How To Get Ahead Of 99% Of Web Developers

Let's be real.

Most web developers are stuck in the same cycle:

• Grinding tutorials
• Starting & not finishing many of these tutorials
• Learning framework after framework
• Chasing side projects they never finish

And after years?

They don't feel much further ahead than when they started.

Their careers stall.

Their motivation fades.

Their energy collapses after a few hours of "deep work".

Why?

Because they're fighting the wrong battle.

They think learning more tools will get them ahead.

But it won't.

It's not their lack of knowledge that's holding them back.

It's the fact they're operating in a broken state.

Picture this:

You're trying to drive across the United States.

It's a long, ambitious journey.

But your car has:

• 4 flat tires
• Misaligned wheels
• An overdue oil change
• A misfiring engine

How far will you make it?

Not far at all.

You'll probably give up minutes into the journey because it sucks to drive a vehicle in this broken state.

This is how most developers live their lives.

They're ambitious — they want to build great apps, get better jobs, maybe even start their own company...

But they're trying to do it in bodies and minds that are sluggish, distracted and drained.

• They sleep poorly
• They eat sugar all day
• They consume all kinds of junk food
• They sit all the time and rarely exercise
• They scroll endlessly on social media
• They distract themselves with video games, Netflix and other addictions

And then they wonder why they can't focus...

Why they procrastinate...

Why they can't seem to finish projects.

The truth is simple:

You can't make an ambitious journey with a broken vehicle.

Until you fix the foundation, no amount of discipline, time-blocking or productivity hacks will save you.

These things are multipliers that get you more output...

If your energy is low, you have little focus, and then you apply a multiplier...it won't do much.

If you have lots energy and focus and then apply the same multiplier...suddenly the effect is huge.

It's kind of like investing, where a 10% return might not get you much, or it can get you massive gains...

It depends on how much capital this 10% return came from.

If we're talking a 10% yearly return on $10,000...then that's $1,000 earned over the course of a year...

It's better than nothing, but sure isn't an amount I'd be jumping up and down in excitement for.

But this same 10% yearly return on $1,000,000...now we're talking $100,000 earned over the course of a year...

Now that's a lot more appealing!

It's the exact same multiplier, but when applied on a significantly larger amount, suddenly it makes a world of difference on the amount that's gained...

This is the same when it comes to your energy level.

When you apply these multipliers of discipline, time-blocking and productivity hacks when you're in a low energy state...the results are underwhelming.

But when you apply these things when you're high on energy, have lots of mental clarity and focus...suddenly it makes a world of difference.

The Unfair Edge of Optimization

Now here's the flip side.

What happens if you fix the car?

What if you get your mind and body into an optimal state?

Suddenly, everything changes.

Most developers never experience this.

But if you do, it will feel like an unfair advantage.

Let's break it down.

1. Sleep: The Ultimate Performance Enhancer

Sleep is the foundation.

When you get 7-8 hours of quality sleep:

• Your body repairs
• Your brain consolidates memory
• Hormones rebalance
• Testosterone rises
• Cortisol normalizes
• Dopamine sensitivity resets

When you cut sleep?

All of this breaks.

Any time that I went to bed too late and needed to wake up early, guess what?

The entire following day ended up an unproductive mess.

I'd feel sluggish, irritable and have brain fog making it difficult to focus on anything.

It's best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

This is also easier said than done, especially with all the distractions we have today that can keep us up...

Then before you know it, you've been scrolling on social media way longer than you planned to and now have to go to bed way too late.

Imagine that you have have a battery that is your energy source, and that battery has a large capacity.

But in order to have your battery at full capacity, you need to give it the fuel that it needs.

Sleep is one of the most important things you need to charge this battery.

If you lack sleep, then suddenly you'll wake up the next day missing at least a third of the battery's full capacity.

This is energy that you could have had access to but now you don't.

By getting lots of sleep, you'll gain this extra capacity and have lots of extra energy and focus the next day.

2. Diet & Fasting: Stop the Energy Rollercoaster

Most devs live on sugar and carbs.

That means constant spikes and crashes.

• Morning donut, followed by an energy spike, followed by a crash by 10AM
• Afternoon sandwich, followed by a sleepy slump
• Evening binge, followed by a sluggish night

Instead:

• Eat high protein
• Add healthy fats
• Keep carbs smart and minimal
• Experiment with intermittent fasting
• Drink lots of water

This stabilizes blood sugar, sharpens the brain and kills the 2PM slump.

