“A great lathe operator commands several times the wage of an average lathe operator, but a great writer of software code is worth 10,000 times the price of an average software writer.” – Bill Gates.
“90% of the code is written by 10% of the programmers.” – Robert C. Martin.
Hi, Welcome to JayOnSoftware
My name is Jay Janarthanan, and I’ve been programming for about 30 years. I started this blog to share what I’ve learned over these three decades. It’s also a spot to put cool stuff I find as I work on projects of all stripes.
Please Don't Panic! This isn’t a geek blog, so I won’t tweak your head by waxing poetic on algorithmic equations or expounding the value of C# or Salesforce APEX. I am interested in focusing my mental and physical energies on becoming a super-productive software developer.; This blog is for anyone involved in software, from the developers who write code to the team managers who whip coders into shape, from the CEO who hires the developers to the venture capitalist who funds them.
Productive Software Developers
Golf has Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus the programming world has its list of superstars. These guys are running the startups and working in lead spots at Google and Facebook.; You see, anybody can tee up and swing, but only a few hit it on the green every time. In my experience, the top 10% of developers can write more code than all the other 90% combined.; How? The greats—golfers and developers alike—shine by maximizing their mental and physical capabilities.
Great software developers, like great golfers, aren’t born. They are refined through hard work and dedication. Not even a Harvard computer science degree will mean coding gold without a bit of commitment.; A technically competent developer optimizes productive potential by making mind/body connections.
Mind Power
The best coders go into a flow mode as they write code. It takes a clear mind and completes concentration on the project. Over the past three years, I have found my way to coding Zen through a combination of lifestyle changes. Don’t laugh; it’s true! There are a few Jedi exercises: meditation, yoga, and nutrition.; I have also learned a few interpersonal tricks for dealing with office politics, people, and time management.; It starts with a healthy physique and builds to an exquisite mind.
On average, I spend about 4 to 6 hours a day coding and find myself a lot more productive than developers who work 8 to 12 hours a day.
Continuous learning
Svadhyaya is a Sanskrit term that says a person must continually study the Vedas and other sacred books to stay sharpened and ready to work.; It’s one of the eight tenets of a yogi system of belief. 5000 years ago–before blogs, podcasts, or GitHub;– these Vedas were the only source of information. Now, we have a lot more resources. But the central idea is the same: it is critically important to keep learning, especially for someone like a software developer.
I have worked with C# for all 20 and years the past ten years on Salesforce. Through a lot of trial and error, I have honed a sound software development system; in my experience, 95% of software developers don’t utilize most of the functions provided in a given toolset. A company can spend $10,000 on a Visual Studio Ultimate license, but the developer may use just 5% of its functionality! Imagine how much potential is lost. Developers need to train beyond programming language or API. They need to learn about IDE, debugging, productivity tools, and anything that can help them avoid reinventing the wheel.
My goal is to teach people what I’ve learned. It may seem hokey at first, but I’ve found that anything that makes me a better coder is worth paying attention to, and I hope you feel the same. Please contact me with questions, concerns, advice, or to say hi.
Jay Janarthanan
A software yogi with a zen lifestyle and an obsession with developer productivity
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