The Value in Not Working

You wake up at 5:30 in the morning. Get showered, brush teeth and hair, dress, walk the dogs, get the kids ready and fed breakfast and out the door by 7. After dropping the kids off at school you remove the Frozen Soundtrack and put on a coding podcast (like CDP) for your drive to work. You get to the office, find the coffee and start pouring the juice of life down your throat before the morning stand up. A few meetings, some emails, and a brief stint looking at the code and you’re off to lunch with coworkers discussing the afternoon’s agenda. Upon returning to the office you code the rest of the afternoon then it’s time to go. On the way to pick the kids up from school you listen to another podcast, this one about starting your own business because once the kids are in the car it’s Frozen, Frozen, and more Frozen. You get home, get the kids a snack and set them to doing homework while you set up shop in your office for a long night of coding on your side project. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Another day! This week Will and BJ discuss why we as developers need to take time away from working and coding. The episode starts with the guys defining down time and how it applies to developers. Next they give reasons for needing time away from coding with emphasis on avoiding burn-out. Will opens up to the audience about his experiences with burn-out and how he deals with it and attempts to avoid it when possible. Finally they talk about how to manage taking regular down time and end the episode with a discussion of their favorite hobbies and how they get away from the computer screen. Episode Breakdown * 09:50 What exactly is Down Time? The Dictionary Definition “inactive time (as between periods of work)” ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary In addition Urban Dictionary defines down time as “a period of rest or sleep taken during the day.” Not Time For Other Projects Down time can mean tile spent not coding at work for various reasons. For this episode though the guys use down time to refer to total down time, not at work and not working at home. Time away from the computer screen. “Have something worth spending time/boasting outside of work. This helps you to [have something to] draw inspiration from, when things don’t go well at work.” ~ Ramanan Jagannathan (Quora answer) Taking Time For Yourself Taking time for yourself to refresh and relax will help mental wellbeing and avoid problems related to overworking. This can be a difficult process. A few weeks back Will talked about feeling guilty for spending time playing video games. * 12:25 Why Developers Need Down Time. Developers need time away from the computer to recharge, gain perspective, and reduce the effects of working too much. Avoid Burn-Out Burn-out is defined by Merriam-Webster as “physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.” It is the cumulative effects of working too hard for too long without a break or time away from work. The physical effects of burn-out include feeling tired and sick most of the time. This may even manifest in extra muscle aches and pains, frequent headaches, and back pain. Will states that one of the signs he knows he’s working too much is when old injuries start hurting again. Emotionally burn-out appears very similar to depression. Overworked developers may experience a sense of failure and self doubt or feel helpless, trapped, and defeated. A feeling of being alone in the world or detachment also accompanies burn-out. The motivation that drove them to the point of overwork or overcommittment is gone. Burnt-out developers may present with a negative or cynical outlook on life, work, or other coders. They tend to have less satisfaction or sense of accomplishment even when finishing pro...