Think Like a Computer
Looking out my window three stories high on a warm summer's day, I see boats passing by, and a kmcd-prompt sets foot in my mind:
"What's a skill you're proud of that you've developed?"
On first thought, that's an easy one: programming. I'm by no means a programming language expert. I'm not the person who knows all the ins and outs of the tools I'm using. Rather, I try to choose the right tool for the right job, the instruments that bring me the results I'm looking for.
Learning to program has taught me to think like a computer. It taught me to tackle challenges not by going at them head-first, but by analyzing and breaking them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Divide and conquer. This approach has helped me not only as a software developer but as a human being as well.
Instead of trying to organize a camping weekend for youth athletes by doing everything myself at the same time, I split it up into separate activities and responsibilities that either I or other people can then pick up.
Instead of preparing training sessions at random, I split the year into multiple periods, each having its own specific goals and training activities that go well with it.
Instead of jumping from one work process to another, being led by whatever the day throws at me, I split the day into multiple blocks, Deep Work-style, and then tackle them one at a time.
Learning a new skill is more than just becoming better at that one skill. If you can look at it from a bird's-eye view, you'd be surprised how many other opportunities it provides.