Writing code that is easy to read, understand, and modify is a hallmark of a professional developer. Clean code reduces bugs, speeds up onboarding, and makes collaboration smoother. Here are the essential practices to adopt:

• Follow a consistent naming convention: Use descriptive names for variables, functions, and classes. Names should reveal intent. calculateTotalPrice() is far clearer than calc(). Stick to your language’s standard style guide (PEP 8 for Python, PSR-12 for PHP, etc.).
• Keep functions small and focused: Each function should do one thing and do it well. If a function exceeds 20-30 lines, consider breaking it into smaller helper functions. This improves testability and reusability.
• Write self-documenting code with comments only where needed: Prioritize readable code over excessive comments. Use comments to explain why something is done a certain way, not what the code does – that should be obvious from the code itself.
• Adopt version control and code reviews: Use Git with meaningful commit messages. Code reviews catch issues early and spread knowledge across the team. Pair with automated linting and formatting tools (ESLint, Prettier, Black) to enforce standards automatically.

The bottom line: clean code is an investment that pays dividends every time someone reads, debugs, or extends your work. Start small, be consistent, and refactor often.