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Top 6 Best Hobbies For a Developer

Dayvster 🌊 on November 20, 2019

Most of us are in trouble We don't exactly live the healthiest of lifestyles. With our profession requiring us to sit at a desk for hour...
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megangawlinski profile image
megangawlinski

I really like all your ideas, and that's excatly what I do in my free time. But I have to be honest, I always struggle with actually taking that time to do these things.

If I have some free time (which is becoming rare these days), I often find myself lying on the couch instead of doing productive, creative things. Just reading is something I do almost every day, even if it is only for a few minutes :)

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

If I have some free time (which is becoming rare these days), I often find myself lying on the couch instead of doing productive, creative things. Just reading is something I do almost every day, even if it is only for a few minutes :)

I used to do that a lot, then I included 30min of excericise into my daily routine and suddenly found that my energy levels spiked up and I was not drawn to just procrastinating as much.

that worked wonders for me for other people it might be something else.

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megangawlinski profile image
megangawlinski

I really try to do some exercises everyday... I end up with every other day - what is still better then no exercises I guess. I will try to do this more often :)

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

Every second day is still better than "no day" ;)

Do you also find that your mind works better post excercise?
I feel a lot sharper and a lot more ready to tackle my chores or engage in my hobbies post excercise.

I don't know the specifics of it but I suppose it has to have something to do with the adrenaline or something.

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megangawlinski profile image
megangawlinski

Yes I feel better in every way :)

I should do my exercises before work, but I am having problems with getting out of bad in the last couple of week - I think winter time is not my favorite time of the year 😅

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metalmikester profile image
Michel Renaud

I signed up for a gym with a personal trainer. Twice a week. It's not cheap but I guess that's the price to pay for not doing any actual workout for nearly 50 years. :) It's a good thing I have a trainer because I often don't do the exercises correctly and he's there to tell me. He's also good at identifying which parts needs more strengthening, etc. I'm doing this for 6 months and after that I'm hoping I'll know what I'm doing enough to go on my own. If I had just signed up for a random gym, I wouldn't go. In this case I have an appointment and, if I don't show up, they charge me anyway. Good incentive!

He's shown me some exercises I can do at home, like dumbbells and floor exercises and I'm also trying to get back into doing a bit of yoga more regularly.

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megangawlinski profile image
megangawlinski

I think that is a good idea! :)
For me, personally, that is no solution. I had a membership at a gym for more than two year. At the beginning I went there three times a week. After a while I got sick and after that I just couldn't get my self to show up at the gym anymore 😅

So I signed up for a home workout app (it also saves a lot of time)... and that really helps me. A personal trainer would not be good for me because I can get really mean when I get to the point where I think that I am out of energy 😏 And I don't want to yell at somebody 😂

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metalmikester profile image
Michel Renaud

The sessions with the trainer are only 30 minutes, so I can usually handle it. Anything more I would get bored or wouldn't have the energy (my appointment is usually around 4 pm).

I have a yoga app on my iPad (Daily Yoga), but I have been really bad at getting back into it since my concussion last winter. I tried a couple of workout apps but I really need to "master" the basics before I go on my own. I'm really good at messing myself up!

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junlow profile image
jun

How funny these are all my hobbies 😂From a music background myself, I would say programming for me just like learning a new "instrument" or writing a new song!

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

Musical background? how fun!

I myself never had a talent for it sadly.

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junlow profile image
jun

Yeah, I play piano more than 20 years..It's never too late to learn :) Just like coding, it's just need practice, practice and practice haha!

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

Yeah, I play piano more than 20 years

That is impressive! I heard the piano is one of the hardest instruments to master.

It's never too late to learn :) Just like coding, it's just need practice, practice and practice haha!

Hit the nail on the head there, discipline is the most important skill any coder can master.

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junlow profile image
jun

I agreed!! It's easy to learn but hard to master. Sometimes I find myself lack of discipline, but with the passion, it gives me motivation to keep the learning journey going.

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

I find that very commendable.

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metalmikester profile image
Michel Renaud

Cooking I do out of necessity, but at least now I've actually learned to cook more elaborate stuff. Couldn't say that three years ago!

