What kind of person do I want to become?

Identity-Based Behavior Change#

I recently read the book "Atomic Habits," which is about building systems through everyday habits rather than focusing on goals to achieve success.

The book mentions three levels of behavior change: outcome, process, and identity. The most effective way to change habits is not to focus on the goals you want to achieve, but on who you want to become, which is identity-based behavior change.

People do not engage in behaviors that contradict their identity and are willing to engage in behaviors that align with their identity.

The goal is not to read a book, but to become a reader.
The goal is not to run a marathon, but to become a runner.
The goal is not to learn an instrument, but to become a musician.

True behavioral change is a change in identity.

The Person I Want to Become#

What kind of person do I want to become? Recently, I came across 1x.engineer, which talks about how to become a 1x engineer. This can be seen as a checklist for becoming a competent engineer.
What kind of person do I want to become? Based on this, I have compiled a list of what I want to become.

Facing Problems#

When faced with uncertain problems, I will search Google, Bing, or any other means to find solutions.
I will copy/paste code snippets from Stack Overflow, GitHub, or other places where answers can be found.
I will understand the parts of the problem that I don't understand and also understand the meaning and results of the copied code.
I may feel afraid and avoid difficult problems, but I will muster the courage to solve them.

Participate in communities and share knowledge.
Willing and able to collaborate with others.
Respect and abide by community codes of conduct.
Contribute to the community in my own way when possible and appreciate the contributions of others.
There may be many unfinished personal projects or no personal projects at all, but I will work on personal projects based on my interests and available time.

Love for Life#

Work for a living, not live to work.
Spend time on things outside of engineering, such as hobbies, friends, and family.
Manage time effectively and maintain a healthy work-life balance while respecting others' time constraints.
Take short breaks to clear my mind.
Able to work at home, in the office, in a café, or wherever is most suitable for me.

Enjoyment of Documentation and Writing#

Read, update, and write documentation.
View writing documentation as an investment to reduce future communication costs, rather than a burden.
Not aiming to write groundbreaking articles, but to make writing a daily habit.

Self-Reflection#

Do not measure myself based on arbitrary contribution scores on any website, nor judge others based on their contribution scores.
Accept that the code I write may have errors, but will discover and resolve them through testing, peer reviews, and other means.
Write code that others can understand.
Not surprised by things that others don't understand.
Make mistakes often, willing to admit them, and find growth in them.
Not afraid to say "I don't know" instead of pretending to know.
Become a trustworthy person.
Have times of high productivity and times of low productivity.
Not necessarily passionate about the code I write or the problems I solve, but may need to be.
Not influenced by chaotic social media information.

Team Collaboration#

Willing to spend time and effort helping teammates overcome difficulties when appropriate.
Publicly acknowledge the success of others. Appreciate the time, effort, and energy others put in.
Ask questions before providing critical feedback. Give harsh feedback privately.
Treat others the way I want to be treated.
Appreciate constructive and helpful code reviews and feedback from peers.
Feel discouraged by critical feedback but will not react destructively. Can start again after regrouping.
Strive for productive discussions and seek input from others before making decisions as a team.
Help others improve. Provide constructive, helpful, and skillful code reviews and feedback to help colleagues achieve personal and professional growth.

Learning#

Willing to step out of my comfort zone.
Never stop learning, even if it feels overwhelming.
Have a consistent learning habit.
Not dislike tools, processes, or languages that I don't want to use or that others are using.