Wellness Guide for Programmers

No matter either if you are a student or you work for some big organization, at some point you must've felt some sort of distress during this global pandemic. This distress can lead to immense productivity loss & high-stress levels. In this guide, one by one, we will see some easy to implement habits which can help you get more mindful, productive & comfortable in your workspace.

"Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall.” – Vironika Tugaleva

1. Staying hydrated

Our bodies are made up of 70% of water and it needs a constant supply of it for optimal functioning of the body. A lot of times it may happen that in the middle of some project, due to excitement or exhaustion you may not care to walk to the kitchen & get your drink of water. Also, you may not feel thirsty all the time but still, it's a no reason to not drink water. Ideally, you should drink at least 3-4 litres of water every day.

Tip:

• Always keep a water bottle near your desk.
• Drink water regularly, even if you don't feel thirsty.

Benefits:
This can greatly help in

• keeping your body hydrated
• your head clear &
• maintaining focus

2. Maintain your posture

Although this may sound a bit childish or overrated, keeping your posture right can help your body in literally so many ways. There is an entire branch of science which deals with the study of human posture. It is called ergonomics. Just by this reference, you may now be having some idea about how important posture is, no matter at the workplace or your relaxation zone.

Tip:

• The simplest way you can do this is by sitting straight on your work desk.
• Try to work in a standing position instead of sitting.
• If possible, invest in an ergonomic desk or workspace.

Benefits:
Benefits of this habit are endless which primarily includes -

• better blood circulation
• increase in productivity
• improved attention

3. Control your caffeine

Just like many others, I simply love coffee & cannot imagine starting my day without it. Coffee is something which is probably the most popular drink among programmers all around the world. Some caffeine lovers prefer either tea or energy drinks as a caffeine substitute, depending on their personal choice. However, all three of them contains huge amounts of caffeine which gives it the magic boost, we love it for. Although taking a few sips of coffee can be quite helpful in an urgent project, sometimes it can also create some equally disturbing & serious problems when over consumed or misused. Caffeine can easily mess up with your sleep cycle & hormonal balance leading to its addiction, sleep issues, burnouts, etc

Tip:

• Maintain a coffee intake chart. (This is a fun but effective way to keep a record of your caffeine consumption.)
• Make sure you don't exceed the limit of 1 - 2 cups a day.

Benefits:

• Better sleep
• Improved concentration

4. Take frequent breaks

As a programmer, you should understand the importance of taking breaks. It's very difficult to concentrate on one thing for longer durations of time. By taking breaks, you can help your mind be free & relax. This will have a great impact on your work. Imagine how difficult it could get to find bugs and errors in a burned-out & exhausted state. Ideally, you should take short breaks every 30 minutes & long breaks every 2 hours.

Tip:

• Try the Pomodoro technique.
• Avoid multi-tasking.
• Follow the 80/20 principle.

Benefits:

• Improved focus
• Better productivity

5. Form better sleep habits

Nowadays, it is very difficult to maintain a proper sleep schedule due to the enormous distractions we are regularly surrounded by. Also, many times, because of work stress we lose the track of time & forget to sleep. These regular all-nighters may sound cool in today's busy world but they have a very negative & undesired effect on your body in the long run. If you don't help yourself, adjusting your sleep schedule, you'll end up being sick due to your ruined sleep cycle. However it can be very helpful to sleep well, as when we sleep, our body prepares our body & mind for the coming day. The better prepared we will be, the better we can perform & the more we can achieve.

Tip:

• Keep a track of your sleep.
• Make sure that you get enough sleep ideally of 7-8 hours every day.
• Keep your sleep schedule same i.e. you wake up & go to sleep at the same time every day.

Benefits:

• stress reduction
• improves immunity
• better body functioning

Well, hey if came this far through reading my article, I am so thankful of you! I hope that this post will help you in becoming an excellent programmer! As usual, I'll keep this post updated as I discover more amazing stuff about it. I also wanna thanks to all of you for such a great response on my Blockchain Explained post. If you are new here, a follow will be massively appreciated. Thank you so much :D