DEV Community

Cover image for 🚫 Stop Using These Bad Coding Habits (Your Future Self Will Thank You)
Darshan Raval
Darshan Raval

Posted on

🚫 Stop Using These Bad Coding Habits (Your Future Self Will Thank You)

#ai #webdev #programming #productivity

Writing code is easy.
Writing code that your future self (or your teammates) won't hate is the real challenge.

Every developer starts with bad coding habits.

The problem isn't having them.

The problem is keeping them.

After reviewing countless repositories, working on production systems, fixing legacy code, and spending hours debugging simple mistakes, I've noticed the same habits appearing again and again.

Here are the biggest coding habits you should stop today.

1. ❌ Naming Variables Like a, x, temp, data

Bad:

const d = getData();
const x = d.filter((i) => i.active);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Better:

const users = getUsers();
const activeUsers = users.filter((user) => user.active);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Good variable names reduce the need for comments.

If someone needs to guess what a variable means...

...the name isn't good enough.

2. ❌ Writing Massive Functions

If your function takes two minutes to read...

It's too big.

Bad:

function processOrder() {
    // 250+ lines
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Better:

validateOrder();
calculatePrice();
processPayment();
sendConfirmation();
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Small functions are easier to:

  • Read
  • Test
  • Debug
  • Reuse

3. ❌ Copy-Pasting Code Everywhere

We've all done it.

Ctrl + C
Ctrl + V
Ctrl + C
Ctrl + V
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Then one bug appears...

Now you have to fix it in 12 different places.

Instead:

  • Create utility functions
  • Extract reusable components
  • Follow the DRY principle

4. ❌ Ignoring Error Handling

Bad:

const user = await getUser(id);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Better:

try {
    const user = await getUser(id);
} catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Production code always fails eventually.

Prepare for it.

5. ❌ Writing Comments for Obvious Code

Bad:

// Increment i
i++;
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Good comments explain WHY, not WHAT.

Example:

// Retry because payment gateways occasionally timeout.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

That's useful.

6. ❌ Hardcoding Everything

Bad:

const API_URL = "https://example.com/api";
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Better:

const API_URL = process.env.API_URL;
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Future deployments become much easier.

7. ❌ Never Refactoring

If your code works...

Great.

That doesn't mean it's good.

Every feature leaves technical debt.

Take time to clean it.

Future developers (including future you) will appreciate it.

8. ❌ Deep Nested Conditions

Bad:

if (user) {
    if (user.isVerified) {
        if (user.subscription) {
            if (user.subscription.active) {
                // do something
            }
        }
    }
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Better:

if (!user) return;

if (!user.isVerified) return;

if (!user.subscription?.active) return;

doSomething();
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Early returns make code dramatically easier to read.

9. ❌ Not Using a Linter or Formatter

Formatting manually wastes time.

Use tools like:

  • ESLint
  • Prettier

Consistency matters more than personal preference.

10. ❌ Skipping Tests Because "It Works"

"It works on my machine."

Every developer has said it.

Every developer has regretted it.

Even a few unit tests can prevent hours of debugging later.

Bonus Habit

❌ Not Reading Your Own Code

After writing a feature...

Close the editor.

Take a short break.

Come back 20 minutes later.

Read your code as if someone else wrote it.

You'll be surprised how many improvements you'll notice.

Remember

Clean code isn't about impressing other developers.

It's about making life easier for:

  • Your teammates
  • Your future self
  • Anyone who has to maintain your code

Programming isn't just about making computers understand.

It's about making humans understand.

💬 What Bad Habit Did You Finally Break?

I'd love to hear from other developers.

👇 What's one coding habit you stopped doing that made the biggest difference?

Let's help each other write better code.

✨ Thanks for Reading!

If this article helped you become a better developer—even by 1%—then it was worth writing.

Let's keep learning, building, and growing together. 🚀

— Darshan Raval

Technology Lead • Full Stack Developer • Node.js & System Design Enthusiast

"Code is read far more often than it is written."

❤️ See you in the next post!

#javascript #node #webdev #programming #beginners #softwareengineering #coding

Top comments (1)

Collapse
 
algorhymer profile image
algorhymer •
  1. ❌ Naming Variables Like a, x, temp, data

Let's do a check list:

  • No variables, since it is not supported.
  • No mention of arguments at all.

Yup. I aced it.

extrapolate :: [Int] -> Int
extrapolate = sum . foldl' (flip (scanl (-))) []
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Fàilte gu Alba!

heh

Btw, below is a pic of our famous military hero Lance Corporal Cruachan IV with his trusty human servant on his side:

lance-corporal-cruachan-iv