How to automate your workspace and write less code

When it comes to developing powerful software, a workspace setup can determine your overall productivity. A well-organized workspace with good operations can help you stay in flow for longer, keep you alert, and help you stay focused on your tasks.

Here are some things you can do to reduce the amount of actual code you need to create in person, reduce the amount of time you spend performing certain tasks, increase your overall productivity, and ultimately write less code.

1. Use auto-complete template code

When it comes to using predefined code, code templates, or snippets are designed with best practices. They are structured to ensure the ability to consistently create code. This is especially useful for group environments and when you need to share code — snippets offer standardization, and when paired with autocomplete, the code generation process is greatly reduced.

2. Using AI auto-complete

AI code completions can not only go one step further but also introduce a new level of efficiency. AI-based completions can provide you with helpful suggestions that you can accept or decline based on context and historical actions. Rather than just guessing what you’re going to type next, IDE code completion plugins like Codota and Tabnine act as an automatic code completion tool that also offers examples that are relevant to your coding context. Unlike other plugins, Codota bundles usage data (without actually seeing your code) to speed up the coding prediction process and help you build your code faster.

3. Learn and Implement short keys

The goal of optimizing your workspace is to reduce the number of keystrokes you must press to complete your tasks. The act of moving between the keyboard and mouse can also break their flow state due to movement changes. When it comes to workspaces, IntelliJ, Android Studio, and Eclipse have the ability to configure keyboard shortcuts to suit the actions you perform most frequently.

4. Integrate with project management tracking tools

Few developers do this enough when it comes to their workspaces. Companies often use some kind of project management tool like Asana and Jira to track tasks, project progress, sprints, and burndowns. If the project management tool is designed for developers, Chances are there is an integration tool available for your IDE as well.

5. We need to talk about linters

Linters remove the manual task of checking your code, automatically formats it against standards, and flag any errors for review. Linters can also help standardize code across teams and reduce any style and formatting inconsistencies.

6. Are your settings synced?

You don’t always work on the same machine. Or maybe you just updated your workspace. Whatever the scenario, most IDEs have a sync option that allows you to move your personal settings without the need to manually set them up again. Small tweaks like using boilerplate, code completion, learning key combinations, and linters can make your workflow just a little smoother.

Feel free to reach out to me if you need help with what is right for you, using this link.

Cheers!