Ideally you want your body in a state of ketosis where you're using fat over carbs for fuel.

This gives you a much more stable form of energy and eliminates the brain fog that comes with heavy sugar and carb diets.

By being in ketosis, you have a clear mind and are able to focus for long periods of time.

You no longer have these spikes of energy followed by severe crashes.

However, most people start their day with a big breakfast...

This breakfast will often contain lots of carbs and sugar with things like cereal, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, french toast, cinnamon rolls, and so on.

This already puts you at a rough start for the day.

Now you're starting your day by giving your body carbs and sugar as fuel which will give you energy but then give you a big crash not long after.

On top of this you're already putting your body into digestion which will make you more unproductive due to blood flow moving from your brain to your digestive system...

This slows down your concentration and makes you feel drowsy.

Then when you load up on carbs and sugar, you'll also end up having a sugar crash leading to fatigue.

Even if you don't have carbs and sugar for breakfast, and only eat something like eggs...

You'll still have your body begin digesting food which puts you in an unproductive state.

Then after breakfast most people will have lunch, which will cause them to enter an unproductive state yet again for the same reasons...

And finally they'll end off their day with dinner and once again enter digestion.

Then if that wasn't enough, they'll even eat snacks all throughout the day...

All while not drinking nearly enough water throughout the day too...

This means that most people spend their entire day in an unproductive state of mind since their body is in constant digestion...and they're using carbs and sugar as their primary energy source.

This is the default for most people.

People are so used to operating this way that this is just considered normal.

They don't even know that there's an alternative.

I used to be this way, and then I'd wonder why I constantly feel tired, sluggish and unproductive throughout the day.

It was because my battery was using the wrong energy source, I was starting at low capacity at the start of every day, and very quickly draining all my energy throughout the day.

This is what happens when you have a messed up diet.

When I switched to having 1 - 2 meals per day...

Focused on a high protein and fat diet...

Consumed important nutrients needed to function properly...

And reduced carbs, sugar and junk food as much as possible...

Suddenly I went from operating in what felt like a sub-human state to a much more optimal state.

Energy, focus and mental clarity went through the roof.

Your body isn't meant to be spending the whole day digesting food.

Digesting food uses energy, moves blood flow from your brain to your digestive system and as a result makes you unproductive.

And when this is your default state all the time, you think it's normal...but it's not.

You do these 6 things, and I guarantee your energy and focus will enter a new level:

1. Eat 1 - 2 times per day
2. Eat a high protein and fat diet
3. Consume essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc.)
4. Reduce carbs, sugar and junk food
5. Don't snack throughout the day
6. Drink lots of water throughout the day

Even something as simple as skipping breakfast will already be a game changer.

Challenge yourself to experiment with this and experience for yourself what this does to your energy levels, focus and mental clarity.

3. Exercise: Strong Body, Strong Mind

Developers tend to spend too much time sitting and inactive.

This again causes your battery to fall even further below it's full capacity.

Your brain is fuelled by your body.

Regular intense exercise does more than keep you fit:

• Boosts dopamine and serotonin
• Increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor)
• Makes you more resilient to stress

What this means practically is that you:

• Boost the reward system in your brain which fuels you with more motivation and pleasure from productive work
• Improve your mood and quality of sleep
• Improve your ability to learn and remember information
• Feel less stressed throughout the day

By performing regular exercise, you increase the amount of energy that your battery contains at the start of each day.

It's kind of like when you charge your phone, you might need to keep it charging for an hour or so...

But once it's done charging, now it can run the entire day.

Exercise is very similar...

You need to invest time into it.

Maybe you spend an hour on exercise...

But as a result, you now get back many hours worth of energy.

Lift heavy, do cardio and move every day if you want to fuel your mind and have way more energy.

4. Sunlight & Walks: Natural Energy Boosts

Most devs stay indoors all day.

That destroys your circadian rhythm and kills energy.

A daily walk in the sun (especially in the morning):

• Resets your sleep cycle
• Boosts vitamin D
• Improves mood and focus

Walks also give you a chance to decompress and enter deep undistracted thought...

Often great ideas come to mind from something like a simple walk.

Walks help you think better by:

• Increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain
• Releasing mood-boosting endorphins
• Stimulating growth of new brain cells and connections
• Improving your attentiveness

Walks also restore mental energy, focus, slow down brain aging, and promote creative thought.

All of this gives your battery more energy to work with each day.

Then when it comes to sunlight...

