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How Developers Destroy Brain Health

Sukhpinder Singh on September 17, 2024

Rapidly With These 4 Stupid Daily Habits People who are software developers spend many hours solving many problems, perpetually trying t...
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Best Codes

Great article!

A couple 'rules' (self-imposed) that have helped me with the things you mentioned (mostly related to physical health) are:

  • Keep track of my time and take breaks every once in a while (I use WakaTime for this)
  • The 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes you look at a screen, look up for 20 seconds at something 20 feet (ca. 6 m) away
  • WORO (if you can't find it on Google, it's because I made it up 😀): Walk One Run One — walk one mile and run one mile every day. Most phones can track this, I also love the Fitbit smartwatch.

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. 😂

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Sukhpinder Singh

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.

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Best Codes

🤣

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Xhyber woo

LOL

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Crazy_gemini

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.. 😌

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Sukhpinder Singh

I couldn’t agree more! Especially about meeting new people at the gym—nothing bonds you quite like mutual awkwardness during squats. 😅

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Alternate Existance

lol, true

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Mike Talbot ⭐

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.

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Von Colborn

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.

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Sukhpinder Singh

That's a very generic rule, and may not be applicable for every individual or environment.

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Sukhpinder Singh

I agree...!!
Short breaks help, but staying mentally connected to the task is key to keeping that productivity going!

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Von Colborn

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. :-)

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Sukhpinder Singh

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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Hansen Glass Inc

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.

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Sukhpinder Singh

Totally agree! After all, you can’t fix bugs when your brain is as fried as your code 🧠💥

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Martin Baun

Speaking of marathon coding, what do you guys do while your code is running?

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Sukhpinder Singh • Edited

Well, while my code is running, I like to practice my 'I'm definitely not stressing out' face in the mirror.

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Martin Baun

😂😂😂

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Documendous

Only wannabes do marathon coding. Once you have a job in this field, if you're slightly intelligent, you no longer do marathon coding.

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Sukhpinder Singh

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. 😄

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Von Colborn

Hmmm. I have to disagree. Perhaps, more difficult problems are in order.

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Sukhpinder Singh

It’s all about finding balance and knowing when to push and when to take a step back.

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Documendous

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.

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Sukhpinder Singh

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.

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ALTAF KHOKHAR

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.

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Sukhpinder Singh

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.

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Alternate Existance

hmm good points. love this article!

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Sukhpinder Singh

Thanks a lot for your kind words. Keep reading..!!

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Alternate Existance

ill follow you :D

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Okoro chimezie bright

Thanks for sharing this helpful information.

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Sukhpinder Singh

You're welcome.....Keep Reading..!!

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Sam Bruton

Excellence at it's finest !

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Sukhpinder Singh

Thanks a lot

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Abdulmalik

Interesting article, I found my self falling for this trap, it feels normal until red this article.

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Bello Adeyinka Toha

I agree.

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Ashi Kaur

Love this article and it's so relatable 🤭

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Sukhpinder Singh

Thank you so much

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mario alejandro marquez moreno

Muy útil el artículo.

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Sukhpinder Singh

I don't know what it means, but I am taking it as a compliment because why not.

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Jesús Olmos

Interesting.

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Elielson Melo

I agree, this post is very important for the community

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Sukhpinder Singh

Thanks for ur kind words.

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Were Elliot

i think its self oriented when you deside youll code no sleep no exersice then its upon your self

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mislo • Edited

Any links to the studies?

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Ed Garzaro

Do my AI friends count as social interaction? 🤓

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Codelab

Hi there. as a mern stack developer, i launched my first web. Feel free to submit your feedback if it needs improving
codelabs.uz/