Don't Code Alone: Use Social Motivation to Your Advantage
Hack United is an organization that empowers hackers and builders! Join us on hackathons in your free time!
Key Points:
• Peer pressure is sometimes good…
• External social pressure means better results and high motivation.
• Keep others up-to-date on your project through Discord servers, hackathons, and messaging friends.
• Motivation goes both ways; don’t forget check back on others’ projects.
Do you code alone? One of the most fundamental human needs is to socialize with other people, but programming usually leads to avoiding socialization for long periods while working on a project. Over time you learn to build up strength against distractions and kill your natural instinct. However, this comes with disadvantages that mirror those of prisoners in solitary confinement – you actually will end up less productive. Is there a better way to stay focused while fulfilling your human needs? The good news is yes, there’s another method called external pressure! For example, talking with friends requires that you be accountable to yourself and care about other’s point of views. If you tell them that you’re going to do something, you have people counting on you. In this way, socialization is an external motivation machine. You can use this natural ability in programming rather than doing everything alone. Since we have the power of the internet there is no need to do everything alone - you’re not a caveman disconnected from society. Combining social motivation and focus is a clear path to success. With all of the online programming communities and events, there are many ways to get started for young people:
1. Join a programming Discord server. Although you might not find a server that exactly discusses what your project relates to, the crowd that has the most in common with your goals is better. When you join this community, take note of the different channels that are provided. Programming question, programming showcases, public chats, and weekly plan channels are what you should be looking for. If you have multiple options, try to pick the one that has the most goal-centric channels. These channels are great because they encourage input on the status of your project. Although you don’t have to engage in all of them, actively posting in just one will give you even greater social motivation. Make sure that you post and discuss your project with others at once a week. I have provided a really good coding community server below!
2. Join a Hackathon. This is an event where you get to code a brand new project in a short time span with rewards at the end. It’s great to work with a clear reward in mind because you can replicate that mindset in projects where there is no clear reward. The more hackathons you attend, you get a better feel for what highly motivated programming should feel like. Meanwhile, you will get to see other people making progress on their projects. This can tone your mindset with the “race” mentality of getting your project finished quickly. In general, it will help you work harder and faster in the future. If it’s been a while since you’ve involved yourself in discussing your programming, this is one of the best ways to start. And it’s free to get involved in a Hackathon like United Hacks.
3. Message your friends. Even if they don’t know anything about programming, bringing up your latest project in a conversation is a great way to get socially motivated. Tell them what your latest goals are even if you can’t show it off visually or describe it well enough for them to understand. Keep it short and forget about coming off as egocentric, people in general love to hear about other’s plans. Why? Once your friend hears about what you’re doing, they’ll be able to talk with you again about the progress of your project. This is by far one of the best ways to get pressure.
In conclusion, you don’t have to code alone and be totally focused to increase your productivity. There is a much better way to do it that you make you enjoy coding even more – social motivation. While you do this, it is important to remember that you do not put more focus on talking to people about your project than you actually work on it. As long as you use this as a tool to help you be more productive, you will see the benefits quickly. You will work faster and have an even stronger goal. Don’t code alone!
United Hacks Hackathon • Hack United Social Media • Written By Josh Rodgers.