Category: Self-Betterment

Developers Don’t Buy Into the Myth of Waking Up Early

You have probably seen countless Twitter posts, blog articles, and self-help books about how you need to wake up early to increase productivity. All the top CEOs wake up a 4 am to achieve greatness and you need to as well to change your life. This schedule might work well for most people, however, I fully believe this does not work well for Developers. The main reason is because of the type of tasks to be accomplished.

Deep tasks vs Shallow tasks are the classifications that I’m going to use for different types of tasks. Shallow tasks are those that you can start and stop quickly without a massive amount of mental spin-up time. These tasks could be writing an email, expense reporting, researching blog topics, or app ideas. Deep tasks are those that are built on much more open-ended specs, that require a longer time to spin up the mental construction of the problem, and can’t be quickly paused and reset without detriment to the productivity or quality of the solution.

I tried the rise at 4 a.m. schedule for about 2 months. I found that I had a hard time waking up, and getting into the correct mindset to program. I was able to accomplish a lot of shallow water tasks, but no deep dives. Things such as answering email, brainstorming ideas for my blog or side projects, came easy but entering into a flow state to do a deep dive on a code problem or feature, was extremely difficult. I’m unsure if it was the grogginess of the morning or the knowledge that I only had a few hours before I had to pause and go help get my kids around for breakfast and daycare. I have recently switched my schedule around, allowing my free time for side projects, or side work to be from like 8 pm till whenever I’m tired.

Designating a large chunk of time, knowing everyone in the house is asleep and I can freely focus on the task at hand without interruptions is so important. I also find that achieving flow is monumentally easier in the evenings. Early in the morning, I find my brain is running a mile a minute, thinking about all the things I need to do today, making sure that I’m aware of the time so I’m not late for any of my time-blocked events. In the evening, I am tired from the day and find my brain can utilize its remaining energy to better hyper-focus on a single task or problem rather than being overwhelmed by the countless different things to think about. Entering flow state is ideal for when attempting to achieve deep dive tasks.

So I say don’t buy into the marketing hype of waking up early, do what works best for you, with regards to your natural circadian tendencies, your lifestyle schedule, and experimentation. Find where you can block out the most time to achieve your flow states! I would love to know how you find your own flow states, and where you find yourself most productive?

Why Software Developers Should Practice Meditation

Software development is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. The hours can be long, the work is often monotonous, and the deadlines are always looming. It’s no surprise that studies show software developers have among the highest rates of depression and burnout of any profession. The best way for software developers to cope with stress isn’t a vacation or a stiff drink at the end of the day. It’s meditation. Meditation is something you can do every day to help you stay calm, focused, and productive during your working hours.

Meditation is the practice of calming your mind and focusing on one thing. It is different from mindfulness, which involves being aware of what’s happening in the present moment without judging it. One of the main reasons why meditation is beneficial to your mental health is that it helps you to de-stress. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, meditation can be a great way to focus on something else and let go of negative thoughts. This may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but over time, meditation can help you to relax more quickly. This can be especially helpful if you often find yourself stressed out in certain situations, such as trying to fix a production-breaking bug or an AWS outage.

Meditation is a technique that you can use to increase your productivity. If you’re a software developer, you know that finding “Flow” state, that magical spot where everything fades away except for your editor and the code. After building a consistent meditation habit, you will find that it becomes easier for you to concentrate on a task for longer periods of time and be more productive.

Starting a meditation practice can help you improve your focus and concentration. That’s because meditation involves training your attention on one thing for long periods of time. This trains the mind to block out distractions that could otherwise pull your attention away from the task at hand. It also trains your concentration so that you can focus on the present moment instead of being distracted by thoughts about the past or future.

When you’re able to spend long periods of time in focused concentration, you’ll find it easier to accomplish even difficult tasks. Meditating regularly will make you better at writing code, designing products or working on any other challenging task that requires prolonged focus.

My main point is that anyone can benefit from meditation, regardless of what kinds of work or creative habits they have. Software developers are no different in this regard. If you’re a software developer, then I hope you’ll consider giving meditation a try, even if it seems outside your wheelhouse or a little crunchy. The benefits to the mind and body are simply too great to pass up. Be sure to let me know how your meditation practice works out, or if you have any questions about where to start.

New Year, New Me!

This is typically a phrase uttered by people who come into the new year with resolutions that are vague, and without a plan. “I want to lose weight” and ” I want to achieve inner peace”. They buy a gym membership, go for a few days, wander on a treadmill or lift a barbell or two. Then the next week they are back to sleeping in and back to old habits.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

Resolutions are almost built to fail, instead, let’s set some S.M.A.R.T Goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

  • Specific: Well defined, clear, and unambiguous
  • Measurable: With specific criteria that measure your progress toward the accomplishment of the goal
  • Achievable: Attainable and not impossible to achieve
  • Realistic: Within reach, realistic, and relevant to your life purpose
  • Time-Bound: With a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date. The purpose is to create urgency.

To achieve these goals, building good habits will be key. To do this I utilize an app called HabitNow, to track and evaluate my progress on Habit-based goals. For example, I can create a habit to walk 3 times a week, and this app will prompt each day, and give a quick glance at the status of my daily habits.

Finally, find an accountability buddy, whether it’s a spouse, friend, colleague or even publicizing your goals via social media or a blog. Find support where you can to ensure that you stay accountable, or build out a reward or even punishment system if you diverge from the new path you planning. If you lose 50 pounds you get a new wardrobe or donate a dollar to charity for every time you didn’t meditate once a day. If you thrive on competition find some friends who want to achieve the same goals and make it a game. The lowest steps for the week, they have to cook dinner for the other players. There are so many motivators, you just have to find what works for you.

Until I find an accountability buddy who aligns with my goals, I’ll use this blog. So down below are my goals for 2022. They are lofty, yet still attainable. The simple ones are easily boiled into habits, the bigger ones will require work and might be more nuanced but still are there to build drive, and all of them will help build off each other to ideally create a more enhanced version of me.

My 2022 Goals

  1. Sound Mind – Meditate Daily using a meditation app.
  2. Sound Body – Lose 20 lbs.
    1. Start tracking calories whenever I eat something using a food diary.
    2. Walk 3 times a week for 30 mins.
  3. Blog Once a Week
  4. Knowledge Growth – Read more books using the 10% Rule.
    1. Details in this previous blog post.
  5. Create a Product or service with 100 users.

I would love to hear what goals you have set for the new year, and I encourage you to share them below. If you have questions about S.M.A.R.T. goals or habit building feel free to reach out in the comments or on socials. Best of luck in the new year, and let’s stay committed to improvement together.