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“Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

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Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#181

Post by ChuckMcM »

noobermin wrote: post #179
ChuckMcM wrote: post #146

I don't know if the author knows anyone who is an artist, but if they knew an artist it might add perspective on the t-shirt. There is a type of person who is driven to express their ideas and emotions. They can be moody and quiet or loud and extroverted but they get consumed by the process of creation and go into something like a trance state while creating. I have been that type of person and when I let myself go,…

I think something that needs to be discussed then is not to exclude the spigot people from the hiring process just because they aren't driven to create like you are. Unfortunately, it comes across as attacking you, the creation types while it should be attacking employers who think Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. spigot would be a worse worker than you.

I think that is a really important point. I got dinged[1] on my Intel review for "sand bagging" because I had estimated it would take three months to write an instruction assembler for a chip I was working on validating, I got it done but my manager claimed I had spent almost all the time "goofing off" and then wrote it in the last couple of weeks. Unlike hardware which had all these great milestones to indicate progress, creating a new program was think, think, think, blammo!

This has always been a challenge for me (and at this point I suspect always will). I don't know exactly how I come up with the stuff I do, it just sort of pops into my head. More rigorous people who can write down a series of milestones and check points are great at giving visibility into the process. My workaround has been to work with good project managers when I can and talk to them about what I know and don't know about a project. The "don't knows" become future deliverables, the "knows" become steps that can be done now and shown as progress.

Looking back on my career I have been the most successful in a group which is a mix of types, call them artists and engineers. There is probably a management book out there somewhere that addresses that question.

[1] Or "constructively criticized" using the Intel vernacular.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#182

Post by smoyer »

qb45 wrote: post #173
smoyer wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had a lot of fun working on technology projects with my kids. I'd say these projects are too numerous to mention but as an example, my daughter and I wrote a program (well ... I wrote it and she specified and QA'd it) that finds CRISPR sites in a mouse genome for her lab project at Johns Hopkins (she's a doctoral candidate in molecular genetics). So share your passion for technology with your child(ren) ... it's…

> we switched from Win98 to WinXP that night so that I could have a bit more control. That sucks, poor kid. I knew my Windows 98 activation key by heart in my early teens :)

She was five at the time ... she obviously didn't know what she was deleting. And there have been plenty of times I've "paid extra" (in money and/or time) to allow my kids to keep a fearless curiosity.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#183

Post by curun1r »

javier2 wrote: post #46
xabotage wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I distinctly remember sitting in yet another dull sprint retrospective and thinking, "Boy, I wish I were a firefighter." Granted, that line of work comes with its own drawbacks and I would certainly get bored of it the same way I get bored of software (or else worn out from the demanding physical aspect), but some days I'm surprised to find myself wishing I could "dig ditches out in the sunshine" or something of the…

I have had a literal ditch digging job, and I hated that even more. But I still find myself longing for such a thing. Maybe if I could just have 3-4 days per year? xD

> Maybe if I could just have 3-4 days per year?

Look for a company that offers VTO (volunteer time off). I worked for one that would organize a group volunteer event once per quarter and gave us a maximum of 8 individual days to volunteer per year. There's a ton of fun, physical volunteering opportunities. I've done habitat builds a few times and there are a bunch of parks in the Bay Area that are always willing to put volunteers to work on trail restoration, habitat restoration and other strenuous outdoor activities. One year I even combined all my VTO with a few days of PTO and volunteered in a national park for a couple weeks.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#184

Post by DougN7 »

grosbisou wrote: post #37
DougN7 wrote: post #33

Everyone figures out that balance is the key to happiness in life. Some are wise and learn from others while they are young. Some of us have to spend many years and figure it out the hard way ourselves, which brings some regret. Be wise!

I disagree. Balance doesn't bring happiness. First of all I do not believe balance is a definitive state but rather a constant work. You need to constantly put things back into balance which is exhausting and time consuming. Secondly nothing great ever happens when things are in balance. Everything is just average. You work enough to be able to do enough "life" things. I strongly believe you need to be out of balance…

> Go long at work and short in life basically.

