From ca03abbf124104a1b754c9c2bb0abd3b3df29627 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Craig Maloney Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2018 08:18:44 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Working more on feeling like one has to always be "on" --- chapter05.md | 10 +++++++--- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/chapter05.md b/chapter05.md index 6855e24..c3adb96 100644 --- a/chapter05.md +++ b/chapter05.md @@ -2,11 +2,15 @@ ## 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. + +#### FIXME + +The problem when we feel we always need to be "on" is that we don't allow ourselves the time 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. 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. -- 2.31.1