Balancing Code and Life: Lessons from 'Life Changes Everything'
Posted on February 17, 2024 • 4 minutes • 802 words • Other languages: Español
Another activity of self-introspection.
Kick off: Movie “Life Changes Everything (2017)”
This activity started as a task from dear coach Frank (such a nice guy). On one of his coaching sessions we watched Life Changes Everything (2017) , a very forgettable movie if I have to be honest. It reminds me a lot to those low budget movies you’d watch on a long trip cause it was free on the on-demand plane tv thingy.
Long story short, the movie is a drama focusing on the life of 19-year-old Madeline Ryan, who finds herself confused and about 12 weeks pregnant. Facing this unexpected pregnancy, Madeline is hesitant about what to do next, while her boyfriend is determined to resolve the situation.
After the watch-along, we were told to write something about the movie. So, here it is.
Workaholism 101
In the movie, the main character’s boyfriend is focused on his career and future aspirations to the point of neglecting his personal life.
In the fast-paced realm of web development, technologies evolve at lightning speed. As proof of this statement, Luca Müller created days since last js framework , a website that counts how many days had passed since a new javascript framework released. Now we are in a point where it is humanly impossible to know every tool that make the internet work. Lucky me I’m a Java developer, I can go to sleep a little bit better at night knowing that I only have to worry about chatGPT replacing me (jk, won’t happen yet).
All this created a deep sense that one must constantly stay ahead of the latest trends or risk obsolescence. This pace sets a backdrop where the fear of falling behind becomes a powerful motivator, driving developers to immerse themselves deeply in their work, often at the expense of personal time and relationships.
The competitive nature of the job market only amplifies this pressure. Let’s look at this fresh example:
- The job is in Lisbon, a mid to big city, with half a million population.
- It was posted only 4 days ago.
- The role of “Jr. Java Developer” is a common backend job. There are 48 matches with that description in the last week.
- Already 38 postulants applied.
For many developers, standing out in a sea of talented individuals feels like a daily battle for relevance. The desire to shine, to be that bright fish in a vast ocean, pushes many to adopt a workaholic lifestyle, where every extra hour of coding, every additional project, feels like a necessary step on the path to professional recognition and security.
This environment, while fertile ground for innovation and skill development, can also lead to a life where work overshadows everything else. The drive to keep up and stand out can lead to long hours spent in front of a screen, with the mind constantly engaged in solving the next problem, even when the workday ends. Just today, while waiting for the water to boil, with around 3 hours left to start my workday, a solution to a problem I had yesterday at work came through my head. Inspiration appears when you least expect it.
This blurring of lines between professional dedication and personal life can make it challenging to maintain meaningful connections outside of work and to remember that there’s a world beyond the code.
It’s a marathon, not a race. Take the break
While looking for inspiration for this blog, came across this reddit post . One of the comments said:
It’s a marathon, not a race. Take the break.
Even though the pressure of staying relevant and competitive in web development is crucial, it’s equally important to recognize the value of balance.
I’m not an expert in “balance”, I’m actually guilty of everything stated here before. But anyways, here are some things you could do to achieve that sweet spot of coping with a motivating and fulfilling career, while preventing overshadowing other life aspects.
- Set shorts realistic goals: We developers have plenty of abandoned personal projects because they don’t have a clear definition of done. Having realistic goals help to get that feeling of realization.
- Define strict working hours and stick to them: Worktime for me is 2pm to 11pm. Before 2pm PC is off. As soon as clock hits 11pm, PC is off. At 11.05 I’m at bed scrolling through Tik Tok.
- Incorporate mindfulness practices such as meditation: I don’t do this, but my current employer DEVSU has this “active break” 10 minutes spaces where attendees engage into these practices.
- Have interests outside work: Don’t make programming your whole personality.
I may be talking for myself here, but we developers enjoy programming, even if it is a job. That fact very easily blurs the line between work and workaholism. When it happens, get out and touch some grass.
