Rapidly With These 4 Stupid Daily Habits
People who are software developers spend many hours solving many problems, perpetually trying to always write better code. Long hours of problem-solving are draining even on the most resilient minds. Developers are often so engrossed with screens and lines of code that they never even realize that some of their daily habits are silly and working against their brain health.
Habit 1: The Marathon Coding Sessions
For many developers, working marathon coding sessions or pulling an all-nighter is almost a badge of honour. It becomes a normal case: something is due on the next day, for instance, a critical bug that needs to be worked on at once, or a new feature that needs to be completed by the end of the week.
The rush of adrenaline can make long hours of coding seem productive, but this forms one of the most destructive habits for brain health.
Extended periods of focused work without adequate resting or refreshment interrupt the natural rhythm of the brain. The brain, like any other muscle, needs rest time to recover and consolidate. As developers enter these marathon sessions, they abandon sleep, which is essential for cognitive operations, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation.
Sleep deprivation was established to lead to cognitive decline, a condition of inattention, and influences decision-making capacities. Prolonged sleep loss has been defined to affect neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Additionally, the lengthy periods of concentration during these coding marathons can lead to mental burnout, a degradation in creative energy, and even emotional depletion.
The developers should engage in the development of strategies that include regular breaks, scheduling hours of work, and sticking to healthy sleep patterns. A good example would be the Pomodoro Technique, where one works for 25 minutes and then rests for 5. In addition, having clear boundaries around hours of work and a regular sleep routine would add to the contribution of healthy cognition and productivity.
Habit 2: Inactivity towards Body Exercise
The frantic pace of technology has shrunk time for most ordinary people. Developers are no exception to this trend. They may find myriad reasons to sit idle rather than exercise.
However, too much neglect can be disastrous for the brain.
Regular physical exercise is beneficial to the body but also necessary for the brain. It increases blood flow to the brain, increases, and sharpens important cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving abilities. It will also help the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which are essential in mood regulation and mental clarity.
An inactive lifestyle can cause a person to suffer from poor blood flow, dull thinking, and increased vulnerability to the onset of mood disorders. In addition, an inactive lifestyle increases a person’s chances of developing obesity and heart disease, besides diabetes. All these are particularly bad for the brain.
Developers should make efforts to introduce activity into their lifestyle, however slight the exercise session is. It can be initiated with a few minutes of exercising per hour and increased to much more profound outcomes with the inclusion of brisk walks, stretches, or a standing desk at work. The difference comes from reminder shots to move every hour, and scheduling exercises to do regularly.
Habit 3: Neglecting Mental Stimulation
However, the tech industry can trap developers into learning only what is required directly for work and, hence, continuous learning is important for professional growth. As if daily activity is ample to keep the mind stimulating, quite several developers leave out this from focus, and various risks will arise from cognitive stagnation.
The brain loves novelty and challenge.
When developers stop researching to find new knowledge or to intellectually stimulate themselves, the risk of cognitive stagnation looms overhead. Low problem-solving skills, reduced creative competence, and even higher risk of cognitive decline gradually decrease mental stimulation.
Engagement in various learning activities-for example, through reading books, taking up other hobbies, or exploring new fields, keeps the brain lively and quick. Continuous learning and intellectual stimulation are exactly what can be used to maintain healthy cognitive activity and enhance mental performance.
To prevent their cognitive function from getting stale, developers should also look for learning activities outside of their operational environment. One can enrol in an online course, attend a tech meetup, and learn one or two new programming languages and frameworks. Even dedicating a little time each week towards something new will be greatly beneficial to overall cognitive health.
Habit 4: Neglecting Social Connections
Coding puts developers in isolation by the fact that only a lone sits and focuses mainly on work and sets aside interactions. Also, this is a habit one usually overlooks, which can greatly affect mental health and cognitive functions.
As humans, we are quite social.
Strong social relationships provide an opening towards the good maintenance of mental health. The stresses of life are aided by communicating with others and stimulating cognitive functions through worthwhile conversations and experiences.
Various psychological conditions attributed to loneliness and isolation include depression and anxiety, among other cognitive decline. This form of isolation leaves developers feeling unrefreshed and besides getting overall dissatisfaction in terms of jobs.
A developer needs to be one to be able to maintain work and personal life and for time allocated to social activities as well as to the maintenance of family and friend relations. Such activities as team building activities, professional groups, or even informal social gatherings that can bring people closer together and enhance mental states are all contributive factors. Reaching out to colleagues and friends daily, even if just to pass a word here and there, could also contribute to greater living and improved well-being.
