The Why.
The struggle to become a better programmer is real. I have been programming since an early age, but I always find it both challenging and rewarding.
To become a better programmer, or whatever your current programming state is, to take it up a notch, you need to keep a programming journal (jotter).
This will help you formulate your thoughts. If you are like me, you likely have a tendency to "think" your coding problems.
And that's fine for small tasks, but it can be tedious even counter-productive when you have to tackle something more knotty and complex. That's when the journal comes in handy.
This provides you with space to work through your thoughts (e.g. algorithm steps, design process, etc.) in a certain way. You can see it all in front of you. Not only does it make you less likely to make mistakes. but it will help to consolidate these concepts into your mind. Would that be agreeable to you?