Does that mean work late hours? If so, I very much bet you are young. As the saying goes, nobody lies on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the office.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#185

Post by krrrh »

spyrosg wrote: post #169
krrrh wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand. You're probably sick of hearing it, but try meditation. Either a few minutes a day, or an app like Headspace, or jump in the deep end with a 10-day retreat, it doesn't really matter. You need to exercise your brains ability to observe without reacting or that ability becomes weakened. It's worth asking why it's so hard for the average person to do something as simple as sit still for 5 minutes. The bene…

Is just sitting there doing nothing enough, or do you need some technique? Do five minutes have any effect?

5 minutes does have an effect. A lot of the published research uses a dose of 20 minutes a day, and it can be a struggle to work up to that, but it is a good goal. In a 20 minute session it can be common for me to feel distracted and fidgety for most of it, but get a few glimpses or a minute or two of detachment from the "monkey mind", and it has a big impact on the rest of the day, and a compounding impact over time.

I think the easiest way to try mindfulness meditation out is the headspace app, but there are a lot of different styles if that doesn't appeal to you. Most mindfulness-oriented meditation taught in the west today won't demand a set of beliefs and compatible with a secular rationalist perspective on the world.

There is definitely technique; it's quite different from just daydreaming or following every thought that enters your mind. You will typically have something to focus on, usually the breath is used to start, but it varies by tradition. The idea is to have something neutral that you can pay attention to so that you can begin to observe the thoughts that arise in your mind without reacting to them. There's a popular free book available online in various formats called Mindfulness in Plain English that lays out the basics of Vipassana style meditation, if you want a decent primer. The retreat I mentioned was offered by dhamma.org aka the Goenka school.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions I might be able to answer.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#186

Post by purerandomness »

zzzcpan wrote: post #180
ChuckMcM wrote: post #146

I don't know if the author knows anyone who is an artist, but if they knew an artist it might add perspective on the t-shirt. There is a type of person who is driven to express their ideas and emotions. They can be moody and quiet or loud and extroverted but they get consumed by the process of creation and go into something like a trance state while creating. I have been that type of person and when I let myself go,…

Turning it on and turning it off is what everyone does on a day job, whether they want it or not. But eventually it leads to poor productivity and burnout.

Would you consider freelancing, or creating your own company, as a way out?

What's your solution to this dilemma?

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#188

Post by RUG3Y »

lisivka wrote: post #168
RUG3Y wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll also realize that civvies have it pretty easy and that you can put up with almost any amount of bullsh*t.

> You'll also realize that civvies have it pretty easy ?? > you can put up with almost any amount of bullsh*t. It is not true. Good people are good, bad are bad, even at war. War just proves who is who. Yep, thinking is changing from libertarian to utilitarian style, because you cannot help to all, and will need to chose what to protect, which lives to save, etc.

Maybe I wasn't clear in my comment. Being in the military is onerous, boring, soul sucking and awful. Being a civilian is much easier. Once you've been in such a crummy situation, nothing can faze you.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#189

Post by zzzcpan »

purerandomness wrote: post #186
zzzcpan wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning it on and turning it off is what everyone does on a day job, whether they want it or not. But eventually it leads to poor productivity and burnout.

Would you consider freelancing, or creating your own company, as a way out? What's your solution to this dilemma?

I think pretty much anything, that doesn't involve full-time coding job, works. Be it freelancing, your own company or even a part-time job.

Re: “Eat, sleep, code, repeat” is such bullshit

#190

Post by sidcool »

ktRolster wrote: post #118
sidcool wrote: post #29

I have been trying to be a 10x engineer for the past 10 years and only been somewhat successful.

What do you feel is limiting you from getting there? I can tell you one thing that will get you close to a 10x developer almost immediately: when you're at work, turn off your phone, and never open distracting websites (like news.ycombinator). Most programmers are so severely distracted, you can level up several times above the average just by focusing. Another trick is to slow down somewhat, think more, and write fe…

I do that, but my anxiety kicks in when I face a tricky problem. Much time goes into bringing focus back. I don't think I have ADD. But something's wrong. Or I m just a slacker.
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