When you’re starting out as a developer, it’s easy to focus only on getting the code to work. But if you want to make life easier for your future self (and for your teammates), there are a few habits worth building early. These small things stack up over time, and by the time you’re a senior dev, they’ll feel second nature.
Write Clear Commit Messages
“Fix bug” or “update code” isn’t helpful when you’re trying to understand history months later. A good commit message should explain why the change was made, not just what you changed.
Document as You Go
You don’t need to write novels, but jotting down why you made certain decisions will save you from relearning them later. A short README, a comment explaining a tricky function, or even an ADR (architecture decision record) goes a long way.
Learn to Read Before You Write
Before you add more code, spend time understanding what’s already there. Most of your career will be reading and maintaining existing code — not writing brand new features from scratch. Get good at navigating codebases early.
Consistency Beats Cleverness
Clever code might impress your current self, but clear and consistent code helps your future self (and your teammates). Stick to team conventions, follow style guides, and aim for readability over brilliance.
Automate the Boring Stuff
If you notice yourself repeating the same manual steps — setting up environments, running tests, formatting code — take time to automate it. Scripts and tools may feel like overkill now, but they save hours (and mistakes) in the long run.
Start practicing these habits today, and your future senior self will silently thank you. Or maybe loudly, when you realize debugging your own code from last year is… surprisingly painless.
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