How I Got Faster at Coding (Easy Tips That Work)

Hey there!

I used to be the slowest coder ever. Like, embarrassingly slow.

My friend could build an entire website while I was still trying to make one button work right. It was really annoying.

But here's the thing - I wasn't slow because coding was hard. I was slow because I kept doing the same dumb little things over and over again.

So I decided to fix it. Not with some fancy new framework or expensive course. Just simple stuff that actually works.

Want to know what changed everything? Here we go:

1. I Started Saving Code Snippets (This Really Helps)

This sounds boring, but it really works.

I made a text file called `my-code-snippets.txt` and put useful code in there. When I wrote something I'd need again, I saved it.

CSS for centering things? In the file.

JavaScript for handling forms? In the file.

HTML templates I use all the time? You guessed it - in the file.

Now when I need to center a div (we've all been there), I don't sit there googling "how to center div CSS" for the millionth time. I just copy my code that works.

My file has like 50 code pieces now. Saves me at least an hour every single day. No joke.

Start yours today. Put just one snippet in it. You'll thank me later.

2. I Made My Browser Dev Tools Actually Usable

For two whole years, I used tiny text in Chrome Dev Tools. My eyes were dying, and I couldn't read anything properly.

Then I finally made the text bigger and switched to dark mode. Why did I suffer for so long?

I also learned some cool tricks:

- Chrome auto-completes CSS for you (mind blown!)

- `Ctrl+Shift+I` opens dev tools instantly

- You can edit HTML and see changes right away

These small changes made debugging way less painful.

3. I Stopped Hitting F5 So Much

If you're still hitting refresh every time you change your code, there's a better way.

I set up auto-reload so my webpage updates by itself when I save files. Change HTML? Page updates. Change CSS? Styles update. It's like magic.

VS Code has Live Server extension. React does this out of the box. Even basic HTML projects can do this now.

Once you try auto-reload, going back feels like using a computer from 1995.

4. I Actually Learned My Text Editor

I used VS Code for years without knowing the good keyboard shortcuts. So dumb.

Here are the ones that changed my life:

Ctrl+D - Select a word, hit this to select the next matching word. Keep hitting to select more. Change them all at once!

Ctrl+P- Type part of a filename and jump straight to it. No more clicking through folders like a cave person.

Ctrl+H- Find and replace words across your whole project.

Alt+Up/Down- Move entire lines up or down without copy-paste nonsense.

These shortcuts save me hours every week. Plus coding feels way smoother.

5. I Organized My Files (Finally!)

I used to dump everything in one folder. Finding anything took forever.

Now every project looks like this:

```

my-awesome-project/

src/

images/

styles/

components/

```

That's it. Nothing fancy. Just the same structure every single time.

I know where everything goes. Other developers can figure it out fast. No more hunting for files like I'm playing hide and seek.

Pick any structure you want. Just use it the same way every time.

6. I Check My Phone Way More (Seriously)

I learned this the hard way. Made a beautiful website on my laptop. Looked at it on my phone. It was a complete disaster.

Now I check my phone after every major change. Takes 10 seconds. Saves hours of fixing mobile issues later.

Last week I built a contact form. Looked perfect on desktop. On mobile, you couldn't even see the submit button! Good thing I caught it early.

**Keep your phone next to your computer. Use it to test your work.**

7. I Write Notes for Future Me

Past me was an idiot. He'd write weird code and think "I'll totally remember why I did this.

Future me never remembered. Ever.

Now when I do something unusual, I write a quick comment:

```javascript

// Need to wait because the modal

// isn't ready when this code runs

setTimeout(() => {

showModal();

}, 100);

```

Takes 5 seconds to write. Saves 20 minutes when I look at my code later and wonder what I was thinking.

The Real Deal

None of this is rocket science. It's just simple habits that most people don't use.

But they add up big time. Each habit saves a little time. Together they save a TON of time.

Don't try to change everything at once - you'll just get overwhelmed. Pick one thing. Use it for a week. Then add another one.

Quick Tools That Help

I also use some simple web tools instead of opening heavy apps:

When I copy messy code from websites, I clean it up with this [Code Snippet Cleaner](https://example.com/code-cleaner). Way faster than fixing spaces manually.

For broken JSON files, this [JSON Formatter](https://example.com/json-formatter) catches errors instantly. No more hunting for missing commas.

Both work right in your browser. No downloads, no signups, no hassle.

Just Start Already!

Pick one thing from this list. Try it tomorrow. Don't overthink it.

I started with the code snippets file. Made it in 2 minutes, started using it right away. Once that became normal, I learned those keyboard shortcuts.

Six months later, I code way faster and feel way better about it.

You will too.

What tricks do you use to code faster? Drop them in the comments - I'm always looking to learn new stuff.