Ever feel like your coding sessions could be smoother, faster, and less stressful?
You’re not alone.
After years of working on projects (and breaking a few along the way 😅), I’ve collected a handful of lesser-known tips that can save you time, keep your code cleaner, and reduce those “why-is-this-bug-happening-at-3AM” moments.
Let’s dive in.
1. Master Your Editor’s “Hidden” Shortcuts
Most devs know the basics — copy, paste, undo — but your editor is a goldmine of hidden shortcuts.
VS Code: Ctrl + Shift + L → Select all occurrences of a word.
IntelliJ: Shift + Shift → Search everything instantly.
Small keystrokes, big time-savers.
2. Use Git Like a Time Machine
Stop fearing commits. Commit often.
A commit history is not just for saving work — it’s a travel log of your project’s journey.
Pro tip: Write commit messages like mini-notes to your future self.
3. Keep a “Code Snippet Vault”
Whenever you write a clever function or find a useful regex, save it.
You can use:
Gist
A dedicated snippets manager
Or even a personal “snippets” folder in your repo
4. Debug Smarter, Not Harder
Instead of adding console.log() everywhere, learn your debugger tools:
Breakpoints to pause code at runtime
Watch variables to track values as they change
You’ll fix bugs in minutes instead of hours.
5. Automate the Boring Stuff
If you’ve done it more than twice, script it.
Bash scripts
npm scripts
Git hooks
Future-you will thank present-you.
6. Learn the “Why” Behind the Code
Stack Overflow is amazing, but don’t just copy-paste solutions.
Read the docs. Understand why it works.
The extra 5 minutes will pay off when you have to debug later.
7. Optimize Your Dev Environment Like a Pro
Keep only essential extensions enabled
Customize your terminal prompt (try Oh My Zsh)
Use themes that reduce eye strain
Your tools shape your productivity.
💡 Final Thought
Being a better developer isn’t about learning the newest framework every week.
It’s about tiny daily improvements that compound over time.
What’s your favorite developer tip?
Drop it in the comments — I’d love to steal… I mean, learn from it. 😏
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