Code and Chill Guide 2023
Tags: beginners, programming, productivity, tooling
Published: 2023-07-22 09:50:21

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For the sake of productivity and to record my progress of how I use tools to write code and maintain my projects. These are the steps or checklist for me to follow every time I got a new laptop.

## [Buy more monitors](https://www.tworivercomputer.com/two-monitors-increase-productivity/)

Definitely, you should have at least 2 monitors. Switching between code and docs and other communication tools (ms team, LINE, etc.) would be too frustrating believe me.


## [Set up the terminal](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-configure-your-macos-terminal-with-zsh-like-a-pro-c0ab3f3c1156/)

![Oh-my-zsh](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/grxwkt45juxnk2m6mofi.png)

For me, I think the new Macbook Air will always be my first suggestion for the laptop to buy. It is productive to use most of the time.

With a good terminal, you can work 2-4 times faster. This will save time and reduced your errors. You can also use [fuck](https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck) (just like how you swear most of the time) to correct errors easily.


## [Use the tools that suits you](https://outstaffyourteam.com/articles/most-popular-ides-for-developers)

![Vscode](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/al32hsayxd0hxasvsx6y.png)
Personally, it is great to code with VScode with extensions installed. You can actually use [profiles with VScode](https://dev.to/parmcoder/how-to-manage-vscode-extensions-2kg7) to help you personalize your style.

However, the project indexing in Python is quite disappointing. I prefer using PyCharm from JetBrains for most stuff related to python.

In case you have high wpm typing speed, you can try [neovim](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajmK0ZNcM4Q). This will take practices and once you are comfortable with this. You can work 2-3 times faster than average IDE users. It will rely on both typing speed and accuracy also to maximize the potential.

## [Manage your browser tabs](https://blog.google/products/chrome/manage-tabs-with-google-chrome/)

![Browser tabs](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9os3t8x54gskugipoxnm.png) 

Recently, Apple announced [the new features](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYjqYeKeUPo) for the upcoming macOS. Well, it is also available in Google Chrome already. You can try to use it also. For me, I use it to group tabs from Github, Gitlab, and my jira projects.

## [Listen to music](https://jedfoundation.org/resource/how-music-can-improve-your-mental-health/)

![Space](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/drxlwu15djiraqgl6sm6.png)

Get a playlist of your taste and listen to them while you code. It does not make you work faster, but it is good for your mental health and it is fun!

To stay focus, try [white noise](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWLznPU0TTw) and set the volume to where you feel relaxed.

## [Rest](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/06/how-slowing-down-at-work-can-help-you-get-more-done.html)
Yup, just rest. Maintaining your work-life balance is the chill part. Eventually, you will spend less time than most people on average and still get your job done.

Please follow me, bookmark this, give this a like and share it to those who are not chilled or not coding. Thank you guys!