I don't have the whole answer, but here are some things that you can practice regardless of what you're working on, and will make you a more valuable programmer

I don't have the whole answer, but here are some things that you can practice regardless of what you're working on, and will make you a more valuable programmer if you get good at them: - Getting the entire algorithm in your head before writing anything - Predicting where the bugs will be in the code you've just written - Shifting your attention back and forth between what this code is trying to achieve and the means by which it works - Given the context in which your code will be used, predict how requirements might change in the future and structure your code so that those changes will require minimal refactoring