Becoming a Better Developer
Since becoming a parent, I’ve become a better developer. This sounds like a ridicoulous statement for a couple of reasons;
- Less sleep.
- Worse sleep.
- More responsibilities outside of work.
- More interruptions during the work day.
- No free time!
Lets try and break these claims down a bit!
Obviously the sleeping parts are not doing me any favors, I’m sneaking in naps whenever my kid is sleeping and I got time for it! If you’re expecting your first, nap as much as you can because you’ll miss it!
I think responsibilities helps you grow as a person, and there are a lot of responsibilites that comes with having a child. You have to plan stuff in advance and I used to be a person who left it to last minute to pack or to make dinner because I could spend the time on more interesting things. That is not really an option anymore…
The interruptions are not such a bad idea in my opinion because I cycle to drop off my kiddo at preschool, and this ride is enough to clear my head of and try to tackle the issue with another approach. Some books that I’ve read claim that going for walks is one of the best ways to achieve a clear mind, and I’m going to attribute the same value to a bike ride! The nice breeze and just see the world go by, preferrably while cycling through a large park.
No free time. Less time -> less messing around -> work gets done! ✔ In other words, if I’m doing something then I’m doing it with greater purpose instead of just casually working on it..
Another character trait I’ve noticed growing in myself is that instead of diving directly into editing code, I now take some more time to try and analyze the surroundings of the issue or feature that is being worked on. Slow and steady, measure twice cut once I guess.
I think that the whole working from home situation also is allowing me to focus more when I’m actually in front of the computer. People seem less reluctant to write a message on Slack then to rock up to your desk during the day, so I think that’s one of the very few positive aspects of 2020-2021.
I think there are some takeaways from this post and those are the following;
- Give yourself time to sleep.
- Be focused on what you’re doing.
- Go for one or two walks, or bike rides 🚴♂️, a day.
