The Code Review Habits That Made Me a Better Developer

Years ago, I thought code reviews were just bureaucracy in disguise.
A glorified to-do list where senior devs flexed their “you missed a semicolon” powers.

I was wrong.

After dozens of painful pull requests and late-night refactors, I realized this code reviews aren’t about finding mistakes. They’re about building mindsets.

Today, I approach every review like I’m debugging my own brain. And the results? Cleaner automation scripts, faster Python pipelines, and fewer “what the hell was I thinking?” moments at 2 AM.

Let’s talk about the habits that changed the game for me.

1. Review Your Own Code Like It’s Someone Else’s

Here’s the trap: You write something clever, it works, and you instantly hit “commit.”
I used to do that all the time.

But when I started reviewing my own code as if a stranger wrote it, something clicked.
Suddenly, I saw inefficiencies I’d been blind to. Nested loops that screamed “optimize me.” Redundant API calls. Overcomplicated logic that could be a one-liner.

Now, every time I finish a script, I ask myself: