With technology today, we are flooded with information. To help me navigate this flow of information every day, I try to follow these tips:
1 - Get on top of things
I try to compartmentalize my time every day to tackle the tasks that have potential information overload, like reading emails, meetings, actual coding etc….
For more context: I live with a sleep disorder, Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, or DPSD for short. This prevents me to sleep on a «socially-accepted» schedule. 9 to 5 just is just impossible for me.
So the first part of my day is between 12 pm-5 pm, then break, resume for 2/3 hours in the evening, then relax. I sleep at around 3/4 am, sometimes later. So I can split my day in two: the social aspect of my job and the focus aspect.
2 - Categorize my day.
- Read emails and look at my project management software.
- Manage my pull requests, code review, merging, update my repositories to the latest version, etc.
- Upcoming tasks, ask questions, go to meetings, attend standup.
- Coding and documentation.
3 - Alternate between large and small tasks
I try to alternate between large tasks and smaller ones, to give myself a break. Working on a large task can require me to maintain a ton of information in my brain for a few hours, sometimes days.
After a task like this, I want to give my brain a break and not force it to ingest a ton of information again working on a large task again, so I pick up the small task that doesn’t require loading a lot of information in my brain.
4 Take a break
This one is a recurring tip, and will probably show up in a lot of Pixels! I try to take multiple breaks every day if I can.
I go for lunch/coffee outside with co-workers/friends, watch something on Netflix if I don’t feel like moving. But I try not to keep using my brain during my break. My brain needs a «reset» to tackle new information.
You can also find these pixels on my Instagram: https://instagram.com/valentinprgnd. I will publish Pixels every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about career development in tech, code, mental health and health for developers. Follow me for more tips @valentinprngd and check out my podcast https://rebased.whatdafox.com.
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