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I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to s

by tomxor 6y ago

I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a short mental break, that's often when I go to HN. For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. I fully realise how much someone is actually able to practice this has more to do with the organisation they work for appreciating the difference between cognitive and manual work.

rob74 6y ago
That period of time between 5 and 9 the next morning is actually there for the mental break you mentioned before. I'm not advocating a very strict separation between work and free time, but if the line between the two blurs too much (made easier by home office), your work might completely invade your free time, which isn't good either...
- tomxor 6y ago
  > work might completely invade your free time Yes, I agree but also feel it's a natural risk for any cognitive work. But not every day feels very effective forcing work hours for me, it's a hard balance, one I usually ensure stays in check with some outdoor activities that are currently not allowed :/
yoav 6y ago
While off topic I’d echo this for managing coders as well. A lot of the problem set is debugging people and teams. For example “why is x person performing differently” and the debugger are time boxed to 1:1s, sprint cadence meetings, and looking at output, so the thinking between those debugging events is increased because you can’t just brute force it like a sticky code problem. I think the pandemic has worsened this. Pre-pandemic I had a 40 min walk buffer to and from work where I’d naturally start thinking about my own life. Others had dedicated offices at home and other social interactions, or a coworking space. Now most social interactions and validation for many come from work slack or zoom, no commute for everyone, and for those in smaller spaces their living room or kitchen or bedroom is their office so work is always within reach and their is no buffer. There’s also not much else to do. So even if you can pull yourself away from your laptop your thoughts are more often than not focused on solving these kinds of work problems.
kodah 6y ago
Came here to say this. Coding is one part of the job but mostly what I get paid to do is solve problems. I've worked on projects that were more process oriented and produced zero code whatsoever and still had the sort of outcomes good software does. The vast majority of my job, outside of writing efficient and secure code, is learning about other systems and domains. Software Engineers can be employed in anything from financial technology to healthcare to kids toys. You're going to have to step outside of your depth a lot and at least having some shallow platform to stand on is imperative.
- aiisjustanif 6y ago
  I’d love to hear about a project that produced zero code. I can’t even imagine it outside of compliance or regulation maybe.
  - 8note 6y ago
    I think 1/3rd of the problems I solve involve no code changes? Often it's showing people another way to use an existing feature
  - lazyasciiart 6y ago
    Security, integration, exploring a new feature or design that didn't work out, removing old a/b code for completed experiments....
  - kodah 6y ago
    The last one was basically a governance project where we redesigned the processes around enterprise decision making.
ehnto 6y ago
> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doing yourself a diservice. I loved what I did for 10 years, then all of a sudden I didn't. It was like my brain had cottoned on to the fact that software was where all my stress came from and I felt ill even thinking about sitting at a computer. I have rebuilt my relationship with software into a more healthy one since then, but it bares mentioning time again. The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week. Sorry to be so cynical, just be careful is all.
- analognoise 6y ago
  "The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week." THIS.
- BurningFrog 6y ago
  One way to not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5 is to happily not think about work during those hours, just as much as you may think of it while falling asleep.
- sushisource 6y ago
  It's a good point, but, to be fair to parent commenter, they may have meant something different. I think they may be referring to the phenomenon of walking away and having the solution "come to you" while doing something else. It took me a while to appreciate this, but simply walking away is often the fastest way for me to solve a hard problem. There I am, lying in bed, or cooking, or whatever, and BOOM the solution is presented to me - just like the divine inspiration described by so many. Of course, now we (hopefully) know that it's probably less a matter of intervention and more a matter of brain chemistry, but true regardless.
kelnos 6y ago
> our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5 I used to believe and practice that, but that's what led to a lot of life dissatisfaction and burnout and near-burnout. Sure, not saying I never think about my work outside work hours, but these days I start work in the morning, stop in the evening, and in general don't worry about it until the next morning. That tends to make the hours I am working much more productive, and avoids huge variance in productivity as I swing toward and away from burnout periodically. And I say this as someone who loves programming, and did it as a hobby before I did it professionally. For a good 8 years I didn't want to touch a code editor outside of my job; I just had no creativity and desire left for my own projects after being always-on work-wise for so long. Now that I've enforced more separation between my professional and personal lives, I'm able to do it as a hobby again sometimes without being burned out on it after work is done.

