Reflections on Completing My First Advent of Code
A few months after embarking on a foolish plan to complete all of the Advents of Code, I completed my first full Advent of Code. In part this took as long as it did due to other considerations (Thanksgiving, travel, Human Existence Activities). In part it took a while to understand not just the problems but how to approach the problems. Following this I have a few takeaways from my first full completion, benefitting from comparisons to previous failed attempts.
Write what you know
The greatest headwind you can set for yourself when trying something new is to make your task harder than it needs to be. If you have never completed Advent of Code before, use your most familiar language. For me this was Python, and so I worked through it using Python3.11.
In comparison to Racket, where I am far less familiar with the standard library, this was a breeze. I know how dictionaries, lists, and other basic data structures work. For example in Racket one tests for membership in a set with set-member? but looks for items in a hash (also known as a dictionary in Python) with hash-ref. These differences are minor but present a barrier to starting and keeping momentum. Leave hard mode for once you win on easy mode - it is called New Game Plus for a reason.
Slow and steady
Advent of Code releases one problem per day. This can be challenging for mere mortals that have other things planned (working a career, spending time with family, and Other Miscellaneous Human Activities) for their month of December. Previous attempts were a part of a group, where it was a race to see who could be first. Failing to get first meant I had lost just as bad as not completing at all. Reframing this challenge into one of time (much like the overarching Advents of Code I set for myself) meant that even if I missed a day, there was still a reason to continue.
TODO is a cheat code
Perfectionism may be a universal part of writing code. However the old saying has an order for a reason:
Make it work, make it right, make it fast
You cannot write correct code without first having code that runs. You cannot have optimal code without first having code that works.
For myself, at least, stubbing in (many) TODO statements throughout the code was a great way to circumvent that inner perfectionism. Instead of ignoring it, I acknowledge it - “yes, we need to do that, but the priority right now is getting things done.”
Know why you are doing it
Linked to the above “slow and steady” approach, work without motivation is doomed to fail. In the past few years I have finally given myself permission to “give up” on a book I am not enjoying. Previously I would butt my head against a difficult novel until I gave up reading, or else worked through it over such a long period that by the end I recalled nothing of the beginning at all. Accepting that if something is not for me, it is okay to put it down was a hard habit to break but I am better off for it. I have much more times to read books I enjoy.
Advent of Code occupied a similar place for me. I never regretted previous attempts or let previous failures stop me from trying the next year. The key to success is to recognize that Advent of Code is meant for fun. If there is no joy in it, please put it down. There are many things you could be doing instead that will make you as happy as it will make you better.