For the longest time, I kinda felt like a fraud.
I'd browse LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram, X, Dev.to and all sorts and see posts like "I built a fu...
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
Nobody is a 24/7 developer. IT managers want you to be, but that is their problem.
Even the people that seem to be programming all of the time take breaks.
I think as a developer you shouldn't always need to write code, or generate it nowadays.
I do think you should try to learn a new thing everyday. Don't fuss if you miss days, just take it one day at a time.
Yeah, I agreed. Brain needs constant rest to wire itself and absorb the info.
Exactly! The brain needs that idle time to process everything. Constant input just leads to overload.
Couldn't agree more. The pressure should never be on us to be coding machines 24/7. Love the 'one day at a time' approach – takes all the guilt away. 🙌
Up until very recently, I hadn't pushed a single commit to my personal GitHub in more than 10 years! There was just no reason to.
Honestly, I probably wouldn't be now if it weren't for this likely-less-than-healthy AI hobby I picked up. 🤣 But it will run its course and a new hobby will take its place—it's not about the code. It's just another addition to a long list of ongoing entertainment portals.
So, whatever it is for you, just take the time and enjoy it—there's rarely enough to risk wasting it on anything that's going to make you miserable!
Haha 'less-than-healthy AI hobby' – I feel that! It's cool that it's just another form of entertainment for you and not an obligation. That's the perfect mindset! 🤖
This is a much-needed perspective. The "IKEA moment" is a perfect example of the brain's "diffuse mode" at work. You can't access it when you're in "focused mode" (i.e., staring at the code).
I love this. Thank you for your contribution.
May primary hobby is dancing. Its the focus on movement, together with music that completely takes my out of this mind-only focused headspace that I go into while coding. Whatever happens at work is gone after dance class and I can go to bed with a clear mind and wake up the next with a new perspective .
Aaaaaand of course I am sitting way to much in this profession which is bad for my health. Movement helps with that as well
Dancing is a perfect counterbalance! I love that it gets you out of your head and into your body. I've also gotten into dancing recently, though I should probably add a disclaimer that I'm not good at it... my rhythm is questionable at best 😂. So glad you found your reset!
You just read my thoughts! I’m grateful to my current organisation for providing me with an ideal Life-Work balance (yes, not work-life balance), allowing me to spend equally productive time both during and after work. I enjoy DIY projects and dedicate a good amount of time to them, and another passion of mine is investing in the stock market and watching my money grow (passive income is must for everyone).
I have never made any commits to GitHub, nor do I have a personal portfolio website, nor have I written any blogs, nor posted any completed course certificates on LinkedIn :) etc., yet I have still managed to sustain a 25-year career in the IT industry.
25 years without the side-project grind? That's incredibly inspiring and proof that a successful career is built on sustainable habits, not burnout. Thank you for sharing this! 🎉
Well, what I do is that I just grab my guitar, plug in, make the high sound, just shred. This is how I get rid of my computer. It is all about how you can manage your time indeed. I mean we all need as developers find sometime to spend for ourselves. Could be hanging friends, going somewhere, or whatever it is. So, at the end nobody is 24/7 developer. I think this could solve the problem at the end. In addition to that, if you are a continuous learner, I believe you are not left behind anything. :D
Completely agree - shredding on guitar is such a perfect way to disconnect! That intense focus on the strings and rhythm just transports you to a different headspace. I play drums and piano myself, and there's something about music that forces your brain into that 'flow state' where coding worries and burnout completely fade away. Maybe I should finally add guitar to the mix too! 🎸
Yes, that is definitely for sure. I mean music is something that everybody needs and I have experimented that there is a great correlation between music and the brain. This really creates a great flow state. You know you just get lost with every aspect of music. I mean I do not know how to describe this. :D. So, just keep continuing whatever you are playing 🎸
Excellent post, Ty. I started as coding is my identity and life but after few years I got saturated. I could not bare the screens, I thought that it is over for me in IT. Started CrossFit, bought a Motorcycle, now I am back and work in IT when the thing that I am working on matter.
CrossFit and a motorcycle?! Okay, that's the most badass reset button I've heard 😎. Seriously though, that's awesome - sometimes you need to step away completely to remember why you got into tech in the first place. The fact that you came back on your own terms is everything! 🏍️💪
A project that's been nibbling at my brain for a while => build a small-scale operating escalator that's open-air so you can see how it works.
That sounds like a super cool project! It's fun to work with your hands and build something physical for a change. Good luck with it!
Many people work just to make money,it is ok,cos very few people really know what they want and who they want to be,just enjoy every moment anyway
This is a great perspective. Just enjoying the moment and not putting immense pressure on yourself to have it all figured out. Well said. 👍
One thing I love would definitely be cooking
Cooking is the best! It's creative, practical, and you get to enjoy the results. What's your favorite thing to make? 👨🍳
I just published these days a rant where I say I hate the misuse of the word "passion" It's so wrong that we can even find it on job listings, "we're looking for a passionate coder to join our family...blah, blah" Like you say, it's even unhealthy.
It's ok if we don't code after work. It's ok if we don't have coding side projects. It's ok if we don't have "passion"
Around Q1 I was run on game coding competition which is lead me forward to AI sci-fi short making, then I feel myself confident enough to buy a small old house in a small village, I think the next 3 years hobby is housr renovation.
This is out of everyone's chart. I love knitting and crotcheting. The patterns I saw brings out the life of patterns in any work I put in. Including productivity
healthy work/life balance ftw!