It doesn't matter which new thing I want to learn, step one is always the same: immerse yourself.

In this episode, we'll begin with a five minute discussion of Home Alone, because I know my audience - and that's what you're truly craving from me. Then, we'll move on to a variety of realizations I've come to 2017 - and they're not all related to code.

Every year around this time, I feel it. "Oh, yet another email from that business, asking me to buy their thing...again." The abuse of power is what makes marketing efforts like these feel so slimy.

It's okay to internally kick and scream your way through, just as long as you do the work. Such practical and obvious advice, yet few of us are able to follow it.

From time to time, I'll come across discussions related to the best approach for teaching aspiring developers. And it never fails: there will always be those who recommend the driest possible introduction. Forget excitement and curiosity, as they see it. They don't factor into the equation. Wait, what??

When exactly did developers get it in their heads that to colors outside of the lines is an offense worthy of banishment? And who invented these lines in the first place? They don't exist. They never did.

I've come to learn that discipline is the key ingredient to every successful person I've ever met. It's obvious; we all know this. So why is it so hard to apply to ourselves?

We all have the tendency to reach for our pitchforks upon hearing information that doesn't line up with what we've decided to be true. How does this affect the coding tools and practices that we defend so vigorously?

In the previous Laracasts Snippet, we discussed social media and how it tends to have a draining effect on me. Let's continue that conversation today, but more from the point of view of solving the problem. What specifically am I doing to increase my mental/physical energy levels?

I've been noticing lately that I feel mentally drained at the end of most days. But strangely enough, it's not the code I write that causes this. No, instead it's the day-to-day social media interaction that drains me. Why again are we participating in platforms that actively encourage addiction and negativity? And why are we okay with checking our phones a hundred times a day?