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Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

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Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#131

Post by specialist »

smolder wrote: post #103
smolder wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That remains as a very plausible (IMO) hypothesis but is not rigorously proven, afaik. It's sort of a tough one to prove. So they're being conservative and not guessing here.

To clarify WHY I think it's very plausible: There is of course a lot of data connecting indoor time and myopia. There is also a muscle which controls the curvature of the lenses in our eyes to adjust focus to different depths. Not using this mechanism in a "normal" way, across its full range and with regularity, stands out as the important factor of the indoor time link, since it's most directly related to focusing.

Like cimmanom, I had long assumed being outdoors exercises one's eyes better. Because I sit at a desk all day long, I try to do those eye exercises, to compensate. (I doubt it helps.)

But there were some tidbits in the recent myopia research that suggested light also played a factor. Like maybe exercising pupil dilation is a factor too, which I find plausible.

I guess we'll see. Oops, unintentional pun, but I'm gonna leave it.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#132

Post by beat »

hvidgaard wrote: post #119
beat wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I read the author's comment about playing music to relax after programming, and I immediately thought I might do some programming to relax after a serious session of music performance/recording. Frankly, playing a gig leaves me more intellectually/emotionally drained and dysfunctional than a long programming session does.

One of the last things I want to do being mentally exhausted, is listen to music. I relax by doing busy work. Water the plants, removing weeds, vacuum, walk/hike, ect. things that require my attention, but not any significant processing.

Playing music is a completely different experience for me than listening to music. I actually listen to recorded music (unless I'm making a recording, which is basically playing) a lot less than most people would think. But I play almost every day.

I also have a couple of different playing modes - public performance (usually with bands), and private improvisation. The improvisation is a critical part of my mental health. The ongoing stream of planning and surprising myself on the fly is probably the purest mental flow I experience.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#134

Post by feverfew »

Diederich wrote: post #98
warent wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You listen to white noise? I'm not even able to handle the sound of the oxygen in the atmosphere. I just listen to the ambient energy of a perfect vacuum.

> the ambient energy of a perfect vacuum. I'm not sure what that sounds like.

You can't hear in a vaccum; it doesn't sound like anything at all.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#135

Post by woodlumhoodlum »

atentaten wrote: post #85
woodlumhoodlum wrote: post #72

I have trouble concentrating at work to the point where I barely complete any code. I Can never flow unless I'm working on a project at home. Music can help but the network is often too spotty for songs to load consistently. I'm easily distracted by the internet and conversations with co-workers. I'm not allowed to work overtime, and get 8 hours of sleep - so being tired is not an issue. Am I burnt out? or just extre…

I too sometimes experience this inability to get stuff done at work because of distractions. I realized that there's a lot of anxiety that I'm experiencing when in this mode (probably from knowing that I'm not doing work because of distractions). When this happens, I try to get away from my work area for a few minutes and relax by closing my eyes and breathing slowly. I then feel much better. The key is to remain awa…

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#136

Post by Diederich »

feverfew wrote: post #134
Diederich wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the ambient energy of a perfect vacuum. I'm not sure what that sounds like.

You can't hear in a vaccum; it doesn't sound like anything at all.

That's what I figured, it was just so floridly put that I'd check.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#137

Post by smolder »

specialist wrote: post #131
smolder wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To clarify WHY I think it's very plausible: There is of course a lot of data connecting indoor time and myopia. There is also a muscle which controls the curvature of the lenses in our eyes to adjust focus to different depths. Not using this mechanism in a "normal" way, across its full range and with regularity, stands out as the important factor of the indoor time link, since it's most directly related to focusing.

Like cimmanom, I had long assumed being outdoors exercises one's eyes better. Because I sit at a desk all day long, I try to do those eye exercises, to compensate. (I doubt it helps.) But there were some tidbits in the recent myopia research that suggested light also played a factor. Like maybe exercising pupil dilation is a factor too, which I find plausible. I guess we'll see. Oops, unintentional pun, but I'm gonna…

Interesting tidbit for sure!

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#138

Post by jlarocco »

maxxxxx wrote: post #56
jlarocco wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like a problem with your employer. None of mine have ever had a problem with me taking off early to make up for days I've worked longer hours. Have you talked to them about it?

I have talked about this. From my experience it's very common in tech to let people work longer without compensation in time or money.

I don't know the details of your situation, but if your employer doesn't require 13 hour days, don't do it voluntarily. To say tech companies "let people work longer without compensation" is kind of shirking responsibility for your actions. If they didn't ask you to work all night, but you did anyway, who's fault is that?

Go home and contribute to an open source project or something. Unless you're at a tiny startup and getting tons of equity you're never going to be compensated for it, and it'll still be there tomorrow.

And if they do require 13 hour days, leave. The market for devs is too good right now to tolerate that.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#139

Post by hvidgaard »

beat wrote: post #132
hvidgaard wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the last things I want to do being mentally exhausted, is listen to music. I relax by doing busy work. Water the plants, removing weeds, vacuum, walk/hike, ect. things that require my attention, but not any significant processing.

Playing music is a completely different experience for me than listening to music. I actually listen to recorded music (unless I'm making a recording, which is basically playing) a lot less than most people would think. But I play almost every day. I also have a couple of different playing modes - public performance (usually with bands), and private improvisation. The improvisation is a critical part of my mental hea…

I think that if I played guitar all of my life, it would be relaxing to just sit and jam a bit for myself.

Re: Reversing the effects of long programming sessions

#140

Post by Jarwain »

pulkitsh1234 wrote: post #105

But how do I deal with the fact that I always feel that there are people out there who are a lot better than me and a lot younger. I feel I am already wasting time doing daily chores...I feel the act of 'eating' is complete waste of time. You are doing nothing..just eating.. There is this constant thing in the back of my mind, that I need to improve. I stopped watching movies, stopping playing Dota (had played it 200…

So lets go in a different direction.

If you want to be the best you can, taking care of yourself is of Vital Importance.

- Getting enough sleep is important for memory formation. - Eating healthy, nutritionally diverse keeps your body fueled and your mind sharp. The American diet tends to be deficient in vitamin B7, vitamin D, vitamin E, chromium, iodine and molybdenum [1]. - Regular exercise improves mood, sleep, and memory. [2]

I'm sure you can see how these would be helpful. Taking regular breaks, distracting yourself, is also hugely beneficial in how it can shift the gears in your brain. It also adds creative material for your brain, which helps drawing those loose-but-oh-so-useful associations.

On top of that, reducing stress is a big plus for brain function. Especially in the long term. Go easy on yourself, you don't have to be the best. Heck, what even is "best". Everything's relative. No one is better at being you than yourself. Practice self-compassion. Everything is OK.

If your issue is that you Recognize all of this, you Understand it, but the problem is that the Thoughts still pop up, Remember: You are not your thoughts. Whenever you recognize it occurring, just take a deep breath, Acknowledge the thoughts, label them, and focus on being present. Regular meditation is pretty helpful in this regard.

Or, establish a purpose, a goal to shoot for, either short term or long term, and break it down into tiny pieces. Measure your progress, and relish your data-backed improvement. Measure how well you take care of yourself too, and Prioritize That. If only just because it would benefit your progress on your purpose. Or heck, quantify yourself and figure out how your lifestyle affects your brain's efficiency. [3]

[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905334/ [2]https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes... [3]http://www.quantified-mind.com/

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