The one mistake I made as a developer I wished I learned sooner

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An article by Aphinya Dechalert about her journey from zero to dev lead and what she wished she could learn early in her career. The moral of her story – protect your time.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

When I started down my path as a developer, I found myself eager to please and prove to everyone that I am a proficient and capable at coding. As a result, I would do anything that my bosses and managers required I do – from organizing office events, getting gifts for birthdays, leavers and anniversaries, to playing the UX designer and marketing campaigns coordinator – whilst being the lead developer.

‘Busy’ is what happens when you forget to protect your time and neglect to nurture yourself.

She then explains how to protect your time:

  • Set your boundaries
  • Limit your active connections
  • Be aware and wary of time sinkholes that do not benefit you mentally or physically

Learning to prioritize oneself is an art form that needs to be practiced and developed over time. Very wise!

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Tags web-development agile miscellaneous how-to