In this blog post, I'll share:

What motivated me to start this streak

The approach I followed to stay consistent

My favorite problem from the streak and how I solved it

Key takeaways and benefits of this experience

The Beginning: Why I Took Up the Challenge

It all started with a goal: improve my problem-solving skills and stay consistent with coding practice. I’ve always enjoyed coding challenges, but I struggled with maintaining a daily routine like many. This streak was my chance to change that.

The November Streak challenge from LeetCode provided the perfect opportunity to stay motivated and accountable. With a simple rule—solve one problem daily—I decided to stick with it no matter what.

Staying Consistent: The Approach

Consistency isn’t easy, but here’s what worked for me:

Fixed Time for Practice: I dedicated 30-60 minutes each day at a fixed time to solve problems.

Easier Problems on Busy Days: On days when I was short on time, I tackled easier problems to ensure I didn’t break the streak.

Staying Curious: I treated every problem as an opportunity to learn, even if it meant revisiting fundamentals.

My Favorite Problem: “Mate in One”

One memorable problem during this streak was a unique one titled “Mate in One.” It was all about finding the optimal move in a chessboard setup that guarantees a checkmate in one move.

Here’s how I approached it:

Understanding the Problem: The task was to analyze the chessboard state and identify the move that wins.

Breaking It Down: I listed all possible moves for the current player and evaluated each against the opposing king’s position.

Implementing Logic: Using chess rules like king’s legal moves and piece interactions, I wrote a function to check for checkmate.

The challenge tested my coding skills and analytical thinking, as I needed to simulate chess mechanics in code.

Takeaways from 100 Days of LeetCode

Improved Problem-Solving: Tackling a wide range of problems has significantly boosted my algorithms and data structures skills.

Better Discipline: Coding daily built a habit that now feels second nature.

New Perspectives: Reading discussions and learning from other coders’ approaches was incredibly insightful.

What’s Next?

This milestone is just the beginning. I plan to continue solving problems daily, exploring new challenges, and sharing what I learn with the community. If you’re thinking about starting your streak, my advice is simple: start small, stay consistent, and enjoy the process.

#LeetCode #100DayChallenge #CodingJourney #LearnByDoing