What if the programmer is tired?

It is not uncommon for programmers to lose their enthusiasm for work when programming because of burnout.

Many articles can be evidence of this, proving that this is already a common phenomenon in the IT industry. Because I already have experience in dealing with burnout, I want to explore this problem more deeply and help you solve and even prevent it.

Causes of burnout

Programmers are more likely to generate job burnout than professionals in other fields. I don't have a definite answer as to why this happens, but I think there are four main reasons.

The first is a physiological cause. Sitting at your desk every day, facing the computer, is unhealthy and can make people more listless and sleepy. Drowsiness can also lead to other unhealthy lifestyle habits such as snacking, smoking, staying up late. Then eventually lead to knot in the heart, creating a sense of burnout.
The second reason is that programming is a highly intensive and stressful job that can lead to mental fatigue and injury.
Thirdly, it is possible that you are now exhausted because the work you are doing is draining your strength and reaping little. The only solution to this is to leave for a while and reflect on what kind of work you want to do without taking into account the factors of money.
The fourth reason is not what I came up with, which I found in the Hacker News comment section. One person accurately describes, "job burnout is caused by repeated sacrifices, or efforts to complete high-risk problems ended in failure." This is the result of a negative predicted drop in the nucleus accumbens (nucleus accumbens). Your brain needs to deal with failure rationally. That's a really good one. In the process of creating software, almost no day is not in various failures and setbacks.
I have experienced several job burnout myself. Although I did not give up programming at one time, I occasionally doubted whether my chosen profession was correct. So, from then on, I began to focus on the strategy of working to maintain long-term motivation and productivity. I'll cover some of my development habits in this article, as well as some technical means to prevent or even eliminate burnout.

Start with the basics first.

Eat well. Don't think it's all right to be a vegetarian. Try to gradually replace soda with boiled water, low-sugar diet, eat more vegetables, do not eat too full. And the most important thing is to keep going.
Sleep well. This includes good sleep quality and plenty of sleep time. A better sleep environment will allow us to wake up and feel refreshed. One of the techniques is to reduce the blue light that keeps people awake at night. This allows you to adjust the color of your computer display by installing flux.
Don't overdo it. There is already a lot of evidence that productivity, or output, is drastically reduced after 4 hours of concentrated work. It is impossible for a highly cognitive-intensive profession such as programmers to remain efficient for a long time.
Tomato working method. This is a simple and effective way to maintain productivity and get some necessary rest for the programmer. Tomato work method, that is, concentrate on working for 25 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes, then cycle. If you have a specific goal at every working time, the effect will be better. Ideally, you should do some activity away from the computer during the break. such as walking, push-ups and so on. Of course you can also after three times tomato work law, rest for 30 minutes, the effect is also very good.
Stay active and keep moving. What I was going to say is--sports, but a lot of people have a misconception that sports must include going to the gym, or something else. But in reality, staying active can also be done by climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or by parking the car in a corner, and choosing to go to work by bike, in short, other ways to exercise in the daily life are easier to achieve, rather than let people indulge in front of the computer all day.
More specific points

Experiment, play, learn, prototype. These things can help you in the short term and quickly output. For example, continue to build websites in the same way that you do. However, as time goes by, it becomes tedious and makes people less interested. Programming is part of the project and requires the use of fully validated technology for production software. But it also lets you play, experiment, and try new ideas. Spending 20% of your time on technology is one of the most effective strategies to avoid job burnout. The so-called kill technology can be a new library to try, or to create something interesting but not related to the work, or to learn some of the things you have not previously covered, such as functional programming.
Attend parties, meetings and podcasts. Programming can make people feel lonely. Meeting with other developers, or listening to their experiences on podcasts, will give you more attention and focus on your work. No one likes to complain, but sharing or listening to the struggles of other programmers and how they overcome them can motivate you to move on.
Create a good working environment and never skimp on tools. A PC that can be compiled quickly, so you don't have to waste your time on unnecessary waiting. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, desk and monitor as well as settings. If you're working in a noisy environment, buy a high-quality headset that separates the noise.
Master the tools. Good tools make programming more enjoyable, and mastering these tools can make your work more efficient. This is a well-known point, but I would like to repeat it all over again. Understanding the tools, such as the editor, the operating system, and all the shortcuts on the command line, can save you a lot of time. Automating daily tasks can speed up the process and further away from burnout.
Rest and dabble in other aspects. In addition to programming, there are many interesting activities. For example: sports, cultural activities, sex, reading, Lego bricks, social activities, fishing, baking, photography, etc. If you always do one thing, such as programming, then one day you will inevitably be exhausted. So, do something that seems irrelevant but can actually rekindle your passion, and that might inspire new ideas and ideas like the legendary Nobel laureate Richard Feynman Learning board.
Consider changing jobs or starting a different project. Job burnout can also be because you're always doing boring and exhausting work, such as fine-tuning your existing code base all day. It is also possible that the project you are working on now is not in line with your interests, or your value criteria. In addition, if you find that coding no longer inspires your passion, you can also consider relevant areas, such as information architecture, System management, and so on, may ignite your passion again.
Integrate the work that you can accomplish smoothly into your daily tasks. These include testing code, writing notes, improving variable naming, and so on, all of which can release endorphins and help restore work behavior. This technique is intended to make our brains more active in the work we do.

Conclusion

There is no cure for burnout in the world, and everyone's situation is different elixir. So hopefully the tips I've listed above can be useful for you.

Admittedly, we need time to develop new habits. But eating well, sleeping well, exercising and taking good care of yourself can make you feel better and help you do better when you're done, and keep a love of programming.

So, come on. Do not force yourself to work 10 hours/day, 6 days/week of workload. It is scientifically proven that after a certain amount of concentrated work hours, attention will drop sharply. Therefore, work hours focus on the efficient use of tomato work, after work is completely abandoned after the brain. Learn to say no, other than programming, do something you like. This is the really important point, come on, Sao year!

Link: http://www.codeceo.com/article/programmer-tied.html
English original: Preventing Burnout for programmers
Translation Code Agricultural Network-Xiao Feng

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What if the programmer is tired?