Ideally you want to go on a walk and get sunlight within the first 30 minutes of waking up if you can.

5. Cutting Dopamine Traps

Social media. Video games. Netflix binges. And other addictions.

They all destroy your attention span.

These "super-stimuli" trick your brain into expecting constant novelty.

Then, when you sit down to learn or code, your brain rebels.

"Why is this so boring? Give me TikTok instead!"

Cutting these out is like removing sandbags from a hot air balloon.

Suddenly, you soar.

The more that you give into these addictions, the more you mess up your reward system.

Ideally you want your dopamine receptors firing off when you do productive work...

But when you're constantly being stimulated by cheap dopamine hits, it makes it much harder to feel good from productive work.

The good news is that you can restore your reward system...

The bad news is that it will be challenging.

You'll feel a strong pull and temptation to:

• Scroll social media apps
• Watch that Netflix show
• Play that video game
• Waste time on this addiction and that addiction

Breaking free from addictions is difficult, but it's the only way to set yourself free from these dopamine traps.

You need to replace these cheap addictions and dopamine traps over time with better alternatives.

Things like reading, coding, learning and deep work.

This takes a lot of time and intentional effort.

But it's necessary.

Every time you give into these cheap addictions, you're putting your mind in a sub-optimal state where you have less energy and find it difficult to tolerate work.

Your mind now has trouble providing you with energy and focus for deep meaningful work.

By fighting these addictions, you can give your brain a detox and a reset.

Then with this reset, your dopamine receptors can start to function properly again and make you feel good from doing meaningful work.

Now this doesn't mean that you shouldn't ever do any of these things...

It's fine to indulge in these things to decompress from time to time.

The issue is when they become an addiction.

There's a difference between watching one episode of a show versus spending hours binge watching a series.

There's a difference between playing 1 hour of a video game to decompress versus spending the entire day playing some game and then playing it until late at night until you finally go to bed.

And there's a difference between spending a few minutes in the day to check social media versus doom scrolling for hours on end.

The key here is self control.

If you can't control the amount of time you end up spending on these things, that's when it becomes a problem.

If you say you'll only do one of these things for an hour, but then you end up spending 10 hours doing it instead...

Then that's when there's a lack of self control.

When these things become an addiction, that's when they begin to impact your focus and productivity in very negative ways.

The more you can cut these things out and have them under control, the better.

6. Avoiding Chemical Drags

Alcohol. Weed. Drugs.

These are so normalized that people forget they're productivity killers.

Alcohol wrecks sleep quality

Weed blunts motivation and focus

Hard drugs create long-term cognitive decline

If you want to outperform, you can't afford these anchors.

These are addictions just like social media, Netflix and video games...

They simply take a different form.

They mess with your reward system all the same.

If you want to be high-performing, you need to cut these out.

People will argue for the use of these things all the time...

"But weed makes me more creative"...

"You don't drink? That's lame!"...

"You've never tried meth? Seriously?"...okay maybe I haven't heard that last one, but I'm sure you get my point!

Drinking, smoking and drugs don't make you cool.

What's cool is being more knowledgeable, skilled and capable than everyone else.

7. Self-Image: The Hidden Layer

Even if you optimize biology, you'll sabotage yourself if you have the wrong self-image.

If you see yourself as "lazy" or "sluggish" or "a slow learner", you'll act accordingly.

If you view yourself as someone that's focused, a relentless learner, and someone that works hard...then you'll rise to that standard.

Maxwell Maltz nails this in his book Psycho-Cybernetics:

"Your self-image sets the thermostat for your behaviour."

Rewire your self-image through visualization, affirmations and consistent wins.

Do all of this, and suddenly you're not just keeping up with other devs...

You're running laps around them.

Most are dragging sandbags.

Meanwhile you'll be flying.

This is the real productivity hack.

If you have a self-image that's not serving you, it's important to get clear on how it is that you view yourself.

What are the things that you tell yourself on a day-to-day basis?

Where do your thoughts go when you're on a walk?

What kind of self-talk do you engage in?

Are your thoughts more positive or negative most of the time?

Do you ever take time to think about what you're grateful for?

What kind of stories do you tell yourself?

Do you have stories that you tell yourself to justify why certain things in your life are the way they are?

You will act in accordance with the way that you view yourself.

The key is to have a self-image that serves you, and to perform actions that reinforce that self-image.

It doesn't work to simply have a self-image and then to continue performing actions that don't align with it...

If you do that you'll quickly go back to your old self-image.

