There’s a lot to consider when learning to code.
A LOT!
In fact, saying “there’s a lot to consider” is a huge understatement. Chances are, at some point you are going to get overwhelmed with trying to find the best path forward.
With that overwhelmed feeling comes the sense of workload paralysis. You know, that feeling where you have way too much on your plate and you can’t possibly picture a way to get everything done. So you just sit there, shut down and stare at your monitor like a deer in headlights…
Sound familiar??
The Triggers
This has happened to me several times while on this ‘Learn to Code’ journey and in looking back, I’ve identified two main triggers for it…
Either a) I’ve read the opinions of too many people, each giving different advice on how to approach learning to code or b) I’ve let my mind to wander from the task at hand and allowed the big picture overwhelm me.
Granted, these are what I’ve identified as my triggers. Yours could be different, so it might be worth a little time reflecting on the situations that send you into paralysis.
For the time being, let’s dig a little deeper into mine…
The Trap of Too Much Advice
Reading advice is a good thing, it can help you navigate your journey more efficiently. But taking advice from too many people, all with opposing views can be paralyzing.
Or worse, you’ll start resembling this cat trying to catch a laser pointer.
That could get ugly pretty quick… But what to do about it?
Make it your mission to find someone whom you trust, and who is offering advice on the exact goals you have set out for yourself. Doing this will keep you focused on your own path, not someone else’s…
Use this advice to draw a path forward and trust that if you maintain that path, you’ll eventually reach your goals.
Most importantly, write the plan down. I’ll discuss this more below, but if you try to keep this all in your head you’re destined to become that cat…
The Big Picture
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have perspective of the big picture. But if you allow it to overwhelm you, you’ll lose sight of the path you’ve have carved out for yourself.
As I mentioned above, use the advice of someone you trust to create a plan. A key part of this, is writing it down and approaching it in a step by step manner.
All you really need for this is a pen and a piece of paper, but if you prefer to keep a digital copy, Trello or even Google Docs are decent options (yes, I know there are plenty of storyboard and goal writing apps out there, but that’s beyond the scope of this article).
Once you write everything down, you no longer have to spend the mental bandwidth on remembering the entire plan. You can clear your head and focus on the next step.
Again, allow yourself to look at the big picture but ALWAYS keep your focus on the next small task in order to maintain momentum on your path forward.
As alway, I hope this was helpful, feel free to leave comments below.
Now go build something awesome!!
-Jeremy