Programming Intermissions

I hope this is an okay topic even though it's purely meta, but what do you do for breaks when programming? I've been learning a bit on my own but I'm at a bit of a loss what to do when taking breaks. Games feel like they share some of the same mental resources as programming (at least for me), and I can't focus on movies after already using up the focus for learning. Reading is out of the question as well. I've tried practicing a bit of juggling, and that works pretty well, but it'd get a bit boring to do that every break. Any tips or ideas on what to do to in between sessions of focus and learning that don't drain the same mental resources?

>>13571 I smoke cigs for breaks and it works great. I've asked myself the same question actually, no clue what I would do if I didn't have cigarettes for breaks. Not only in programming, in general aswell.

Taking a run or doing some qigong gets the blood blowing and irons out the kinks. Cold showers are probably a bit too hardcore for most people, but it sharpens me up.

Cooking a meal is always a nice way to focus on something else for a little. Light exercise for a couple minutes is pretty refreshing if you've been sitting down all day and helps to get me motivated.

>>13571 I mostly smoke and read dissertation of CS PhD just to see if it can be applied already.

>>13573 this. Im at uni and I really dont know what to do during break if I cant smoke/get coffee

Do literally nothing. You'll recharge much faster that way. I lean back in my chair or lay on the floor and stare out the window. I like to watch the clouds, or the trees blowing in the wind.

>>13600 clouds are so pretty ~

>>13571 I just "Mow the lawn". In every sense of the phrase. Sometimes I "die" too.

>>13571 Taking walks, ideally in wooden areas. Turns out there is some not yet wholly understood mechanism which causes the brain to be more rested after taking a walk in nature and in the woods in particular. Sadly I do not know the excat source anymore, it might have been in the book "deep work" or "the art of learning" Alternatively: Exercise. Particularly weightlifting gets you the longest benefits for the shortest excercise time (something like 48h of measurably increased metabolism for 15 minutes of lifting.) To avoid killing yourself while squatting your own bodyweight while wearing sandals please practice good posture and start easy first. (just the bar if you are the typical computer geek)

This is not meta. Meta would be conversing about our conversations. I usually sleep or listen to music though.

>>13591 For years I've been in uni I never understood the whole thing of smoking. Must be some ritual of killing time.

>>13571 Do nothing. meditate (actively doing nothing) Move!!! Even just a light walk around the block, yard, whatever. Qigong / Taichi / Yoga are great. Drink a big glass of water. Draw or something else creative. hackey sack / juggling / any other body related exercise. Leave your phone behind during these breaks, remove yourself from florescent lighting and screens. Having lots of options, and getting away from the screen makes the day go by much faster and you don't feel so drained physically and mentally when your done.

for a short break, i usually just get a lolly. for a longer one, i watch an episode of k-drama... anything longer asks for putting my work away for a while and be with SO. they deserve it and it gets you thinking about something else - making you fresh the next time you sit down to solve your problem

>games dont strain your wrists every minute you're awake >>13645 this is the correct answer. or any kind of physical activity or just walking around. eyes need breaks too

My programming is too sparse for this. That is, it's almost all intermissions. Much of my errant thought is dedicated to creative work, be it mulling over design, how to best implement one, or in more vague thoughts which may lead to something, amongst others. I can relax by doing other creative work, like writing, or by doing something less exhausting, such as reading. It's also good to take time to clean or exercise. Still, the actual time I spend programming is usually bursts of activity that last several hours. I can go days or weeks without doing any of it, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it constantly. If I get exhausted during a session and can't continue, what I usually do is sleep at that point, because it's usually in the dead of night anyway. Otherwise, I could get up and do something physical that doesn't require me to think, like give my pets some attention.

>>13577 This, if you want to tend to your physical health. Otherwise, if you're looking for something mentally enriching but not particularly taxing, watching tutorial-style youtube videos is a good way expose yourself to the jargon and high level techniques of some new skillset you want to pick up. This will help you get over the initial learning curve because you'll already know e.g. what various tools are called, how they're used, where to find more information, etc. It's slower than a more active approach but since you'd be doing it during your down time it's ultimately more efficient. (Btw, I elaborated on this idea more in the multitasking thread a few months ago.)

>>17626 >I can go days or weeks without doing any of it You may want to find more ways to work programming into your day-to-day life. I used to be like this because whenever I programmed it was for some extensive "project" i set for myself. However, these days I'm constantly writing little python/shell scripts or even single-file C programs to solve simple problems or inconveniences. The consistent practice has really helped me as a programmer because it's easier to experiment with unfamiliar design patterns for some one-off script rather than committing to it for a larger project. Also, it has made me much more familiar with various POSIX tools and APIs because I'm using them frequently instead of writing the interface once and forgetting about it like I would if I only worked on large, infrequent projects.

Do you guys do anything while programming? I used to watch videos, but I think it makes me unproductive and reliant on the stimulus. Now I mainly have music (ambient/electronic) but still feel I could be more productive without it. Anyone had this issue?

>>17631 I used to watch asmr but it became something I did by default

>>17631 I'll listen to music but more often then not I end up pausing it or ignoring it, often realizing I had it off when I pause to go do something else or think about a problem.

>>17629 >You may want to find more ways to work programming into your day-to-day life. I should've written could there. I'm much better about programming every few days now. >However, these days I'm constantly writing little python/shell scripts or even single-file C programs to solve simple problems or inconveniences. My activity does go up if I count writing little challenges, but I generally mean hours-long programming sessions where I do some substantial work. As I write more, it of course becomes more about minor changes and maintenance, but I can't write that's not at least a little unsatisfying in comparison. It's easiest to get into flow when rewriting though, I've noticed, at least in my experience. >The consistent practice has really helped me as a programmer because it's easier to experiment with unfamiliar design patterns for some one-off script rather than committing to it for a larger project. Oh, now I'll constantly be thinking about programming, sure, and I've noticed little tricks and design improvements while driving, bathing, and everything else. >Also, it has made me much more familiar with various POSIX tools and APIs because I'm using them frequently instead of writing the interface once and forgetting about it like I would if I only worked on large, infrequent projects. I've a fairly sturdy memory, so I don't really have this issue, either, and I read about infrastructure and whatnot quite a bit anyway. >>17631 >Do you guys do anything while programming? I usually close myself off to the outside world by listening to music, and I'd figure it's usually better if it lacks lyrics, but the lyrics eventually become background noise with everything else, so lyrics don't interfere with me as much as one would perhaps think. If I could get absolute silence, I'd like to try it, but it's better to control the noise if you can't get silence.

>>13571 Kick boxing, motorcycling, reading mathematical statistics papers and miniature painting. For your case, I would take kick boxing, you need to civilize the mind and make savage the body. Also there is a soykaf ton to learn in combat sports, about yourself and humanity.

>>13645 I do exactly that + reading books

>>17679 I'm doing much better now. I placed myself into a routine where I try to program every day, even if it's just for a few minutes, and it's been great for my productivity. The minimum programming occasionally begets sessions lasting several hours, where I make excellent progress. I still sometimes go a few days without, especially after particularly long sessions, but there are no long droughts now. Just try to start a proper routine. It took me a long while to get to this point, but it's nice to have reached it.

I go for a run every morning to empty my head before starting to program, it really doesn't matter what you do during your break as long as you're not focused on technology. You could take a walk, read a book, play with your cat, you name it.