5 Free Advices for Devs
Some life lessons are learned from our own mistakes which is fine, but it is much better to learn from other people’s experiences. In the last few months, I’ve become more conscious of self-care and prioritizing the really important things. It was then, when I started visiting my dermatologist and I learned a lot about how to take care of my skin and of course I had to share it on my blog.
Through the consultation of my dermatologist, I learned the most important skin product that you can use is SUNSCREEN, YEAH! Indoor, in front of my laptop. You may ask why?
Let’s figure it out:
So as may be seen in this image, even if you do not go outside you are not safe from the effects of this. I learned from my doctor, and a close friend learned it in the worst way ever. He gets skin cancer. He’s also a developer like us, without previous conditions, not going outside(as many of us) and was unfortunately affected, luckily was detected on time and he got a non-aggressive type of cancer.
So the first big advice I’m going to give you is this:
1. Use Sunscreen
Sunscreen protection should be part of your daily routine, and also be re-applied as the instructions of the fabricant. There are many options and presentations like the classic one (liquid version) and bar version if you get lazy and want to make it faster.
You should re-apply your sunscreen as much as you are exposed to your computer. For example, on a normal day of 8 hour of work from 8 am to 5 pm, the last time you have got to re-apply your sunscreen it’s at 3:00 pm. It’s important to clean your hand before touching your face :)
These are my winning options that are worth the price. You can try it if you want:
2. Move!
Another important habit that should be included in our routine is exercise, I know that can sound cliché but It really makes a difference in your health and even your mood. I strongly recommend having programmed breaks to move your legs and shake it off.
For example I have to program breaks, the first one is at 10:30 am just for 10–15 minutes to relax, move my legs and correct posture.
My second break is 1–2 hour after lunch when most of the time I have a breakdown of energy due to my digestion and I have to move to not fall asleep in my chair. :(
3. Don’t Skip Breakfast
I always remember this phrase “make meetings around meals”, and this is the best advice to maintain balance with our diet. It is very important not to get used to skipping our most important meal of the day, breakfast. When we are working, we expend the energy we need to obtain from food. If you start drinking before giving your body the necessary fuel, it could slowly lead to illnesses such as gastritis or anemia.
It is also important that you try to make a schedule for your meals and keep it up. It is important for your body and for you to be more productive that you eat balance and on time.
4. Set Time for Sleep
I don’t know why sometimes we feel good about not having good habits and we almost celebrate not taking care of ourselves. Sleeping time is really important for our body, we are more productive and we are in a better mood when we rest the correct amount of hours. Now, as young people, we may downplay the importance of taking care of our habits, because we think that we are invincible and we can achieve everything, but remember, we only have one body in life and sooner or later the harm or good that we do will go away. to reflect on our health in the medium or long term.
It is always a good time to acquire better habits and take care of yourself. Programming is great and you can spend hours doing what you are passionate about, but watch out! Don’t become a slave and be balanced. Try to set a limit for screen use during the day and set a bedtime. For example, I try to disconnect no later than 11:00 pm. That allows me to withstand the waves of meetings during the day.
5. Keep learning
Last but not least, we have to improve ourselves every day. To be the best version of ourselves, not to impress or compare ourselves with others. I like to think of programming or any skill as a muscle that you need to exercise to stay in shape. The only way you can do it is by challenging yourself and learning new things.
Some suggestions for this:
- Participate in code challenges, for these purposes you can use pages like Hacker Rank and LeetCode.
- If you like to read you can learn about design patterns, algorithms or good code practices, I really like the Clean code book.
- Create your learning path, it is very important that you approach it to concepts instead of technologies, that is, to learn the fundamentals and of course how to apply them.
Conclusions:
Being a developer most of the time is a demanding career that demands much of us, but It’s important to keep an eye on our health and selfcare. Being a good programmer is excellent but being a healthy and happy person is the best.
Take care of you. :)
Spanish version: 5 tips para developers
