What is the most important thing you've done to improve your programming abilities?

First things first! Always!

I generally try to master the basics of whatever I am learning. I try to learn every single fracking piece of basic topic before going any further. So, when I’m studying something more complex, like proposed architectures/methodologies/paradigms/etc. with given tools/languages/libs/etc. (ex.: FP with JavaScript), I don’t need to keep revising basic stuff and my learning rhythm gets boosted.

It has a slower rhythm in the short run, but the benefits for the career as a whole it’s very rewarding.

I always try to start a new project in a language / framework I don’t know.

If the project doesn’t work for the market, at least I learned!

I think if I were to try to single out one particular pattern to ascribe my skill progression and career development (such as it is) to, it would simply be saying “yes” to new things.

New languages. New platforms. New frameworks. New environments. With every new project or job that I have taken on and been responsible for, there’s been this necessary learning. Over the years that accumulates and now here I am with a lot of really varied experience and having been exposed to lots of techniques and stacks and tools.

If you want to improve and grow…just do things. When given opportunities, take them.

Say, “yes!”.