I came across an excellent tweet last night by Twitter user Amycruz:
This is such a great point. I see many devs talking about how hard it is to cope with the insane amount of information online. On the one hand: it feels a little bit competitive. Who can learn the newest framework the fastest and build a super cool app and start making money? On the other hand: it's hard to choose which things to learn in what order because you're scared of falling behind.
Let's start by acknowledging we'll never learn everything. First of all, it's impossible. Second of all, it's not necessary. Learn the skills you need for the job you want. Then, you can fill in the gaps as needed. However, all of you learnaholics like myself might be wondering how to fit your extra learning into that mindset. The answer is balance.
You must balance learning with other activities. Without balance, you risk burnout, as is the case with most things. So, find some hobbies! I personally enjoy knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, and reading memoirs. Creative hobbies are very beneficial. You can meet new people who share the same hobby, have interesting things to talk about yourself in job interviews, and clear your mind for a while from stressful things.
Have any non-code hobbies you'd like to share? Drop a comment! :)
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Oldest comments (48)
Awesome! What a beautiful pony. :) I rode a loooooooooong time ago and it is so fun.
I'm going to post pictures of two knitting WIPs and a cross-stitch WIP later on. :)
I collect foto with strange things on the street. Like that:
Woah! That's a really cool pic. Thank you for sharing. :)
I play on piano
I hope to play a musical instrument again someday! It can be a really peaceful experience.
again ? Uh , maybe u was playing on guitar , yah?
I played clarinet once upon a time and really enjoyed it. 😌
I work out, read fiction and autobiographies and watch a lot of tv.
I've been watching a ton of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu lately 😬
Me too
Almost over 😭
I've been a fan since the start. It's awesome 😄
Right now I'm binging 30 Rock. Also hilarious!
I'm a massive bookworm! There's nothing as nice as curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.
I also love photography, which helps when I need pretty pictures for a side project but is also one of the most calming things in the universe.
My newest hobby is actually belly dancing! It makes me feel great, have much more confidence in myself, and gives me a fun activity that gets me out of my chair.
I love a good book and coffee. Drinking decaf for a while, but hey, I can still make it taste pretty! ;)
Hey, decaf is still coffee! It totally works!!
I can relate, LOVE photography too!
Nice work. You're kinda into that B/W thing ain't you? Me too. 🤩
Yes! Some of them are analog, developed by me. But that was years ago, it's a quite expensive hobby nowadays so only digital now and a few analog rolls.
I used to play with my mother's developing kit, but digital is just so efficient and much more forgiving of my mess ups. :P
This makes me reflect on my own photo taking adventures. I am always in a hurry. I usually snap whatever I see that is good.
It seems to me that I have to take my time to really get some good photographs
Skateboarding and biking which is great since I can't motivate myself to do any other form of exercise.
These are good for sightseeing too! :D
Mostly watching some TV series which get me out of work mood and doing my side-projects, learning stuff I want to learn, still deciding on gym to apply to so that's in the works, too.
Would be playing with my dog and 2 cats but far away from them now (working in capital of my country, yet they are 4 hour drive away).
For the most part summer involved long night walks with some good lo-fi music in headphones.
I can’t agree more. I love photography and that’s what I do when I’m not coding.
I think that any kind of daily exercise is a must. It boosts your health, helps you empty your head and you feel waaay better afterwards.
This is absolutely correct. I used to play the drum but couldn't be doing it since I moved to study. Also, it is true that the amount of study is chasing and hinder me doing anything else, but I think it will be eating me alive someday if I keep doing it like this.
Will volunteering and meetups be counted? It's the only activity I am doing other than study. Thank you for the great article.
Having young kids and openly enjoying quality time with family puts things into a different perspective.
Other than that, I enjoy photography and occasionally find me totally immersed by endless Lightroom sessions.
Cooking gives me back mental energy as well. 💯 The fact you'll have to eat anyway in combination with enjoying to "deliver" it is a huge win. 😜
Gamming
This is a great truth I recently had to learn the hard way after a severe burn out. So I took up painting again, and a strict enforced a "no-coding policy" after work hours. It greatly helps doing other stuff.
Well, aside from being a full-time dad to two beautiful handfuls, and a husband to an equally beautiful wife, I do like to dabble in card games. Magic: the Gathering and Vampire: the Eternal Struggle being the two weapons of choice.