Kotlin FYI: How I'm setting up my #30Days Journey for Success
Tags: kotlin, kotlinfyi, beginners, android
Published: 2020-08-03 03:59:59

---
title: Kotlin FYI: How I'm setting up my #30Days Journey for Success
published: true
description:  Sharing my #KotlinFYI learning journey starting with #30Days of Kotlin exploration and sharing of insights!
tags: kotlin, kotlinfyi, beginners, android
series: 30 Days of Kotlin
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/cveqz3s4f2cebw90bgmo.png

---

#### Interested in **Kotlin**? 3 things you can do right now:

{% link https://dev.to/nitya/kotlin-learning-resources-for-beginners-43g4 %}

 * 🔖 Bookmark this page ☝🏽☝🏽 | _Be notified of updates!_
 * ✅ Follow [#kotlinfyi](https://dev.to/t/kotlinfyi) and [#kotlin](https://dev.to/t/kotlin) tags | _Find relevant people!_
 * 📚 Read my [_Kotlin FYI_] (https://dev.to/t/kotlinfyi/latest) series | _Start your #30Days Journey_

---

## Backstory

Earlier this week, I posted this. After a busy July, I was taking some time off in August, and I wanted to kickstart some learning for three reasons:

* I was introspecting about [lifelong learning](https://dev.to/nitya/i-m-a-lifelong-beginner-are-you-2ac6) and I wanted to walk the talk by doing my learning in public.
* My current role (PM) left little time for coding, and I knew that my problem-solving muscles would atrophy without regular use.
* It allowed me to reconnect with my 11yo in meaningful ways as he began [his learning journey with Python](https://twitter.com/nitya/status/1284845105074102272)


## #30Days of Kotlin

I wanted to have a plan and a purpose for my learning journey. As I explained in the [Kotlin Resources post above](https://dev.to/nitya/kotlin-learning-resources-for-beginners-43g4), I picked Kotlin for three reasons:

 * It's [growing in popularity](https://octoverse.github.com/) - I'd be learning a useful skill.
 * It's the [preferred language for Android](https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/kotlin-is-now-googles-preferred-language-for-android-app-development/) - I could build for [Surface Duo](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dual-screen/android/?WT.mc_id=kotlinfyi-devto-ninarasi)
 * We're in [11 Weeks Of Android](https://developer.android.com/courses/topics/android-11-weeks) - so I have great [Kotlin training options!](https://developer.android.com/courses)

But making a resolution and keeping it are two different things. 

I wanted a way to keep myself motivated and organized so I keep moving in my journey. So I'm taking a leaf from my previous [#30Days Playbook](https://twitter.com/nitya/status/1145880724878385157) and doing three things that will help me stay the course. I hope this helps you too if you are learning with me! 

> **1. Setting up a Content Calendar on Airtable.** 

Here is their [setup guide](https://try.airtable.com/contentmarketing) for reference. It lets me create a calendar view (to track what I did, when), a form view (to quickly add new topics or themes for future content as I come across them) and a kanban view (to track progress). _I hope to link to a relevant view here when done_.

> **2. Adding visual notes for clarity & recall.** 

You might know that I am a huge advocate for [visual storytelling](https://dev.to/azure/visual-storytelling-for-webdevs-create-sketchnotes-2e00) as a means for improving our own understanding of complex topics, while also helping others recall them later. Sketchnoting is a creative skill that brings joy while also making learning inclusive. _So expect to see some #VisualKotlin posts where I try to share my learnings through sketchnotes_

> **3. Leveraging the community for accountability.** 

Studies have show that you have a [65% chance of reaching a goal if you have an accountability partner](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/08/14/three-steps-to-overcoming-resistance/#1673f5d35eae). This is why study groups help people prepare better for exams. In my case, I hope Twitter and Dev.TO will be my accountability partners. That means *you*. I hope that by sharing both my failures and my insights, I can get folks to engage in discussions and keep me invested in moving forward.

## Day 2: Update

I'm currently starting my journey by working on the Udacity [Kotlin Bootcamp For Programmers](https://www.udacity.com/course/kotlin-bootcamp-for-programmers--ud9011) and I'm off to get my IDE setup so I an get to the next lesson. 

I am also a huge VSCode fan - so while the default expectation is to use the IntelliJ IDE, I might also do some spelunking on what I can do to setup or extend my current VSCode environment for Kotlin. _Look for a report on that tomorrow!_