5 rules for Senior Dev life (how to do more with less)
Senior devs have the same 24hrs in the day as Juniors.
Yet, they get a lot more done.
(hint: is not because AI does the coding for them)
Here's how to get 10x more done without having to work 24/7:
1. 🤑Don’t waste time doing sh**t below your pay grade
Outsource or eliminate:
Cleaning, cooking, buying groceries... These are $10/hours tasks.
For example:
- I use a weekly food delivery service.
- Order my groceries online (together with everything else).
- Hire a cleaner every 2 weeks
- Have great infrastructure around me (wet/dry vacuum, dishwasher, drying machine)
When spend cleaning your house “feeling productive”...
You are taking time from everything else.
From learning. From doing sports
From hanging out with friends and clearing your mind.
Use money to buy time.
You will also eat good food, live in a clean space, be more in shape…
And less stressed!
It’s a win-win.
2. 🎯First things first, second things none
Constantly ask yourself: What do I need to achieve to make this day a success?
What about this week?
(this can be maximum 3 things, ideally only one. If not, you will go crazy)
Then write them down…
And get it done!
I always tell Bogdan: we plan like architects, but live like dogs.
Dogs live in the now.
They see a ball, they chase it. No overthinking.
But, developer life is not that simple. Sometimes you will have to do HARD things…
Like learning new skills.
Or fixing a bug nobody wants to deal with.
Simple: don't work around it. Don't procrastinate, getting "busy" with low value tasks. Double your effort... And forget about the rest.
Keep the main thing, the main thing.
If you are job hunting, the main thing is: applying to jobs, and doing technical interviews.
What if you are improving your skills… And you have multiple gaps to fill?
Like, you want to learn web performance and backend development at the same time?
Well, you pick ONE.
Stick to it. Finish.
And only then start with the other.
Working 8hrs on the right thing is better than 80hrs on the wrong one.
On to the next...
3.🚦Set clear boundaries (with yourself and with your work)
Aim for 8hrs of work every day. At least 4 of those should be uninterrupted focus time.
When the day is over, close your damn laptop…
And go out into the world!
In my case, I shut down my iMac at 7pm. And I don’t touch my phone after 9pm.
Don't code on Sunday, you need a day off.
If you are under pressure, you can cram something on Saturday morning.
But, even if you have a job...
Push learning during weeks days (mornings or Friday afternoons).
You have to divorce your job from your personal life.
That’s how you will keep both sane.
4. 🧘♀️Treat yourself like a King or a Queen
(not Burger King, but a real one)
I bite my nails when I see great developers quitting software engineering every single day.
Not because of lack of talent.
But because of burnout.
Go enough time without exercise, social contact or family time, and you will become MISERABLE… No matter how much money you make.
I think Confucius said:
A healthy (wo)man wants a thousand things, a sick (wo)man only wants one."
These days, I work out at least 3 times a week.
I do lift weight, run on the treadmill and box. Sometimes I play padel or soccer with friends.
Pick a sport you like... And stick to it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are for catching up with friends.
Sundays is family time.
(If you have small children or a newborn, this doesn't apply. Do what you can, you have a lot to deal with.)
Bonus: If you can combine workout with social time, you get two for one (think HIT workout, half-marathons, yoga, etc)
5. 🥳 Celebrate your Wins
Have small pleasures you look forward to every single day.
That can be watching the sun rise. Or buying yourself a cookie. Or checking out a new restaurant or part of the city.
You can do all this on a budget (even if a Senior dev salary could help).
If the only thing you look forward too is a Netflix series after working all day, you will live a very small life.
Passion is the juice of life.
Feed that passion by having an interesting life outside your coding job.
Go to a dancing class, jump around, cook a lasagna or bake an apple pie :) Whatever gets you going, just do it.
Even if you achieve your big goals, your happiness will depend on a lot more as the small pleasures of everyday life.
Your job and profession is an enabler of happiness. Not the only source of it.
And finally…
Get insanely good at your craft.
Aim for excellence. Chase mastery.
With all its flaws, software development is still a great field to be in.
You will make more money, work on more interesting projects and in better teams.
Most importantly, you will be a lot happier :)
Till the next one,
Dragos
P.S. Do you want to land a high-paying Senior JavaScript role — even in this unforgiving, totally upside-down of a job market?
Our Software Mastery Mentorship will do that for you… or you don’t pay.
.png)
-4-min.webp)
.webp)
