Mod 1 Week 3 Career Journal

Mod 1 Week 3 Career Journal

Mod 1 Week 3: Habits & Accountability Systems
Ideas here are adapted from Atomic Habits by James Clear
Habits of a Software Developer
What do you think are the traits of a good software developer? What are they like in the workplace? What would you as a co-worker think of this person?
What are the habits that this person demonstrates to embody the identity of a software developer?
	I would think a good software developer desires to learn and understand more about code every day. There is so much to learn that even +10 year professionals won’t know everything. Also to be a good software developer I would assume one would have to constantly work towards bettering their communication skills. So much of software development is learned from peers and mentors (along with the internet). To be good at this skill is a necessity to being a good dev.
	The best of these professionals are likely to be quite friendly. The more you communicate, the more you learn, the smarter you are, the better dev you become. I would think of this person from a coworker stand point to being someone who people enjoy to be around, while also looking up to them as a source of knowledge in their field.

Who do you want to be as a software developer? What kind of behaviors do you already have in place to be that person? What behaviors would you need to put into place? How will you do that?
	I want to be someone who others go to for information; not only because of my knowledge but also because it is easy to communicate with me. The knowledge part will come with time but the communicable skill is something I have grown a lot, even since the first 2 weeks. I know I need to continue to reach out, both to learn from others and also to help others learn. 



Working on the 1st Law of Behavior Change: Make it Obvious
Bring self-awareness to your current habits by making a Habits Scorecard. Make a list of your daily habits (examples: wake up, turn off alarm, check phone, etc.) as a way to bring awareness to what you do. Then, decide how effective that habit is for you and your goal of becoming a software developer. Put a + next to habits that are effective; put a - next to habits that are not effective; put a = next to habits that are neutral.

+ Wake up on time (6:00 AM)
- Get out of bed after rolling around for a half hour
+ Working out
+ Eating breakfast
+ Warming up with some studying before school
+ Doing a little exercise between each pom
- Getting on my phone after longer poms
= Taking an hour break after school ends to decompress
+ Getting back to school work for another 1.5 hours
+ Taking an hour break for dinner
+ Doing another 1.5 hour long session
= Unwinding the day by watching a movie/playing a game/reading a book
- Staying up later than I would like due to restless mind



Pick 1 new habit you'd like to build and create an implementation intention following this template: "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]." Then, stack the habit onto something you already do: "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]." (Hint: make this highly specific and immediately actionable)
	I will go for a run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will run right after I wake up.
Design your environment for success: what changes could you make in your space to better implement your habit? How could you remove any triggers for bad habits? How will you implement these changes?
	I think if I moved my phone to the other side of the room, that would be a minor help in the distraction that is waking up. I think this is also considered a trigger, as when I first wake up, I grab my phone to check the media for the day.
Respond after a few days of this implementation: What are your results? How do you feel about this method? How will you move forward with this habit?
	I’ve hit my goal for the last couple of days. It does seem a bit more spread out because I’m not trying to hit this goal every day (I need to give my body rest), but maybe I can fill the time I would be running on Tuesdays/Thursday with something else productive.
	
Additional Optional Reading: The Five Triggers That Make New Habits Stick