Taking a break from coding or designing websites can be the best thing that you can do for yourself. You do not want to feel overwhelmed and stressed. This is something a lot of people struggle with, knowing when to take that official break. I’m not talking about standing up and walking around type of break. I’m talking about a long break for a great period of time. A 3 day break or a 1 day break or a week break. Just take a moment and not code for a day.
Struggling on a problem for long periods of time can be stressful. That problem will get solved and you will finish that project that has been taking up most of your time and headspace. It becomes the only thing you worry about and it becomes too much at one time. So taking time away is best after a long or stressful project.
Find a hobby or an activity to do so that you are not overworking yourself. Most people have something that they would consider fun, less stressful and low effort for them. Activities that do not make you sigh or pull your hair out.
Go to a game, bar, party, park or a mini vacation. Read, play video, card, or board games. Knit a sweater. Whatever you can do, just get away from your coding space or office, mentally and physically.
Hobbies
There are a lot of things that I do outside of coding that I enjoy and consider these activities to be a low effort on my part to do. I tend to do all of the fun activities in the morning and code during the midday to late afternoon.
Reading
For example, I love to read. I read every day. Anytime I put up my phone, I tend to open the Kindle app and read for 10 minutes. Sometimes, I just read on for really long time. It is almost like binge watching your favorite show. It takes me a while to read most books because I read slowly.
Video Games
I enjoy video games. My favorite game of all time is Grand Theft Auto. This game is a great stress reliever. Commit any crime, run from the cops, lose your stars, and start over. It’s just something about running people over in your (stolen) car and blowing stuff up.
But lately, I have gotten into Minecraft. I paid for this game and I was going to get my money’s worth. I can play this game for a good 2 hours before stopping. I don’t play survival mode. I have never beaten the Ender Dragon. I have never been to the End. I hate spiders and can’t stand to look at them. So I have a creative world, where I build and explore the world.
YouTube
YouTube is the new TV. I don’t watch cable TV. There are some quality YouTube channels out there that make cable seem like a waste of money. I mainly watch gaming channels. There are even GTA skits. I spend at least 4 hours a day on YouTube. Not everything I watch is for entertainment. There are channels that have the sole purpose of learning and information gathering.
Drawing
I love drawing. I wish I did more of it. But I don’t. This is starting to change. By buying a new laptop, I can finally use the Bamboo Create and Pen Tablet that I brought over 5 years ago. I found an application to draw in and I am getting into digital art.
What can I do to not be overwhelmed with everything?
Don’t go rushing into the next one.
For those developers and designers that do side projects, put in some time between projects. Maybe a day or two. Finish a project on Friday and have the weekend to yourself. On Monday, start planning out the next one in detail. Just refresh your mind.
Even with projects that take over 3 months to complete, maybe take the weekends off. Only code during the weekdays. Those breaks from being inside of your head can be good.
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