You must be clear on the way that you view yourself and to perform actions that affirm this identity.

And you need to constantly reinforce this new identity until it becomes real.

A great way to help with this is to create a vision board.

This should contain visual images that reinforce your identity and where you want to be.

It needs to be placed somewhere where you'll see it every day, and ideally you want to see it first thing in the morning.

This way you have a clear vision and reminder of where it is that you want to go every time you start your day.

Visualization is very powerful and is a trick top performers use all the time.

For example, UFC world champions often visualize themselves as champions before they even achieve it...

They imagine what it's like to hold the world championship belt...

They imagine how the championship fight will go...

They imagine themselves winning the championship...

They imagine all the rewards they'll have with being a champion...

They'll visualize themselves in this role and then perform the actions to turn it into reality.

Visualization is very powerful.

Same thing with formula 1 drivers...

They'll visualize themselves driving on the race track...

They'll visualize how the race will go...

And they'll visualize themselves celebrating after winning the race.

Visualize who you want to be and where you want to go...

And create a vision board that paints a clear picture of this...

Look at this vision board every day and reinforce this self-image...

Then perform the actions that continue to re-affirm this vision you have of yourself and where you want to be.

8. Drive & Momentum

This ties into self-image, and is another mental layer to tap into.

Drive and momentum alone can carry you very far.

You've likely seen this...

The overweight and out of shape rich guy who seems to never stop working...

Clearly this individual isn't doing a lot of the things I've outlined previously:

• Full night of quality sleep
• Clean high protein and fat diet
• Consuming essential nutrients
• Regular exercise
• Drinking lots of water
• Going on regular walks

Yet it seems like it doesn't matter.

Their drive and momentum they've built up is what makes up for this.

But what is it that gives these individuals such relentless drive and momentum to the point that it doesn't even matter that they're operating in a sub-optimal state?

There's a few key things happening here.

First there's the self-image component.

These individuals view themselves a particular way and their actions have reinforced this identity very strongly over time.

The other thing that feeds this drive is an emotionally compelling reason for why they do what they do...

And the final component is a positive feedback loop and momentum.

This part is huge.

When you put in tons of effort and you don't obtain a reward that was worth all that time and effort...

You'll feel that the payoff wasn't worth it...

And if this happens again and again, then it messes up your reward system.

Nothing kills drive faster than a broken reward loop.

Dopamine thrives on progress, and when the feedback loop is weak, the brain says "why even bother?".

It's therefore crucial to get a positive feedback loop going to signal to your brain that the payoff is worth the effort.

Then once you have this positive feedback loop going, then you need to continue to fuel it...

And this is what helps build up momentum.

The final key then is that once you have momentum, you must continue that momentum.

If you lose momentum, it is very hard to get it back.

But if you have momentum, it's very easy to keep it going.

This is the secret behind those that seem to have a lot of drive.

They had an emotionally compelling reason to work hard...

They kept showing up each day doing what they're supposed to do...

They managed to achieve a positive feedback loop...

And then they continued to feed this positive feedback loop which gave them lots of momentum...

Then they simply continued to fuel this momentum and made sure that they don't lose it.

This is what gives an individual drive that looks super-human.

If you haven't been able to get a positive feedback loop going, or if you lost momentum, then the good news is that you can fix this...

The bad news is that it will be difficult.

It's like trying to roll a huge boulder...

It's very difficult to get it moving, but if you can get it rolling then it become easier and easier to keep it rolling, and only gets easier the faster it goes.

When you don't have momentum, you'll need to build up small wins and slowly work on building the momentum again.

And most importantly, you'll need to show up and do the necessary work every day.

If you miss a day, then you need to build the momentum again.

Let's say you're working on a task over the course of a 7 day period...

If you do a single hour of work towards this task each day for those 7 days...

You'll actually make far more progress than if you did 14 hours of work in a single day throughout this 7 day period.

This is how momentum works.

When you get it rolling, then everything feels a lot more effortless.

If you're doing 14 hours of work in a single day, then you're starting the day off by trying to move the huge boulder...

Whereas when you're doing 1 hour of work per day for 7 days in a row, then you're starting things off with getting the boulder moving, and then with each day you show up that boulder is moving faster and faster.

That's why even though you worked half the amount of time, the effect of momentum carried you much further.

This is the mind-blowing realization when it comes to momentum...

It's hard to build up, but once it's built up it becomes a superpower.

That's why it's also important to track every day that you showed up and to build up a streak.

