Code beyond your comfort zone

When is the last time you learned something new about programming? Was it a day, week or month ago? Has it been longer than that? If it has been longer than a month, then make yourself a goal to learn at least one new thing before the end of next month.

Take advantage of your time. Before you know it, a year may pass and you'll be no wiser if you didn't set aside any time to learn. You can't get that time back.

You don't have to set aside much time for growing your programming skills. No matter how busy your life is, you should be able to find some time, perhaps just 15 minutes each week. An hour each month is better than nothing. The more time the better, but don't burn yourself out.

Spend that time to learn something new or to program something difficult. I'm not asking you to start a project. Just work on a demonstration. Your code doesn't have to be pretty. The point is to learn something, not to make something.

It can be about anything you want, perhaps some new GFX algorithms for your next demo or part of a game engine for your next game.

You might not get your program working, but that's good! It means you are out of your comfort zone. This is where learning takes place. Maybe you can try it again next time, or perhaps you feel you've learned enough from the previous experience. You be the judge.

Some examples of the top of my head are:

• use a file format you haven't before (such as BMP, WAV or MP3)
• learn a new language (perhaps a simple tutorial or two, don't overwork yourself)
• read an article on networking
• touch up on 2D and 3D math (one small bite at a time of course)
• learn a new tool such as a graphics editor or an API
• refresh on programming concepts you've learned before but haven't used for a while
  
• ...

And the list goes on. Use your imagination. The point is to learn something new and push yourself beyond your limits comfort zone. Don't push yourself too hard. You don't want to dread each session. You should have fun with it. There's a difference between a challenge and frustrating yourself.