You probably want to as much done as possible. After all, you want to be the best you can.
You want to write the cleanest, meanest code you possible could.
You want to learn as much as humanly possible. You just want to code, dammit!
You want to work a lot, I get it, but you have to know when to not do it too.
Sometimes you gotta stop
Sometimes you just need to stop working and do something else.
If you don’t, it will come back and bite you hard in the ass!
If you get burnt out, or injured, it won’t help that you powered through the pain, because you’ll be out of the game for an even longer time.
It’s just not effective use of your time. And nobody wants that. In fact, it’s a lot like peeing in your pants. Warm for a second, cold for a lot longer.
But YOU have to figure out when that time to stop is.
Only you can truly know, because it will differ from person to person.
There are however a few important things to consider that are pretty universal.
It all boils down to listening to your body and your mind. They will let you know:
You’re hurting physically
Your body is telling you to take a break!
Your arms ache. Your back is killing you. It’s starting to feel like you might be getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Whatever it is, you know what I am talking about.
Your body begs you to stop hurting it with repetitive actions or static positions.
There are of course things you could (and should!) do to minimize these problems ahead of time:
- Get regular Exercise
- Use an ergonomic keyboard and mice
- Have a good chair
- Sit correctly
- Vary your sitting positions a lot (or even stand)
- Take small breaks
- Stretch
All of the above things are normal advice I assume you already know.
And they can prolong the time before you have to stop working…
But. Even if you’re doing all that, it might come a time when things gets physically painful.
Our body wasn’t really built for sitting in front of the computer, and you just have to acknowledge that.
The main thing is, don’t let it get worse. Stop it as soon as possible.
Fixing it early is much, much cheaper than fixing it later (sound a bit like Software Development?)
You’re absolutely exhausted mentally
Your mind is telling you to take a break!
If it feels like your brain is not working properly, it’s because it probably isn’t. So why are you wasting your time working? Stop banging that flashlight and just recharge the batteries!
If you’re not focused on your task, you shouldn’t do it. Just stop. Take a break until you’re fit to focus again.
It’s not much point to grinding your way through coding when you mind isn’t working. You will just need to write that code again later. You will make so many stupid mistakes.
You might even be able to get away with a small break. Get up and walk around a bit and distance yourself. It might just be a small hump: How to get over a hump
If that doesn’t do the trick, you should just take a longer proper break.
Or just go home for the day. You’re done…
You’re sick
Your body is telling you to take a break!
If you’re sick, you need to get well. Don’t FORCE yourself to code or whatever.
Wait until you’re well.
You can of course work a bit when you have a little cold, but don’t make yourself worse.
If you push yourself when sick, you’re not going to get better faster. And don’t pretend like you’re that efficient when you’re sick…
Closing words…
You shouldn’t work when your body or mind is exhausted and tired.
It’s natures nice way to tell you to slow down.
You don’t want nature to tell you in any other way.
The next tells are a lot less fun to deal with (like burnout, or even heart attacks!)
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