2 weeks ago I wrote a post about my first year as a Frontend Developer. At the end of the post I wrote my goals from now on:

• I would like to have models to follow and improve myself in what I do.

• I want to learn new and better ways of doing web design.

• I want to do some creative designs from scratch.

• I want to learn UX and understand more the designs that I code.

It is good to have some goals to improve, but the hard part is to accomplish them. Currently we have a lot of information to improve in web design on the Internet: tutorials, courses, articles, resources, open projects, etc. But we should focus in only one thing at a time if we want to do something and not get overwhelmed.

If you have a full-time job, the free time you have is restricted. You want to socialize, be with your family, relax, do exercise, travel and many other things, but you also want to improve in your job, how can you do that? One possibility is trying to use new tools or technology in your work, but you have to have the time to learn it and incorporate it. The other possibility is to do it as a side project and then, use it in your work.

A week ago I started to read the Zell Liew’s blog and I realized that the questions I have are the questions a lot of people have. He says that a clue to do the next thing is asking yourself: Where do you want to go? What do you need? That’s what you should learn next.

Another important considerations that you have to take into account when you are doing a plan is something that I read in “Live your legend” blog:

• Everything takes longer than we think

• You have to leave windows of free time

• Know you won’t get it all done

• Schedule the most important things early

In my case I have to finish a graphic design course and do the final project first (I have a deadline here) and then, start with these goals. I am going to write down what I want to achieve with an initial order and in future posts I will tell you if it was possible, if all was needed and how I did it.

1. Automating your workflow: If you automate your workflow, you will have more time to do the important part: web development. I discovered this Zell View’s book and I realized this is what I need first. I already use Yeoman, but there are many things that I don’t do properly and I think that if I do it from scratch I will understand better the process and I will use the tools better. He speaks about the package managers, browser sync, sass, Susy, Webpack, SCSSLint, JSLint, Jasmine, useref, imagemin, Codekit, Grunt and Gulp.

   With these tools you can have all of this: updating a file whenever it is changed, refreshing the browser automatically, letting you know what errors you made, letting you write modular code, even in HTML, testing code whenever a developer merges the code to a central repository, optimizing your CSS, Javascript and images or deploying your website with a simple command.

2. Apply the workflow in a web design: I will code the web design that I created in my graphic design course, use all the tools that I learnt and put it a Github page. I will research how to add also a blog to this page so that a non-tech person can add content (Prose.io or similar).

3. Learn more about CSS (ex. Flexbox): do some tutorials (CodeHouse, Callmenick, CSS-Tricks, CSSDeck, Codrops), replicate awesome web designs, use Codepen to code them, add them to my Projects page and write posts about what I learnt.

4. Learn AngularJS in a proper way. Learn it from 1.5 to start using Components and be prepared for Angular 2.0.

5. Add a CV to my Project page: I think it is important to have your CV with your experience in the same page than your portfolio. I saw the one that Lea Verou has and it is simple but beautiful.

6. Improve some existing designs: improve Projects page and the New York blog that I am creating. Use own images, new content and some nice design. Add New York blog to Projects. I could use the Creative Tim Material design example or the Bootstrap template for developers from @3rdwave_themes and learn from what they did. I could learn also more about Material Design.

7. Do a course about User Experience Design to learn more about UX.

And what about you? What are your goals and how you prioritize them?