1 Habit All Successful People In Software Engineering Have In Common
The secret to their success lies in hacking the learning process with fast feedback loops.
Hey System Thinker,
Most successful people share the same handful of things in common:
They are disciplined with their time
They know how to stay focused on one goal at a time
They have mentors and other influential people they can turn to for advice
They have mastered one (or multiple) valuable skills
Etc.
But in software engineering in particular, I have noticed that the most successful people have this 1 habit in common:
Continuous learning with fast feedback loops
And here's why:
The rate of change in software engineering is absurd.
Compared to traditional industries like medicine or law, developers must constantly update their skills—or risk being left behind. They’re forced to keep up with trends and frameworks, all while their brains cling to the comfort of the familiar.
But successful engineers? They fight that reptilian instinct with relentless curiosity.
Why? Because software is the ultimate leverage in the modern world. Every change in software sends ripples through the system instantly. Just look at the impact of AI—it’s a perfect example.
The secret to their success lies in hacking the learning process with fast feedback loops.
As Donella Meadows puts it, feedback loops are “the basic operating unit of a system.” Learning a skill works the same way. You perform tasks repeatedly to generate an outcome.
The best engineers break down the topic into small, digestible chunks and use the dopamine hit from each small win to build momentum quickly toward mastery.
Most people, however, set the bar for success too high. They view skills as massive, immovable blocks. The first step feels daunting, requiring an enormous amount of activation energy to overcome inertia.
Successful engineers do the opposite: they lower the bar to the floor. They view skills as a combination of numerous tiny components. They make the first step ridiculously easy, knowing the acceleration power of feedback loops will take over from there.
Here’s how you can do the same:
Redefine success — make winning easy.
Take the first step and win.
Repeat step 1.
Cheers,
Thiago V Ricieri
System Thinker @ Systematic Success
Maker @ Making of a Maker
Engineering Manager, Apps @ Pluto TV / Paramount Global
Founder @ Ghost Ship & Co.
Digital Nomad @ Instagram, Threads, X.com, LinkedIn, GitHub, Website
PS... I started Systematic Success to share the secrets I’ve accumulated over the past decade—leading teams, working remotely, and building proven systems. Turns out, AI is one of the best real-world applications of system thinking. Expect more AI deep dives in future editions.
PPS… We assume AI power belongs to those with the biggest budgets and the most GPUs. But DeepSeek proves that software innovation can beat raw compute power. If the U.S. doesn’t rethink its AI strategy, this could be the moment AI dominance shifts for good.