Reflect & Refactor

As developers, we’re constantly learning: whether it’s figuring out how to solve new problems and bugs, or focusing on new skills and knowledge to apply to our work. Often when we talk about reflecting and refactoring, it will be about the way we work in our teams or how we can make our code better – but why don’t we apply the same method to ourselves?

This talk looks at how to constantly reflect and refactor your own skills and values, creating your own idea of a “good” developer. It will examine the psychology of creating new habits, the different motivations of why we are developers, and how we can each define the type of developers we want to be.

Transcript

1. @mseckington
   Melinda Seckington
   reflect
   refactor
   &
   

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2. What do I want to
   be when I grow up?
   @mseckington
   

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3. @mseckington
   

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4. 10 years later:
   computer science
   @mseckington
   

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5. 15 years later:
   what do I do now?
   @mseckington
   

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6. Things are always
   changing
   @mseckington
   

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7. Learning to adapt
   @mseckington
   

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8. How do we figure
   out what’s next?
   @mseckington
   

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9. @mseckington
   FutureLearn
   

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10. Collaborative
    multidisciplinary
    agile teams
    @mseckington
    

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11. Reflect
    Refactor
    &
    @mseckington
    

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12. Reflect
    Refactor
    @mseckington
    &
    

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13. human equivalent of
    technical debt
    @mseckington
    

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14. How to create our
    own best practices
    @mseckington
    

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15. Reflect
    Refactor
    @mseckington
    

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16. Reflect
    @mseckington
    

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17. @mseckington
    

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18. Make time for
    reflection
    @mseckington
    

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19. Personal
    retrospectives
    @mseckington
    

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20. @mseckington
    Throw away your
    assumptions
    

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21. Take notes and
    revisit them
    @mseckington
    

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22. Find a time when
    you are in the
    right mindset
    @mseckington
    

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23. Don’t wallow in the
    world of what if
    @mseckington
    

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24. 5 retro formats
    @mseckington
    

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25. What motivates you?
    1
    @mseckington
    

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26. Focus on why
    @mseckington
    

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27. Drive
    Daniel H. Pink
    @mseckington
    

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28. Autonomy
    Mastery
    Purpose
    @mseckington
    

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29. Autonomy @mseckington
    

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30. Tasks
    Team Technique
    Time
    @mseckington
    

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31. Understand your
    autonomy needs:
    Tasks, Time, Team,
    Technique
    @mseckington
    

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32. Mastery @mseckington
    

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33. Why do you want
    to master writing
    code?
    @mseckington
    

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34. Understand what
    skills you want to
    master and why
    @mseckington
    

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35. Purpose @mseckington
    

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36. @mseckington
    

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37. Understand what
    impact you want to
    have on the world
    @mseckington
    

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38. What
    motivates
    you?
    @mseckington
    

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39. What are your
    six objects?
    2
    @mseckington
    

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40. six
    objects
    @mseckington
    

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41. Focus on what
    @mseckington
    

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42. Write down
    what you do
    @mseckington
    

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43. How would you
    represent that
    as an object?
    @mseckington
    

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44. Example:
    My objects
    @mseckington
    

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45. Example:
    My objects
    @mseckington
    

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46. Define your six
    objects
    @mseckington
    

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47. What are your
    personal values?
    3
    

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48. What values matter
    to you?
    @mseckington
    

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49. Focus on how
    @mseckington
    

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50. Define your values
    @mseckington
    

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51. @mseckington
    Candidness
    Courage
    Efficiency
    Empathy
    Imagination
    Inspirational
    Playfulness
    Be candid
    Be courageous
    Be efficient
    Be empathetic
    Be imaginative
    Be inspiring
    Be playful
    

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52. @mseckington
    Candidness
    Courage
    Efficiency
    Empathy
    Imagination
    Inspirational
    Playful
    

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53. understand your
    strengths &
    weaknesses
    based on your values
    

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54. What would you
    tell your past and
    your future self?
    @mseckington
    4
    

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55. How have you
    changed over time?
    @mseckington
    

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56. Write a letter to
    your past self
    @mseckington
    

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57. What would your
    past self write
    back to you?
    @mseckington
    

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58. Write a letter to
    your future self
    @mseckington
    

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59. Understand where
    you come from and
    where you’re going
    @mseckington
    

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60. What have you done recently?
    What do you celebrate?
    What do you change?
    @mseckington
    5
    

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61. Examine
    recent events
    @mseckington
    

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62. Examine a shorter
    period (day, week,
    month)
    @mseckington
    

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63. Celebrate what
    you’ve achieved
    @mseckington
    

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64. Learn from what
    you have done
    @mseckington
    

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65. What went well?
    What didn’t go well?
    What do you have questions about?
    @mseckington
    

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66. What went well?
    What did you learn?
    What was unusual?
    Who helped you?
    What was your main strength?
    What inspired you?
    What went less well?
    What did you fail at?
    What would you change?
    Who did you help?
    What was your weakness?
    What still puzzles you?
    @mseckington
    

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67. @mseckington
    candid?
    courageous?
    efficient?
    empathetic?
    imaginative?
    inspiring?
    playful?
    What did I do that was:
    

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68. Follow up question:
    What action could you do next time?
    @mseckington
    

