You have been coding the entire night and still plan to work overtime the next day. Coding can be very addictive that you may not even notice you have been sitting in front of your computer screen till 5 a.m. Despite the satisfaction after having written clean codes and finding your app works perfectly, there will still be a moment when you will find yourself both mentally and physically unable to continue. You are most possibly exhausted․ Burnout can cause sleeplessness, as well as loss of energy and motivation. Moreover, it could directly affect the quality and effectiveness of your work. Whether you are the technical leader of a giant tech company without a single minute for lunch, a freelancer lying on the couch with the laptop on your knees, or a software enthusiast to whom coding is just a hobby, one thing is for sure: you have to follow your health. To cope with exhaustion, consider keeping in mind and following these effortless tips.
Take mandatory breaks
While you believe you have to gaze at your computer screen to finish up your task in time, you’d better think twice before wasting your whole energy. Consider pausing what you’ve been working on, taking a small break to enjoy your tea, or getting some fresh air on the balcony. Don’t forget the 20-20-20 rule, according to which every twenty minutes one must look at something twenty feet away for 20 seconds to prevent eye strain. That would help you both mentally and physically take a rest to be prepared to run.
Be realistic when it comes to deadlines
You probably don’t lack any professional skills and are well-prepared for new coding challenges, so you can surely hand in the entire project in one night, but are you sure you don’t want to save energy for the other day? When taking on a task, make sure you will mentally and physically handle the workload at a given deadline. And this is not about taking extra time at all but making a reasonable timing evaluation.
Spare a minute for a physical activity
You have been coding for hours and you find it way too hard to leave your screen. However, sitting in front of your computer screen in the same position may lead to fatigue, as a result of which you may start being less productive. Physical activity will refresh your brain and make your brain work more efficiently. You’ll be more likely to fix that one bug that seemed so impossible to deal with if you spare several minutes for a short walk, biking, or stretching.
Watch your diet
Nothing appears to be simpler and less time-consuming than snacking while working. That way you can keep working the entire time with no hunger and unnecessary lunch breaks. However, easy does not always mean right. You should watch your nutrition and healthy diet to avoid obesity due to snacking and sitting in the same position for so long. Also, choosing healthy food and drinking more water will improve your brain functioning and keep your energy level high.
Final thoughts
Sounds simple? Definitely yes! While there are thousands of other ways to cope with exhaustion as a programmer, you could start with the above-mentioned easy ones. So start following your health, don’t overload yourself with tasks, and write quality codes ;)