## Riding until dawn
-Programmers are always trying to find new ways to be productive. Different editors, scripts, compilation tweaks, automation; the list goes on and on for how programmers want to maximize their time coding. We also tend to add that to the rest of our lives, thinking that we should always be on, coding. Any moment not coding is a moment that our projects get behind. And that can lead to other problems: missed deadlines, others getting to market before us, collisions with others work because they made a breaking change before we could smooth it out. We're constantly worrying that we're not doing enough. We've heard the stories: developers waking up at their computers to the strange sound of beeping because the keyboard auto repeat can't handle anymore input with their face resting on the keys.
+Programmers are always trying to find new ways to be productive. Tweaks to text editors, compilation tweaks, scripts and automation; the list goes on for how programmers want to maximize their productive time coding. We also spend time tweaking the rest of our lives with the belief that we should always be doing something related to coding. Any moment we're not coding is a moment where our projects get behind. And getting behind with our coding can lead to other problems: missed deadlines, other companies getting their program to market before us, or other instances where we miss an opportunity. We're constantly worrying that we're not doing enough to succeed.
-There's this tendency that because we work with machines that are tireless and ready for more work that we need to be the same way; we need to constantly utilize these resources. We become like the machine, and the better we get the better we'd better get (because our boss or colleagues will notice that we've completed something and more work will come our way).
+We've heard the stories of developers waking up at their computers to the strange sound of beeping because they fell asleep at the keyboard and the keyboard auto repeat can't handle any more input with their face resting on the keys. Isn't that how developers should work?
-The problem is that if we feel we always need to be "on" we don't allow ourselves the opportunity to be "off". We create a pattern where we don't allow ourselves the moments to sit and reflect on what it is we're doing. We don't allow our brains to recharge. We don't allow for our minds to sit with what we've learned and sweep that into our long-term storage.
+There's a tendency to think that because we work with machines that are tireless and ready for more work that we need to behave in the same way; we need to constantly utilize these resources. We try become like the machine; tireless and always ready for more work.
-Instead we create a feeling of constant panic where we spend most of our time worrying that we're not doing enough while at the same time pushing our minds to exhaustion. It's a vicious feedback loop, and one that can lead to burnout, depression, and a desire to leave programming for good.
+There's a problem with always being "on". When we feel like we always have to be "on" we never let ourselves feel like we can be "off" again. We don't allow ourselves the time to be off. This creates a pattern where we deny ourselves the moments to sit and reflect on what we're doing. We force ourselves to keep moving; keep programming no matter the personal cost. Our brains don't get the ability to rest, relax, and recharge. Our minds are too busy and exhausted to process what we've learned and sweep that knowledge into long-term storage. When we get exhausted we start to worry that we're not doing enough. This doesn't motivate us; instead we create a vicious feedback loop of fear and panic. We spend our day worrying that we're not doing enough while our minds cry out "enough!" from exhaustion. This feedback loop of fear and exhaustion can spiral us into a vortex of burnout, depression, and a desire to leave programming for good.
-So how do we balance these feelings of wanting to be on all the time while allowing ourselves to relax and reflect on what we're doing?
+There's a delicate balance that we need to strike between our desires of being on all the time and our needs for relaxation and reflection. Our desires for invincible and indefatigable development need to be tempered with the reality that our bodies and minds have finite resources per day and must be allocated appropriately. Think of this as power-management for a complex machine that the manufacturer (currently) won't let you swap the battery out for a new one. Being aware what processes are running, how much energy is being used, and how much energy is left would be vital to ensuring you could still be running that machine later on in the day. That's the level of awareness that we'll need to have about ourselves.
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+How do we balance these feelings of wanting to be on all the time while allowing ourselves to relax and reflect on what we're doing? How do we pay attention to the needs of this programming machine?
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+#### FIXME
## Lights out
projects / themediocreprogrammer.git / blobdiff