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69. Celebrate and
    learn from what
    you have done
    @mseckington
    

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70. 3
    2
    1
    @mseckington
    4 5
    

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71. Define tangible goals
    @mseckington
    

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72. Do your research
    @mseckington
    

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73. Approach your goals
    like a new city
    @mseckington
    

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74. Reflect
    @mseckington
    

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75. Reflect
    Refactor
    @mseckington
    

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76. Refactor
    @mseckington
    

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77. Why do we
    refactor code?
    @mseckington
    

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78. To avoid
    technical debt
    @mseckington
    

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79. • Maintainability
    • Extensibility
    Improving the design of the
    existing codebase:
    make it easier to add new
    features and capabilities
    make it easier to fix and
    change things
    @mseckington
    

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80. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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81. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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82. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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83. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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84. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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85. Why should we
    refactor ourselves?
    @mseckington
    

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86. Improving the design of
    ourselves:
    make it easier to add
    new behaviours or skills
    make it easier to change
    existing behaviours or skills
    • Maintainability
    • Extensibility
    @mseckington
    

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87. How do we make it
    easier
    to change or add
    new behaviours or skills?
    @mseckington
    

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88. Code smell Refactor
    Tests
    pass
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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89. Sign we need
    to do something
    Do the thing
    Celebrate
    Refactoring @mseckington
    

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90. The Habit Loop
    @mseckington
    

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91. The Power
    of Habit
    Charles Duhigg
    @mseckington
    

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92. Cue Routine
    Reward
    1 2
    3
    The Habit Loop @mseckington
    

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93. every goal can be
    broken down into
    HABITS
    @mseckington
    

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94. Adapt existing loops
    Create a new loop
    with an existing cue
    Find new cues and
    new rewards
    @mseckington
    

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95. Adapt existing loops
    @mseckington
    

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96. Example:
    Flossing more
    regularly
    @mseckington
    

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97. Cue Routine
    Reward
    1 2
    3
    The Habit Loop
    My teeth feel icky
    My teeth are clean!
    Brush my teeth
    @mseckington
    

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98. Cue Routine
    Reward
    1 2
    3
    The Habit Loop
    My teeth feel icky
    & floss!
    My teeth are clean!
    Brush my teeth
    @mseckington
    

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99. Example:
    Finding time for
    learning
    @mseckington
    

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100. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Calendar reminder
     to read
     Learnt something new!
     Read book
     @mseckington
     

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101. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Time to pick up
     a new feature
     to work on
     Shipped a feature!
     Implement the
     feature
     Reading time?
     @mseckington
     

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102. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Time to pick up
     a new feature
     to work on
     Implement the
     feature
     @mseckington
     Shipped a feature!
     Read for 30 minutes!
     

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103. What are your
     existing habit loops?
     @mseckington
     

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104. Which one of them
     could you adapt?
     @mseckington
     

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105. Create a new loop
     with an existing cue
     @mseckington
     

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106. Example:
     Disconnect before
     sleeping
     @mseckington
     

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107. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Going to bed
     Read a book
     for 30 min
     Go to sleep more
     relaxed and
     disconnected
     @mseckington
     

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108. Example:
     Overcoming my
     fears
     @mseckington
     

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109. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Getting asked
     to do something
     I am scared of
     Say “Yes”
     Feeling proud
     for doing something
     you were scared of!
     @mseckington
     

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110. What are the
     things that you
     do regularly?
     @mseckington
     

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111. Find new cues and
     new rewards
     @mseckington
     

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112. Example:
     Exercising more
     @mseckington
     

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113. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Wake up early
     and see my
     running gear
     Go running
     Feel more energetic
     @mseckington
     

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114. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Excitement and
     curiosity about
     next episode
     Go running and
     listen to ZombiesRun
     Experience the story
     @mseckington
     

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115. Example:
     Keeping track of
     my goals
     @mseckington
     

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116. Cue Routine
     Reward
     1 2
     3
     The Habit Loop
     Wanting to level
     my character
     Complete one of
     my goals
     Level up!
     @mseckington
     

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117. Warrior:
     +5 for every 5k run
     +10 for every 10k run
     +10 for every spin class
     +10 for walking 10k steps
     Bard:
     +3 for attending a meetup
     +6 for attending a conference
     +10 for speaking at a meetup
     +20 for speaking at a conference
     Next level: 45 XP Next level: 20 XP
     Level 4 Level 5
     @mseckington
     

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118. When creating new
     habit loops, think
     about all 3 aspects
     @mseckington
     

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119. Adapt existing loops
     Create a new loop
     with an existing cue
     Find new cues and
     new rewards
     @mseckington
     

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120. Refactor
     @mseckington
     

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121. Reflect
     Refactor
     @mseckington
     

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122. What do you
     want to be when
     you grow up?
     @mseckington
     

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123. What next?
     @mseckington
     

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124. @mseckington
     You have brains in your head.
     You have feet in your shoes.
     You can steer yourself
     Any direction you choose.
     You’re on your own. And
     you know what you know.
     And YOU are the one who’ll
     decide where to go.
     “
     ”
     ~ Dr Seuss
     

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125. Thanks for listening…
     Melinda Seckington
     FutureLearn
     @mseckington
     @mseckington
     

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