In software development, there is always room for improvement. Here are five precious tips every professional in the area should know about and put into practice in order to become better and better.

Have a high-performance mindset

First and foremost, it is essential that you have the will and the drive to become an efficient and truly high-performing software developer. You must get to work every day with the goal of accomplishing as much as possible.

Having a high-performance mindset is worthwhile and rewarding, namely in terms of career progression. Promotions and opportunities will surely ensue. Not to mention you will gain valuable experience faster.

Write down your goals for the day

As simple as it sounds, writing down a to-do list at the beginning of each day is a tried and tested productivity enhancer. As you go along and complete tasks from your list, cross them out. It naturally creates a satisfying reaction in your body, prompting you to complete more work.

Plan how to take on your immediate task

Whether your next task is to do with coding, debugging, or whatever type of software development effort, think and plan before even touching the keyboard.

Ask yourself these questions. How am I going to approach this task? What are the steps I need to go over? What kinds of obstacles may I encounter? Once you build a plan in your mind (it’s even better if you do it on paper), you are able to know what to do exactly, and most importantly, how to do it.

If you do this exercise for every immediate task as you move along, your workflow will become organized and efficient, and it will show results. Your work will be the sole focus. As a consequence, any unnecessary detours or trial-and-error-based approaches will be avoided.

Take pre-programmed breaks

It has been extensively proven that taking pre-programmed breaks in between tasks contributes to boosting productivity. There are two main reasons why.

When you know how long you will be working before taking a break, it is easier to stay focused on your task. A popular and often efficient method consists in working for 25 minutes and taking a break for five. In those 25 minutes, try hard to keep fully committed to your work.

In addition, taking breaks helps you think and plan. You will see for yourself that it is not rare to come up with much better ideas and solutions for your work during the breaks than when you are in front of your computer and typing on your keyboard.

Start with the hardest part of the task

Whenever a new task arises, it may very well involve simple, straightforward stuff that you are more than comfortable with. But it may also include some kind of technological blockade that you are not sure how to deal with and solve.

Well, it is for the best to start things off with the hardest part of the task. Once you manage to solve it, you will feel relieved and confident, and will likely complete the rest with no worries.

Also, when dealing with the hardest part you might come to the conclusion that the task cannot be done the way you intended. Imagine if you did all the easy things before.

Take these five expert tips into account and see your productivity increase exponentially!