I've had many conversations with some of the best developers out there. Developers that are now leading teams, CTOs of successful start-ups or head of engineering at unicorn companies.

I've asked each of them what led to their success and what habits they put in place to become the best possible developer they could. This is what they had to say.

Let's dive in.

1. View coding as a hobby

Top developers perceive coding as a hobby that they happen to get paid for. I can't tell you how many, myself included, have said "I would be writing code daily, even if I wasn't getting paid for it".

This mindset creates one of enjoyment and excitement. Those two feelings are going to make for a combination of someone who loves what they do and is excited every single day at the opportunity to dive deeper.

Being a software developer is a tough career to choose, but really loving the act of writing code will help you navigate the tough times and ensure that you wake up each day excited to build something.

2. Build side projects

If you're not building side projects, then you're stuck working on something that someone else has instructed you to do. Having side projects is a habit for all great developers.

The side projects don't have to be complete, shippable or even functional. It's about what you learn when building side projects and being able to explore new things.

This industry moves quickly but many companies don't. One of the only real ways to stay up to date is to take charge and explore the latest and greatest trends in a side project of your own.

Pick something fun. Get on GitHub. Create a repository. Start learning.

3. Think first, code second

Have you ever watched a senior developer tackle solving a problem?

Juniors will typically open their IDE right away and start looking at some files or writing code.

Seniors will take their time. They'll grab pen and paper for some sketches. They'll open up a notepad to start jotting down some ideas. They'll Google some information they're needing to inform their decision. They'll write some pseudocode. Only once they are happy that they have planned out their approach, will they actually sit down and right the code.

Seniors have the great habit of planning their work before writing a single line of code. This approach ensures that they truly understand the problem, that they have generated a possible solution and that they know exactly how to introduce that solution into the code.

Measure twice. Cut once.

4. Implement a checklist

This is a simple but effective one: great seniors have the habit of going through their checklist before creating a pull request.

Their checklist includes asking the questions:

• Did I solve the problem?
• Is my code readable?
• Have I cleaned up my code?
• Have I written tests?
• Have I written the necessary documentation?

Developers don't often write the cleanest code on their first attempt or think to write tests. Building the habit of going through that checklist means that more quality code, along with tests and documentation, gets merged into the codebase.

Be diligent.

5. Never stop learning

It's no secret that what you know and understand right now will be outdated soon.

We all have the responsibility to consistently keep learning, expanding our knowledge and staying up to date.

The best senior developers I know have a habit of maintaining their learning mindset. They'll set aside specific time for learning.

It may be a video about a new tool to help developers. It may be an article exploring the latest machine learning trends. It may be a full course about a new JavaScript framework. No matter what, they are always learning and so should you.

Build these 5 habits and you'll be a senior in no time at all.

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If you're wanting to learn more from some of the best developers out there, my podcast, The 10X Podcast, is launching this month and we've got some amazing conversations with top developers from all over the world lined up for you.

Stay tuned to this newsletter to find out as our episodes are released.

See you again next week.

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