Small Breaks, Big Productivity

JohnBanas — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 15:15:06 +0000

It's In The Details

All developers know programming is a detail oriented task. Syntax errors, typos, incorrect logic, can plague developers at any experience level. I was told to test early and often to help mitigate this as you code. I still strongly believe this is true. Each one of these issues be mentally taxing on their own, exhausting all together. You can prepare yourself by studying proper syntax, approach code with a TDD mindset, and by learning and adhering to, best practices. These are arguably essential to moving forward as a developer and again I was prepared with sound advice for this. However one thing I was not told regularly was how important it was to take breaks.

I don't mean a lunch break either. I mean regular intervals of 10-15 minutes of doing something else not related to a screen. I have found that when you are coding for long stretches of time, say 8-12 hours (any longer is unproductive IMHO), your brain will need to reset. I try to do this everyday, and I will admit that I am not the best at following a regimented schedule but I do try. Every hour that I work I try to take a 10-15 minute break. Some methods are different like the Pomodoro Technique but whether you choose your own methods or a tested time boxing technique, it is about increasing your productivity.

This may seem counter intuitive, but it has been proven time and time again that you work better with rest. I find these breaks especially helpful when I have been stuck on a particularly tough issue, or when intensively studying something new. These breaks can be anything you like that allows your brain to take a moment, but I enjoy the following:

Taking my dog for a walk
Light stretching and deep breathing
Listening to relaxing music
Going for a quick bike ride
Read a book(non-technical)

You could also do something productive, like dishes or laundry, which some of the time I do. Ideally, you want this to be relaxing so just make sure whatever your method make sure you are calming yourself and resting your brain.

That's it for now, if you don't do this yet, give it a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, and happy coding.

Python Terminal Game

JohnBanas — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 04:40:57 +0000

Direction Dungeon

After spending a fair amount of time with JavaScript and the MERN technology stack, I decided to learn a new language. Everyone has heard the buzz of Python of course and I wanted to see for myself what the language had to offer. I find the best way for me to learn is through several different approaches. I currently have an internship in which I am just now beginning to use Python, but I also wanted a more structured teaching environment as well.

I have a pro membership with Codecademy. I use their platform as an initial look at different languages before going out to gather my own information. I noticed that not only did they have Python available, but they also used it in their Computer Science Path as well. So I decided to learn something new (Python) while also brushing up on some skills that are language agnostic (Computer Science).

One of the requirements for the project is to create some type of CLI game. I choose to create a thriller/choose-your-own-adventure mash-up. Here is an image of one of the user input moments in the game:

Basically the game allows you to give a player options, then create different scenarios through a story narrative based on what the player chooses. It was a lot of fun to make, and I think I am going to add a few more enhancements after the Computer Science course is done! I found a cool library that made making ascii art super simple and upped the game style just a bit, so that it is more than boring text.

I have lately been working with Bitbucket for my Git version control, but it was nice to go back to GitHub after being away for awhile. I like the kanban style simplistic setup of "Projects" in GitHub. Although it is nice to spice things up with Trello in Bitbucket and add a little more stylistic spice! In any case if you want to check out my project you can view it in the GitHub repository for Direction Dungeon.

Thank you for reading and happy coding!

DEV Community: JohnBanas

Small Breaks, Big Productivity

It's In The Details

Python Terminal Game

Direction Dungeon