1. Get good at decomposing problems. 2. Be attentive to "flow" and how you achieve it. Space/surroundings, time of date, amount of time, etc. 3. Be aware of y

1. Get good at decomposing problems. 2. Be attentive to "flow" and how you achieve it. Space/surroundings, time of date, amount of time, etc. 3. Be aware of your energy level, and match the task to your energy level. Get away from the keyboard and get your brain engaged in other activities to keep you fresh and excited about programming. 4. Write great documentation. This takes as much practice as programming itself. Understand "great" is not equal to "a lot" 5. Don't overbuild on the first pass. Refactoring is your friend. 6. Prototyping is very valuable, but be aware the prototype that doesn't die. I tend to use languages that force the prototype to be thrown away. 7. Profile. 8. Always be learning about your craft and related areas. Business, design, security are all handy when you're a programmer. 9. Don't be a jerk. 10. Learn a variety of languages. You'll likely have a few favorite languages, which is fine, but always be picking up new ideas.