Reading - lots of that. My Kindle is loaded with books, and that's on top of some printed books I have on my reading list.

I'm trying to get exercise to be a regular thing. I've always walked a lot (and I don't own a car anymore, so 99% of my errands are done on foot), but I need to exercise the rest of the body.

I got back into plastic modelling three years ago but stopped a few months later after a health scare that kind of threw my mind off that kind of stuff. I have a bunch of unbuilt models that I should really get to.

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

Cooking I do out of necessity, but at least now I've actually learned to cook more elaborate stuff. Couldn't say that three years ago!

It's an amazing skill to posses isn't it?
Out of all of them, that one instantly improves your quality of life.

Reading - lots of that. My Kindle is loaded with books

Any recommendations? I'm always open for new books

I got back into plastic modelling three years ago but stopped a few months later after a health scare that kind of threw my mind off that kind of stuff.

Oh no =/ I hope it wasn't anything serious, either way get well soon!

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metalmikester profile image
Michel Renaud

I don't even notice what books I read - lol. For the past few years I've mostly been grabbing books from unknown authors with an interesting storyline on Amazon. They're often cheap or free, or the first one of a series is free to get you interested. Anything from crime or law thrillers to science-fiction. Come to think of it, if you like science-fiction, the Space Force series is really good. I've found that a lot of those unknown authors have nothing to envy bestselling authors (well, except the money they make, of course).

Health scare was pre-diabetes, which was scary because diabetes runs on my father's side of the family and I'm really not interested in having to deal with that. I kicked it off the curb after three months or so, but it's still a constant stress as I need to be more mindful of what I eat, exercising, etc.

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

if you like science-fiction, the Space Force series is really good

I do and I saved that tip, thank you!

I've found that a lot of those unknown authors have nothing to envy bestselling authors (well, except the money they make, of course).

Completely agree, some of my favorite books were by somewhat unknown authors.

Health scare was pre-diabetes

Yikes! as it does on my father's side, I should probably get that checked out someday as well.

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leachryan profile image
Ryan Leach

Don't forget gaming! Linking up with some friends online or in the real world and playing games together not only increases social skills, but also teamworking. It also introduces you to a whole new community of people

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

Sure but the point is to get away from the screen and sitting

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mcdtbo profile image
Thabo Pali

The last hobby (Music) I feel more in tune with, I'm obsessed with DJ equipment and applications. As well as music production using DAWs(Digital Audio Workstations). This one I completely agree with.

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dayvster profile image
Dayvster 🌊

got some tracks for us to check out?

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mcdtbo profile image
Thabo Pali

Lol! I got some house music mixes I can share, It's a combination of both this hobby of mine, music production and "Bedroom DJing" I do the latter more often however.

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Scott Simontis

I enjoy(ed) working on cars. You still get to solve problems, but you get to work with your hands and use dangerous power tools. Then someone stole my WRX when it was just starting to look respectable :(

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ann267 profile image
ann267

Writing can be a fulfilling and rewarding hobby allowing me to express my creativity and share my ideas.
Custom catalog printing is a great way to share my work with others and potentially gain a following. Printing my work in a catalog format can make it more accessible and professional-looking, which can help attract readers and promote my writing.
It's great that I have found a hobby I enjoy and am passionate about. Writing can be a fun and therapeutic activity that can help you to develop your skills and express yourself creatively.

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thomas_ph35 profile image
Thomas

That a lot of ideas to get ride off video games.
At least it could make me play less and go out more than just 30mn at lunch time !

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natriumdev profile image
NatriumDev

Actually, there is no "best hobby". Whatever you like to do in your spare time, and whatever gets your batteries recharged is a good hobby.

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dyland profile image
Dylan Davenport

I’m combining woodworking and music. I’ve been refinishing one of my guitars for a while now and can confirm that woodworking is a very active hobby. 10 minutes of sanding and I’m dripping in sweat 😆

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saschadev profile image
Der Sascha

I triedany of the hobbies, but I stopped at beekeeping.This Hobby is very nice and you so a complete other Thing in your free time 😂

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matthew_s_brown profile image
Matt Brown

One for me is board games. It brings a social aspect to my life and it offers another way to scratch my analytical brain.