2026-02
My System for Staying Up to Date
A simple breakdown of how I keep learning and staying relevant as a full-stack developer.
Valentin Afonso
Fullstack developer
I’ve been working in web development for about 8 years now. From my bachelor’s degree to my master’s, from my first internship to my current full-time position in an agency, there’s one transversal skill I’ve had to build over time: staying up to date. Keeping up with the ecosystem we evolve in isn’t optional in this industry—it’s part of the job.
- How do I avoid missing the next big framework?
- The latest security vulnerability?
- The newest UX/UI trend?
- How do I keep learning, discovering new processes and development strategies?
- How do I keep growing in a world that never slows down?
I’m currently working as a full-stack developer, and being on top of my tech watch is essential to me. So I thought I’d write this as a note to myself, a simple breakdown of what’s been working for me.
X (formerly Twitter): My Main Source of Information
At some point, I had a simple thought:
“If I follow the right people, the information will come to me.”
Over time, I curated a feed that acts like a real-time tech radar. I don’t actively “search” for news anymore—it just flows naturally into my timeline. So, here are some of the accounts I follow:
- @tannerlinsley — Creator of TanStack
- @shadcn — Shadcn UI
- @_smontlouis — Senior Front-end Dev (React / React Native)
- @BrettFromDJ — Design studio
- @jherr — Coder & YouTuber (TanStack / AI)
- @theo — Developer / indie hacker
- @marcelkargul — Founder @ kargulstudio (Design)
- @levelsio — Indie hacker
- @jeresig — Creator of jQuery
- @evilrabbit_ — Founding Designer at Vercel
- @rauchg — CEO of Vercel
This alone covers:
- new tools
- ecosystem shifts
- design trends
- real-world feedback from experienced devs
I don’t try to follow everyone, just the right signal sources.
Podcasts: Turning Dead Time Into Learning Time
I spend a fair amount of time driving. At some point, I realized I could either listen to music (and forget it 10 minutes later), or turn that time into something useful. So I replaced music with podcasts. No extra time needed. I’m already “losing” that time commuting, so I just convert it into learning time. Here is some podcasts I enjoy:
- Frontend Fire
- Caleb Porzio
It’s a simple shift, but it compounds over time.
My Go-To Inspiration Websites
I’ve always been really into UX/UI, design, and animations. Even when I’m not actively working on a design-heavy project, I keep feeding my brain with visual inspiration. Here are the sites I regularly browse:
I don’t always go there with a goal. Sometimes I just scroll, save ideas, and let things influence my taste over time.
Read the Docs (Seriously)
The rise of AI almost made me forget something fundamental:
Reading the documentation is still one of the best ways to learn.
Going through docs from start to finish is one of the most underrated learning methods. Even when I think I already know a technology well, I always end up discovering small details I missed, better patterns or edge cases I never considered. Whether it’s React, Next.js, Cloudflare, Python, Tailwind, … There’s always something new to pick up.
I try to regularly go back to the source instead of relying only on tutorials or AI-generated snippets. If you’re looking for a curated list of useful docs and resources I often come back to, I wrote another note about it here:
The Most Useful Dev Resources I’ve Found
Final Thoughts
This isn’t a perfect system. It’s just what’s been working for me so far. The key idea is simple:
- reduce friction
- let information come to you
- turn passive time into active learning
- and go back to fundamentals when needed
I don’t try to keep up with everything anymore. I just make sure I’m well positioned to not miss what matters.