Programmers are some of the most creative and productive members of society.
But oftentimes, we forget this is a marathon and not a sprint.
Yes, the project you're currently working on is extremely important and you feel like sky is going to come down if it's not published on time...
BUT
Your life will also crumble if 10 years from now you're unable to do the work you're currently working.
All the experience and knowledge gone to waste.
And then you're a beginner in another industry because you cannot stand to look at a single line of code anymore.
So beware of the burnout...
PREVENTION
Realize this: the project or company is temporary, you are not!
Especially in such a fluid industry such as software development.
Even if you try your best to impress your boss or project manager... in all likelihood... they will not be with the company 3 years from now.
And all the grinding and burning out will go with them... no one to remember your sacrifices.
The new project manager will only see you're not as productive as the rest of the team.
Why?
Because you're burnt out.
And people who comfortably cruise at 80% of their power are going to be the real winners long term.
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
Cruise at 80%
Not only this is good good for you, but it is also good for the company.
Whoever worked at any software project knows that unexpected and critical situations happen.
And when they do, you know that time, energy, and focus is crucial to solving the burning issue.
However, how can you give your best when you're crushed? - You simply can't.
MARATHON
Have you ever seen a professional athlete sprint through an entire marathon?
Of course not.
To cover the greatest distance in shortest amount of time you must consider the entire track (the full length).
Every time you're giving 100% on a daily basis, you're getting tired (quickly) and your "100%" is less and less productive.
Even though you might have the best intentions, you're damaging yourself, the project, and your teammates who are going to have to cover for you once you burn out.
So don't do it.
LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE
Startups come and go, companies fail and/or fire thousands of developers in a single Zoom call... in short... things change.
Things are volatile.
And you need strength and resilience in those situations.
You need:
- backup energy
- backup income
And neither of those will be available to you if you're constantly burning out yourself on your job.
Instead, use this energy to build your knowledge, skills, perhaps even some side income.
For example, I'm developing a site and knowledge about algo-trading bots and it's a lot of fun.
On top of that I learned a new coding language, which is the best programming language for finance...
I also released my own AI For Finance Course (FREE) where I'm sharing how to add AI to algo bots in a simple way (from scratch).
And the list goes on and on...
I'm not sure where all of this will take me, but I'm certain I will have more options and opportunities because of it.
All because I decided I need to leave some extra energy on the side to become better and more productive.
And with this approach everybody wins.
Hope you do it too :)
Will
Creator of (FREE) AI For Finance Course
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