Efficient Coding 2026 Part 2: Touch Typing, IDE Mastery, and Refactoring

Part 2: Mastering the Craft

Welcome to the second installment of my three-part series on becoming a more efficient programmer. These tips come from my most prolific years in the field. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a fresh CS graduate, these habits can help bridge the gap between having an idea and shipping it.

1. Learn to Touch Type

If you aren't typing at 60 words per minute (WPM) or higher, you are bottlenecking your own brain. When you hunt and peck with two fingers, you create a layer of frustration between your thoughts and the screen.

The goal is to make the keyboard invisible so your ideas flow directly into the code. There are plenty of free trainers online, spend 15 minutes a day on them, and you’ll see the payoff in weeks.

2. Become a Power User of Your Editor

Whether you use a full IDE or a text editor like Vim, you need to invest time in learning its secrets.

• Key Bindings: Stop reaching for the mouse.

• Plugins: Customize your environment to automate repetitive tasks. Mastering your tools makes you feel better while programming and significantly increases your output.

3. Aim for 100% Unit & Integration Test Coverage

You might spend 50% to 60% of your time writing tests, but this is a long-term investment. Tests force you to architect your code correctly from the start. If your code is easy to test, it’s usually well-designed. In the long run, you’ll be much faster because you won't be chasing regressions.

4. Be Selective with CS Books

Most programming books quickly become liabilities because they teach outdated or 'wrong' patterns. However, there is one 'safe' book I always recommend: 'Refactoring' by Martin Fowler.

Note: The second edition is actually written in JavaScript, while the first edition used Java. Regardless of the language you use, the core ideas about improving the internal structure of code without changing its behavior are timeless.

5. Pace Yourself: The 6-Hour Rule

Human beings aren't built for more than six hours of deep, conscious, focused programming per day. If you push beyond that, you’ll likely burn out or start making mistakes that take twice as long to fix tomorrow.

Try breaking your day into:

• 12 sessions of 30 minutes (focused work).

• Mandatory breaks: Even if you are in 'the flow,' take a break every 30 minutes. It preserves your stamina for the long haul.

Conclusion

Efficiency isn't just about typing faster; it's about making better architectural choices and protecting your mental health. Join me in the next video as we conclude this series with the final five tips!

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Catch up on the series:

• Part 1: Deep Work and the Pomodoro Technique for Devs.