Efficient Coding: Practical Habits, Tools, and Tricks
What if you could cut your coding time in half without learning a new language? Efficient coding isn't magic — it's a set of habits, tools, and decisions that stop waste and make good work repeatable. On this tag page you'll find proven tips from short snippets to team practices that actually save time.
Start with your editor. Learn three solid shortcuts and use snippets or templates. In VS Code, a 30-second snippet saves minutes every time you scaffold a function. Set up formatters (Black, Prettier) and linters (flake8, ESLint) as pre-commit hooks so formatting and basic errors vanish before you push. That removes friction and keeps the codebase readable.
Measure before you optimize. Run a profiler on slow code (cProfile, pyinstrument, or Chrome DevTools for web) and focus on real hotspots. Often switching a list search to a dict lookup or using built-in libraries trims seconds from loops. Small algorithm changes beat micro-optimizations every time.
Write tests that matter. A couple of unit tests catch regressions and speed up refactoring. Pair tests with continuous integration like GitHub Actions to run tests automatically on every PR. When tests fail fast, you spend less time chasing down when a bug slipped in.
Debug smarter. Use structured logging and clear error messages. When you hit a bug try Git bisect to find the bad commit quickly. Learn to read stack traces and add temporary assertions to prove assumptions—those stop wild guesses and save hours.
Keep your code readable and small
Readable code is efficient code. Use clear names, short functions, and single responsibilities. Prefer explicit code over clever tricks unless the trick is documented with an example. A function that fits in your head is easier to test and reuse.
Automate repetitive tasks. Script builds, data migrations, and deployment steps. Use task runners or simple Makefiles. Automations prevent human error and free time for real problem solving. Add pre-built snippets for common patterns — database queries, pagination, auth checks — and watch how much you cut boilerplate.
Use AI and tools wisely
AI tools like Copilot or code-generating LLMs can draft boilerplate, suggest tests, or rewrite slow loops. Treat their output as a first draft: review, run tests, and run the profiler. Combine AI with code search (ripgrep) and solid tests to turn suggestions into safe improvements.
Quick wins: add a pre-commit hook that runs tests and formatter, create Git aliases for common commands, use keyboard macros for repetitive refactors, cache expensive results with memoization, add indexes for slow SQL queries, and prefer streaming data over loading everything into memory. Do one of these this week and notice the difference.
Share your small wins with the team to spread better habits.