Conclusion
These habits appear trivial, but when one develops them over time, the danger to brain health escalates. Developers caught in the whirlwind of deadlines and coding challenges rarely pay attention to their selves or, indeed know the extent to which self-care impacts cognitive function. Developers may become aware of these toxic habits such as marathon coding sessions, lack of exercise, ignoring mental stimulation, and social isolation, etc. They can then take action proactively to protect their brain health and thus improve themselves.
The quintessential change toward the adoption of healthy habits, work-life balance with adequate rest and exercise, continuous learning, and social engagement will go a long way in assuring and sustaining long-term healthy cognition. Given the high-level work environment of software development, these changes are not only beneficial but rather crucial to professional success and personal happiness as well. Such steps will thus ensure developers preserve their brain health while remaining successful in both their career and personal lives.
Top comments (47)
Great article!
A couple 'rules' (self-imposed) that have helped me with the things you mentioned (mostly related to physical health) are:
I also do some fun activity (I'm into martial arts like Taekwondo or Jujitsu) with people I don't know to meet somebody new (and or course with my friends as well. They're important too!).
As far as mental stimulation, I challenge myself every time I code something, because the projects I work on are usually asking a lot for a solo developer. 😂
Those are solid rules! I follow the 0/0/0 rule: zero miles walked, zero miles run, and zero regrets... until I try to stand up after coding all day. 😂
Just kidding, I use a treadmill while I take long meetings, apart from my regular workouts.
🤣
LOL
Flow state is a thing, and it doens't only last for 25 minutes for me. If I followed that advice I'd drop from flow just as I got into it. I might do some "different thinking" every 30/45 minutes, but I will be thinking about the work or my productivity would nose dive.
That was my first respone, too, when the author suggested breaking after 20 minutes. One cannot easily do that when it may take 15 minutes to descend into that mindset. Complex problem solving requires taht level of focus, maybe for hours.
That's a very generic rule, and may not be applicable for every individual or environment.
I agree...!!
Short breaks help, but staying mentally connected to the task is key to keeping that productivity going!
I agree wit you on the physical excise.. It is very important to work out regularly.. Go to the 💪 gym do some sit ups and push ups... Meet new people in the gym .. Go for long walks very important.. 😌
I couldn’t agree more! Especially about meeting new people at the gym—nothing bonds you quite like mutual awkwardness during squats. 😅
lol, true
Interesting article, but really it is the same information that I've been hearing most of my career, since '81. Unfortunately, I didn't listen and ended up with much of what you consider in your article, not only health but missed opportunities in my personal life.
The problems are all accurate, at least potentially. The solutions are reasonable also. The problem is very much like that of an alcoholic: You recognize the problems, primary and secondary, and you understand the necessity of the solutions. The hardest part is actually going to the next step to address the situation. It can be especially hard for some developers because they have that special mindset which pulls them into that relationship with code development.
I propose a Coders Anonymous organization. :-)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Developers often overlook the importance of mental health, leading to burnout and cognitive strain. It’s crucial for companies like hansenglassinc to prioritize wellness to foster a healthier work environment.
Totally agree! After all, you can’t fix bugs when your brain is as fried as your code 🧠💥
Speaking of marathon coding, what do you guys do while your code is running?
Well, while my code is running, I like to practice my 'I'm definitely not stressing out' face in the mirror.
😂😂😂
Only wannabes do marathon coding. Once you have a job in this field, if you're slightly intelligent, you no longer do marathon coding.
Ah, but marathon coding builds stamina! You never know when you'll need to run a mental ultramarathon to debug a bug that shows up at 4 a.m. 😄
Hmmm. I have to disagree. Perhaps, more difficult problems are in order.
It’s all about finding balance and knowing when to push and when to take a step back.
Actually none of these are bad. Your post has no truth to it. I've done these things for more years than you've probably been alive and I've not suffered from it.
I appreciate your perspective. The points I raised are based on experiences shared by other developers.
While these practices may not have caused issues in your case, it’s important to note that different environments can lead to different outcomes.
Great article @ssukhpinder
One thing I would like to add is CODING HANGOVER - Once you step away from the screen after work, it takes a couple of minutes to move your mind from one state to the outside world of the screen.
Thanks @altaf_khokhar_b6c99b474d2 ! Haha, yes, the CODING HANGOVER is real! 😅 It’s like you close the laptop, but your brain is still debugging your life for a few minutes.
hmm good points. love this article!
Thanks a lot for your kind words. Keep reading..!!
ill follow you :D
Interesting article, I found my self falling for this trap, it feels normal until red this article.