1 - Keep it simple. Then simplify. 2 - Write code that can be unit-tested 3 - Don't try to use a new framework for every little thing you could do on your own.

1 - Keep it simple. Then simplify. 2 - Write code that can be unit-tested 3 - Don't try to use a new framework for every little thing you could do on your own. 4 - Organize your code so it can be reused by others 5 - Write code as if you were writing for someone else to see and understand 6 - No duplication, no duplication, no duplication, no duplication. Write for reuse. 7 - Try to solve complex problems and develop good algorithms, you'll get better over time. 8 - As a rule of thumb, a class with more than 300 lines of code is a bad smell, unless it is an utility class of some sort, some core thing that is intrinsically complicated.