Blog-Driven Development (BDD) to become a top developer

Write, write and write.

Introduction

I invented BDD.

Blog-Driven Development.

It’s a practical philosophy where a developer writes to grow 100x faster.

I’ve written 250+ posts over the past couple of years and have experienced the sweetness of BDD.

In this post, I want to dive deeper into BDD and open it to the world.

The benefits of blogging

We can break down the benefits of blogging into two parts:

• Writing in silence

• Writing in public

It’s phenomenal how blogging is a complete package.

After writing my first blog post, I got hooked on writing.

Writing in silence

Writing in silence is easier than writing in public. The benefits of writing in silence are included in public writing.

Writing is an art.

As I’m writing this, my thoughts are going to different places.

Writing forces me to think. It forces me to reflect as I’m expressing myself by composing words.

Reinforcement

Writing about a topic reinforces it in my brain.

As I’m forced to think, not just about what I’m writing, but how I’m supposed to express what I want to convey, it makes me drill down into the topic deeply.

Additionally, we tend to re-read our writings as we’re writing them.

Test my understanding

Expressing myself is a way to test my understanding.

Writing forces me to express myself.

If there are gaps in my knowledge, writing will expose it. It’s good. Wherever we lack knowledge, we can dive in and fill the gap.

This can be done by revising what you learned or doing more research.

Strengthen my memory

Over the past couple of years, my memory has improved.

Sometimes my own memory shocks me. It’s fascinating how sharp it has become.

Interestingly, this change began when I started writing frequently.

Writing in public

Writing in public includes the benefits of silent writing.

Additionally, writing in public comes with more benefits.

You’re now writing for the world.

You’re writing to readers.

This is where writing turns into a complete package.

Get your name out there

Writing in public lets you put your name out there.

This can lead to increased opportunities.

The more people know you, the more opportunities you will get.

This is how you create luck. By working hard both in silence and public.

Additionally, this is a stepping stone to build a personal brand.

A personal brand is extremely valuable. This is when paths you never thought existed open up.

You may have no thoughts today of what to do with your personal brand, but I guarantee you will look back in 2 years and thank your younger self for having started writing in public.

Improved communication skills

You’re now writing to readers.

It’s the same as writing code in a team.

You understanding it, isn’t enough. Others have to understand it too.

This is where you’re forced to edit your writing. You put effort into improving it. This will result in bettering your communication.

Learn from others

Others being able to see your knowledge and learn from you is valuable. They can ask questions and correct you when you’re wrong.

It’s true, we can all be wrong. It’s completely fine to be wrong. We should be humble and learn from others whenever given constructive feedback.

That’s why I believe it’s good to write about what you learn and your personal opinions.

When and what to write

You don’t know what to write about.

You don’t know when to write.

You simply can’t cross the bridge from wanting to write to actually being a writer.

What to write

As developers, opportunities to write exist everywhere.

Look around yourself.

• Struggling with something?

• Learned something new?

• Built a project?

• Disagreed with someone on something?

Write. Write. Write.

People have the assumption your writings need to be informative and perfect.

Guides from zero to hero.

That’s false.

Another thing to mention, if you’re truly stuck, then simply write for your younger self.

Now, you have a bunch to write.

When to write

Timer

Always make sure to work focused when writing.

It’s best to set a timer and focus hardcore when writing. This way you can be effective and don’t waste brainpower.

I would recommend setting your timer to at least 15 minutes before taking a quick break.

When

As for when to write, I strongly recommend forming a habit.

Consistency is key.

Having a habit helps staying consistent.

Start small. Slowly increase the duration and intensity of the habit over time. Consistency must be the core, hence intensity isn’t the primary focus.

We all got time.

Just start!

Ideas gathering

Notes

I take notes on my phone throughout the day.

Whenever an idea sparks in my head, I take notes right away so I don’t need to remember it.

It helps. I don’t feel like I need to subconcisouly think about the idea because I’ve written it down already.

Drafts

I enjoy starting draft blog posts.

I don’t think you need to write the entire blog post in a single sitting.

Sometimes I start a blog post and work on it bit by bit.

From an hour to a month.

It varies how long it takes for me to finish a post.

Conclusion

BDD is amazing.

It was one of the keys to my fast growth going from Junior to Senior developer in just 18 months.

Write. Write. Write.