by tomxor 6y ago

rob74 6y ago

That period of time between 5 and 9 the next morning is actually there for the mental break you mentioned before. I'm not advocating a very strict separation between work and free time, but if the line between the two blurs too much (made easier by home office), your work might completely invade your free time, which isn't good either...

tomxor 6y ago
> work might completely invade your free time Yes, I agree but also feel it's a natural risk for any cognitive work. But not every day feels very effective forcing work hours for me, it's a hard balance, one I usually ensure stays in check with some outdoor activities that are currently not allowed :/

yoav 6y ago

While off topic I’d echo this for managing coders as well. A lot of the problem set is debugging people and teams. For example “why is x person performing differently” and the debugger are time boxed to 1:1s, sprint cadence meetings, and looking at output, so the thinking between those debugging events is increased because you can’t just brute force it like a sticky code problem. I think the pandemic has worsened this. Pre-pandemic I had a 40 min walk buffer to and from work where I’d naturally start thinking about my own life. Others had dedicated offices at home and other social interactions, or a coworking space. Now most social interactions and validation for many come from work slack or zoom, no commute for everyone, and for those in smaller spaces their living room or kitchen or bedroom is their office so work is always within reach and their is no buffer. There’s also not much else to do. So even if you can pull yourself away from your laptop your thoughts are more often than not focused on solving these kinds of work problems.

kodah 6y ago

Came here to say this. Coding is one part of the job but mostly what I get paid to do is solve problems. I've worked on projects that were more process oriented and produced zero code whatsoever and still had the sort of outcomes good software does. The vast majority of my job, outside of writing efficient and secure code, is learning about other systems and domains. Software Engineers can be employed in anything from financial technology to healthcare to kids toys. You're going to have to step outside of your depth a lot and at least having some shallow platform to stand on is imperative.

aiisjustanif 6y ago
I’d love to hear about a project that produced zero code. I can’t even imagine it outside of compliance or regulation maybe.
- 8note 6y ago
  I think 1/3rd of the problems I solve involve no code changes? Often it's showing people another way to use an existing feature
- lazyasciiart 6y ago
  Security, integration, exploring a new feature or design that didn't work out, removing old a/b code for completed experiments....
- kodah 6y ago
  The last one was basically a governance project where we redesigned the processes around enterprise decision making.

ehnto 6y ago

> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doing yourself a diservice. I loved what I did for 10 years, then all of a sudden I didn't. It was like my brain had cottoned on to the fact that software was where all my stress came from and I felt ill even thinking about sitting at a computer. I have rebuilt my relationship with software into a more healthy one since then, but it bares mentioning time again. The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week. Sorry to be so cynical, just be careful is all.

analognoise 6y ago
"The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week." THIS.
BurningFrog 6y ago
One way to not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5 is to happily not think about work during those hours, just as much as you may think of it while falling asleep.
sushisource 6y ago
It's a good point, but, to be fair to parent commenter, they may have meant something different. I think they may be referring to the phenomenon of walking away and having the solution "come to you" while doing something else. It took me a while to appreciate this, but simply walking away is often the fastest way for me to solve a hard problem. There I am, lying in bed, or cooking, or whatever, and BOOM the solution is presented to me - just like the divine inspiration described by so many. Of course, now we (hopefully) know that it's probably less a matter of intervention and more a matter of brain chemistry, but true regardless.

kelnos 6y ago

> our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5 I used to believe and practice that, but that's what led to a lot of life dissatisfaction and burnout and near-burnout. Sure, not saying I never think about my work outside work hours, but these days I start work in the morning, stop in the evening, and in general don't worry about it until the next morning. That tends to make the hours I am working much more productive, and avoids huge variance in productivity as I swing toward and away from burnout periodically. And I say this as someone who loves programming, and did it as a hobby before I did it professionally. For a good 8 years I didn't want to touch a code editor outside of my job; I just had no creativity and desire left for my own projects after being always-on work-wise for so long. Now that I've enforced more separation between my professional and personal lives, I'm able to do it as a hobby again sometimes without being burned out on it after work is done.