5 Proven Techniques for Readability and Maintainability

Learn how to write code that explains itself—naming, functions, comments, annotations, and Pythonic idioms—to write clean, professional code faster.

When most talk about Python, one phrase always seems to pop up: “Python is readable.”

It doesn’t matter whether you love it or hate it. That isn’t just a marketing slogan, it’s baked into the DNA of the language.

Readability was made a design principle from day one. In fact, the official philosophy of Python, known as the Zen of Python, states clearly: “Readability counts.”

The whole Zen of Python thing is a bit cheesy, but it’s there.

Readable code isn’t just easier to understand. It’s easier to maintain, extend, and debug. Think about inheriting a messy codebase where variable names look like puzzle pieces and functions sprawl across hundreds of lines. No thank you…

Each week, I dive deep into Python and beyond, breaking it down into bite-sized pieces. While everyone else gets just a taste, my premium readers get the whole feast! Don't miss out on the full experience – join me today!

You might spend more time deciphering what’s going on than actually solving the problem. On the flip side, well-structured and readable Python can feel like reading a well-written story, where each part flows logically into the next.

In this article, we’re going to look at five powerful practices that instantly make our Python code more readable. By the end, you’ll see how small changes can turn messy scripts into clean, easy-to-follow programs.

👉 Premium readers can access all the content.

👉 Download my Handcrafted Guides.

👉 Gain access to my full article archive.

👉 and Recommend projects at the bottom.

If you haven’t subscribed to my premium content yet, you need to check it out. You unlock exclusive access to all of these articles and all the code that comes with them, so you can follow along!

Plus, you’ll get access to so much more, like monthly Python projects, in-depth weekly articles, the '3 Randoms' series, and my complete archive!

👉 Thank you for allowing me to do work that I find meaningful. This is my full-time job so I hope you will support my work.

If you get value from my work, consider joining premium. It really helps me keep going and lets me know you’re getting something out of my work!

If you’re already a premium reader, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You can leave feedback and recommend topics and projects at the bottom of all my articles.

👉 If you get value from my work, please help me out, leave it a ❤️, and share it with others who would benefit from this. Thank you so much!