If something feels like work, don't do it. If you want to do it anyway, do it with a level of detail and attention that you wouldn't be allowed on the clock. Wr

If something feels like work, don't do it. If you want to do it anyway, do it with a level of detail and attention that you wouldn't be allowed on the clock. Write your code on paper, write assembler, make radical choices and do stupid things just because. Play with microcontrollers and build something physically real. Roll your own crypto and design your own networking protocols. Restrict the length of your functions, don't use the standard library, don't use anything but the standard library. Etc.