What I learned from failing #30DaysofCode
On the 11th of January, I told myself I'd start the #30DaysofCode challenge - it seemed way easier to complete than the 100 days one. And if the 30 days one went smoothly, I could automatically extend to 100, then 250, then a year, and so on.
The reason I wanted to attempt this challenge? I changed my job at the beginning of January and that meant I wasn't doing half SEO and half coding anymore - I was now only focusing on SEO. So I didn't want to lose all the coding I knew - only HTML & CSS, and nothing too fancy, but these were skills I gained in three years of hard work, learning while doing, learning on my commute, learning at home, and also learning while doing the other part of my job, which was 90% not coding. And I didn't want to lose this skill.
However, it didn't stick. I'm barely halfway through the challenge and I only coded for a few hours. And I tried to find out why I wasn't doing anything and what was holding me back.
1. I didn't have a plan - and I desperately needed one
Starting a challenge like this is no easy feat. So it’s important to sketch out a plan - even if it’s just a few ideas - in order to be able to stick with the challenge. Most days, I got overwhelmed because I didn’t know where to start. I started so many snippets, I never finished any of them. The second I sat down and came up with 15 ideas, things started to settle down and I was able to stick with one project. Disclaimer: I did this about 5 days ago, so I didn’t advance much. But you can find my list of 15 HTML & CSS project ideas here.
2. I was giving myself unreasonable deadlines
Even after making a list of 15 projects, I was giving myself tough deadlines I could never keep - one day per project! Which was very unfair - some were full-blown projects that even in a professional setting would’ve taken me a full day. So I think it would be best if I focused on time spent coding/researching, instead of projects finished.
3. I was focusing on the past instead of the future
In my previous job, I used to code and do SEO. And I was good at both. And, for a long time, I was the only one who could change a page on the website, code an email from scratch, add a rotating banner, and so on (except the developer, but I’m talking about doing the mundane, trivial, day-to-day tasks I could do by using the CMS). So when I stopped using coding at work, I felt that I was losing a big part of my identity. I was losing a big part of what defined me, and I’ll never use this skill again. And focusing on this made me have a few panic attacks and not be able to focus on creating and learning more. Which, in hindsight, is a terrible way to look at things. So now I’m trying to convince myself that I’m not losing anything, and that I’m doing this for fun. Which leads me to my next point.
4. I tried to start too many new things
I started a new job this month. And even though I’m still doing SEO, it’s a big change. I wasn’t expecting this to feel like such a big challenge, but it does. I switched from being a more generalist marketer (doing copywriting, emails, SEO, coding, etc) to focusing solely on SEO, and I also changed the industry - from e-commerce (online watch store) to providing a service (streaming app). This change is proving to be more daunting and in need of a few adjustments than I previously thought, so starting a coding challenge on top of this wasn’t the best approach.
5. I was trying to learn too many things at the same time
I am a workaholic. And I enjoy it. I’m constantly trying to learn new things that would help me - from attending SEO conferences (like the amazing monthly Women in Tech SEO meetings or the LondonSEO meetups), and to constantly being on Twitter, reading about the latest updates in the industry, to doing online courses about related topics (like UX or IA) and debating the new SEO trends with whoever is listening to me. And trying to navigate a new job - learning about the company, knowing coworkers’ names, not getting lost on my way back from the bathroom and asking people how to use a milk frother - while ALSO starting a coding challenge was not the best idea, as I got too overwhelmed too quickly.
So, from this failed challenge, I learned a few things, and I hope that I won’t make the same mistakes again and apply these life lessons to over parts of my life, too.