How working out has influenced me as a developer

This article was originally published on my personal website.

In my journey into being a software engineer, nothing had plagued me more than impostor syndrome. Especially at the beginning of my journey and even now, to a certain extent. Thankfully, I am managing to fix that. Some of the techniques I use are highlighted here in a write up I did earlier on in the year.

Of all those, working out has been among the most influential to my life. Starting out, I initially thought that it would all be about pumping the iron and then leave the gym. However, as time passed, I started noticing that working out began changing the way I approach issues and my thinking.

This article by Ilona codes also highlights some great tips on this topic.

How to Stay Fit Physically and Mentally and Keep Coding

Ilona Codes ・ May 26 '19 ・ 4 min read

#productivity #career #discuss #psychology

1.Building consistency

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson

Nothing is as difficult as getting up and going to do a run or workout especially in the morning. However, with consistent hard work, you find that even on the rough days, most times your body will just push you to do some bit of workout.

This rings true to my development psyche as well. The only way to be better at programming and any skill , is through consistent practice. With time, just as in physical workout, everything starts to become muscle memory. Problems that were initially a huge task to solve become simply, trivial and you start solving them without flinching.

2. Identifying my goals

I had a conversation with one of my friends where we were talking about the work out process. He then congratulated me on my consistency but then posed this question,

"What do you want to achieve by doing all this workout?"

That got me evaluating my goals as previously, I had no clear structure to my workout routine. It's then that I decided to make a clear plan on the areas of my physique I especially wanted to work on. It then became so much easier for me whenever I hit the gym as I already Knew what my goals were and therefore avoided wasting time thinking about what I'd do for the day.

As a young developer, this lesson is handy. Especially when confronted with so many choices on what areas of tech to specialize in. Needless to say, I've realized the importance of working with a goal in mind. Then working progressively to achieve that goal.

3. Reduced burnout.

Burnout in the tech industry is nothing new. Countless articles have been written on the subject. I for one, I'm not immune to this scourge.
I would sometimes work myself out for hours just trying to achieve certain features of a project I was interested in completing.
However, great results are not achieved in a day as my gym instructor keeps saying. You have to put in small efforts everyday, and eventually, something great will come off it.
With this in mind, I am learning to structure my work into small achievable goals. Honestly, it's very rewarding whenever I end up completing a task in time.

4. Building team work

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." – Henry Ford

I realized that the community of wellness built around the gym not only inspired me to push myself further, But also helped tremendously whenever others were low on spirit. Additionally, people were generally willing to help out new members to help them achieve success. Together, people are willing to bring out the champions in each and everyone of us.

Starting out, I had this notion that asking for help whenever I encountered a problem coding was a sign of weakness or that others would think I wasn't smart enough.
The truth is, nothing could be further from the truth.
There's nothing wrong in asking for help. I've found that often times it saves a great amount on an issue that another could easily solve. Online communities and attending tech meetups are definitely a good chance to meet others in the tech field and expand not only your network, but your knowledge pool.

5. Good to have hobbies outside code.

As a programmer, it's easy to get lost in your own world coding all the time.
Heck, most of your friends may also be programmers. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it's good to be an all round person. Going out and meeting different people with diverse backgrounds helps in gaining fresh perspective on certain issues.

what's one hobby you feel has had a great impact on your life?
Drop your answer in the comment section below.

As always thanks.