This stage will feel painful and like a drag...

But if you push through it and can show up for even just 7 days in a row consistently...

You'll begin to feel the effects of momentum, and you'll likely be surprised by the amount of progress you're making.

This is what will unlock the drive and momentum that will allow you to push hard, and it will all feel almost effortless.

Drive and momentum is the most powerful feeling you can posses.

It's an unfair advantage that can push you really far and at a crazy pace.

But again, it requires:

• An emotionally compelling reason to get after it
• A strong self-image
• Showing up consistently until you build up momentum
• Positive feedback loops to reinforce your reward system

If you get these things right then you'll unlock drive and momentum that will push you ahead at an unbelievable pace.

The Missing Link: Focus On Problem-Solving

Here's the next big shift.

Even if you optimize your biology, and build up drive and momentum...

You still need to approach learning the craft the right way...

Most developers still operate wrong when it comes to the craft itself.

They sit down.

They open their editor.

They start typing.

But code isn't the solution.

It's the implementation of a solution.

If you try to code before solving, you'll:

• Get stuck in trial-and-error hell
• Spend hours chasing bugs
• Write bloated, messy code

The best developers think first, code second:

• They grab a notebook
• They sketch the problem
• They map the architecture
• They design the solution

By the time they touch the keyboard, the problem is solved.

Coding is just transcription.

This is why you want to solve before you code.

This is what separates pros from amateurs.

Problem solvers get promoted.

Keyboard smashers stay stuck.

This is the last mindset shift that will get you way ahead of other developers.

A big reason for why this happens is because instructors tend to focus on teaching comprehensiveness instead of teaching developers how to think and solve problems.

When you're trying to be comprehensive, then you're teaching developers to memorize a bunch of stuff...

But web development is all about solving unique problems...

Therefore the way you make real progress and improve is by practicing solving unique problems...

Not by going through comprehensive tutorials and courses and trying to memorize everything possible about a language or framework.

Focus on building up your problem solving muscle as this will get you much further as a web developer.

Focus On Mastery

The final key to getting ahead of 99% of developers is to focus on mastering the craft and finding enjoyment in doing so.

When you start to focus too much on other things like the rewards you'll get through the skill, then it becomes much more difficult to enjoy the process...

And if you don't enjoy the process, then it will be difficult to stay motivated and to make real progress.

You need to find enjoyment in the journey and not the destination.

There's an unlimited amount of things to learn in web development, and mastery of the craft should ideally be what drives you.

The process of learning more and being able to build cooler and cooler things should be enjoyable.

When you focus on external rewards that you'll gain, then it becomes less about mastering the craft...

And when this happens, doing the craft tends to become far less enjoyable.

You'll make far more progress as a web developer if you actually enjoy the process of web development.

If you don't enjoy the process, if you don't enjoy the work...

Then it will feel difficult to get motivated and to improve your skill level.

The 6 Levels to Outrun 99% of Developers

Now let's break this down into actionable stages:

Stage 1: Fix the Vehicle:

• Sleep 7-8 hours
• Eat protein and fats, not sugar
• Exercise hard 3-5 times per week
• Walk daily & get sunlight
• Drink lots of water

Stage 2: Cut the Sandbags

• Delete social media apps
• Limit Netflix & gaming
• Avoid alcohol, weed & drugs
• Eliminate other addictions

Stage 3: Rewire the Mind

• Read Psycho-Cybernetics
• Track wins daily
• Build a positive self-image of yourself
• Create a vision board

Stage 4: Solve Before You Code

• Start every project on paper
• Draw the data flow
• Map the architecture
• Code last, not first

Stage 5: Focus On Mastery

• Enjoy the journey, not just the destination
• Focus on mastering the craft
• Don't only focus on the rewards you'll get
• Enjoy the process and work

Stage 6: Discipline & Systems

• Time-block work
• Batch tasks
• Weekly reviews
• Set measurable goals

Playing a Different Game

Most developers are competing in the wrong game.

They're chasing tutorials, fighting distractions and burning out.

Fix your body

Cut distractions

Rewire your mind

Build drive and momentum

Solve problems before you code

Focus on mastery

Then apply discipline and systems

Do this, and you'll get ahead of 99% of web developers.

While other developers are sluggish, distracted, unmotivated, have little drive, no momentum, and are focused on the wrong things...

You'll be like a well oiled machine that they simply can't compete with.

That is everything for this one. Hope you enjoyed the letter and have a fantastic rest of your day.

— Bryan