DEV Community: Emmaculate Jane Akinyi Odhiambo

Productivity Booster

Emmaculate Jane Akinyi Odhiambo — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:49:38 +0000

Here are 5 simple things I started doing that completely changed my productivity:

The 20-Minute Rule for Being Stuck
If I cannot solve a bug or configuration error within 20 minutes, I stop guessing. I force myself to look at the official documentation, search the DEV Community, or ask a colleague. This saves hours of aimless troubleshooting.
Writing Down the Goal Before Coding
Before typing a single line of code, I write down exactly what I am trying to build in plain text. Having a clear roadmap prevents feature creep and keeps my pull requests small and focused.
Turning Off Non-Urgent Notifications
Context switching is a productivity killer. I close my email client and mute general chat channels for two blocks of 90 minutes each day. The uninterrupted focus allows me to enter a state of deep flow.
Reading Code, Not Just Writing It
Every week, I spend 30 minutes reading open-source repositories or pulling up code written by senior engineers on my team. Seeing how others structure their solutions expands my perspective.
Committing Small, Committing Often
Instead of waiting until the end of the day to make one massive commit, I commit every time a small sub-task works. It serves as a safety net and makes my Git history clean and easy to follow.

Simple Habits

Emmaculate Jane Akinyi Odhiambo — Tue, 26 May 2026 05:37:21 +0000

We often think that becoming a better software engineer requires mastering complex frameworks or algorithms. However, I found that the biggest improvements in my workflow came from tiny, daily habits.

Why go is great for beginners

Emmaculate Jane Akinyi Odhiambo — Mon, 18 May 2026 12:23:38 +0000

Go is one of the easiest programming languages for beginners to learn.

It has simple syntax, fast performance, and strong support for building modern applications. Many developers use Go for web development, APIs, and backend systems.

One thing beginners enjoy about Go is its readability. The code is clean and easier to understand compared to many other languages.

Go also helps developers learn important programming concepts like functions, loops, structs, and concurrency in a simple way.

If you are starting your programming journey, Go is a great language to explore.

I’m a software developer currently exploring Go, and I wanted my first project to be simple, fun, and practical. So I built a CLI tool that converts plain text into ASCII art—something like turning “Hello” into stylized text using characters.

Emmaculate Jane Akinyi Odhiambo — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:20:51 +0000