Carolina Beach

All Work and no Play

makes for a dull developer

It has been a very busy time for me lately. Lately, more like a year or two. Busy for both my professional life and personal life. I have not had time for any of my hobbies that I enjoy; this blog, photography, or even writing code just for the fun of it.

All of this has made me realize how easy it is to become burnt out or overloaded even on the things we once enjoyed. I never really experienced that feeling before, you know, the last thing you want to do is related to computers or development. Sure, I’ve gotten tired of it once in a while over the past 20 years but not like I was recently.

I felt like I had to force myself to do things in my off time that was not already taken up by family or friends. I didn’t like that feeling. I honestly didn’t know how to break that cycle.

Flowers

Thanks to my wife I learned how to do it. Take a relaxing vacation or two. Leave work and learning behind. You become focused on enjoying the moments without any stress or worries. Especially if you can do it by not havi g to drive once you reach your destination.

I have new respect for that old saying about all work and no play. If you too find yourself in this kind of rut and you are not ready to get out of the development game, step away from it all for a while.

We did a weekend vacation to the mountains then a week later we did a week at a beach. The less crowded and lack of stimulus the better.

Think of it as rebooting yourself. Heck, that always works for computers.

Sunrise on the Beach