Time Management
One of the things I found most daunting when I was job hunting was figuring out how to divide my time. There isn't a one-size-fits-all system, but if you're looking for a starting point, I generally spent my time working on side projects, studying code, practicing algorithms, networking, and applying to jobs.
I tried to theme my days around these tasks and time block my calendar to give myself time to focus.
If you'd like an idea of what that looked like, this is how I divided my time when I was looking for my first dev job:
Example weekly schedule:
Monday/Wednesday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9am - 10:30am | #100DaysOfCode (side projects) |
| 10:30am - 11:30am | Study |
| 11:30am - 12pm | Check messages in email, Slack, LinkedIn |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch |
| 1pm - 2:30pm | Study |
| 2:30pm - 3pm | Break |
| 3pm - 4:30pm | Study |
| 4:30pm - 5pm | Wrap up |
Tuesday/Friday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9am - 10:30am | #100DaysOfCode (side projects) |
| 10:30am - 11:30am | Practice algorithms |
| 11:30am - 12pm | Check messages in email, Slack, LinkedIn |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch |
| 1pm - 2pm | Practice algorithms |
| 2pm - 2:30pm | Check messages in email, Slack, LinkedIn |
| 2:30pm - 3pm | Break |
| 3pm - 4:30pm | Practice algorithms |
| 4:30pm - 5pm | Wrap up |
Thursday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9am - 10am | Check messages in email, Slack, LinkedIn |
| 10am - 11am | Catch-up/accountability call with bootcamp friends |
| 11am - 12pm | Job applications/cover letters |
| 12pm - 1pm | Lunch |
| 1pm - 2:30pm | Job applications/cover letters |
| 2:30pm - 3pm | Break |
| 3pm - 4:30pm | Job applications/cover letters |
| 4:30pm - 5pm | Wrap up |