep track of things you're working on?
I keep a personal dev journal, where I track how much I spend learning and what I learn. It is good for reflecting and planning what is next. And I also keep more of a public log, a blog here on dev.to. Sharing projects to teach others and to teach yourself and you have an archive of knowledge you could use later on. Both of them help a lot.
Yeah, totally! With DevMate Logs, you can also track things like mental energy (latency), your dev streaks, and even get a sense of your “color vibe” over time.
You can look back on your journey — not just the code, but how you were feeling, learning, and growing. And the cool part? You can explore other devs’ journeys too. It’s like seeing the behind-the-scenes of how people actually build and grow.
Thanks! I will give it a try!
Micro-logging like this is surprisingly motivating - I track progress by jotting down tiny wins in my project boards, and it really helps me see growth.
Do you find public logs or private ones are more impactful for you?
I personally feel that public logs help us stay motivated, build in public, and document our journey so others can learn from it. Private logs have their benefits too — they help with self-reflection — but building in public keeps us consistent and also helps grow our audience over time.
Awesome feature, Really loved it.
🤝
Ha, thats a really good idea, I think I might start doing that too. Thanks for sharing!
Glad it resonated with you!
Yeah, there’s something powerful about logging not just the wins, but the tiny steps, the late-night bugs, and the “why is this not working?!” moments too.
It becomes a time capsule of who you were, what you were building, and how far you’ve come—even when no one’s watching.
Try it out for a few days.
Your future self will look back and feel it—like, “Damn. I really lived that.
Nice 💪🏻😍
Awesome feature, soon I will start my next 30 days log challenge....
Cool🤝
Let's join together!!
I loved it while using, and this feature amazed me a lot
🤝
Is there any other amazing features ??
Virtual terminal, collaboration projects, and events — DevMate helps you build, share, and grow with your dev community. Simple, focused, and powerful.
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