Today I want to tell you about a day in my life as a senior programmer with 5 years of experience. I'm sure that many of you are curious if programmers really only work 3 hours a day, if we sit non-stop at the office or if we manage to maintain a healthy life balance. Read on to find out the answer!
I realized, maybe a little late, how important it is to sleep 8 hours a night. And apparently no, it doesn't work if I sleep 4 hours today and 12 hours tomorrow to recover... I wake up until 9 am and I'm glad that I can have this privilege, that of determining what time I start work. It is a benefit that comes after many years of work, overtime and sleepless nights, staying on a fixed schedule at the office, so I am very satisfied. My day starts like everyone else's, with the little habits of waking up. During this time it is possible to check my received emails while I was offline, to answer some messages, or to read about what is new in the complex world of technology. Oh, the joy of reading over coffee about how AI is going to steal my job.. While I wipe away the tears caused by this thought, I sit down at my desk, open the computer and the work day begins.
If there is one piece of advice that I will tell everyone every time I have the opportunity, it is that the best quality work is done in the morning. First of all, I check what I have to do that day. I plan how long everything will take, what else I need to complete certain tasks, what time I have scheduled meetings and what I could communicate to my colleagues. After I have an action plan, well, I act! Until lunch I can't say that I have anything else in my schedule. I know, hard to believe, but programmers actually have to work! During this time I could, theoretically, do other things if needed, during the short breaks I take. I can quickly go to the store, make a quick breakfast or take out the trash. These are just a few reasons why I will work remotely for the rest of my life, but you can read more about this in another article on the page.
Most companies include a free hour at lunch in the program, others only include half an hour. For me, I can take a break as long as I want, but this automatically means staying overtime in the evening. That's why, at lunch, I made it a habit to read a few pages every day. If time permits, I go for a short walk or plan what I have to do outside of work that evening. For me, lunch means complete detachment from the office, from work. I try to exercise and develop myself from other points of view, precisely to strategically avoid sedentarism. Even if I am mostly tied to an office, as a programmer, I still find moments during the day to take care of myself. Personally, I recommend that everyone avoids any form of technology during this break, including the phone or watching TV.
I spend the rest of the time until the end of the program working. It should be emphasized here that indeed, things will move a little slower. No employer actually expects you to be 100% focused for 8 hours. The last 2 hours, although everyone is still working, are generally reserved for easier tasks. Here I am referring to a possible meeting so that everyone can report what they have done, some discussions about what will happen tomorrow, or solving some easier problems. In general, I try to finish what I have to do by 6 o'clock. And the rest is history.
To conclude, as a programmer, a day in my life is not exactly full of adventures in hidden lands. But I do what I like, which is why every day is a new challenge. I don't sit at the office all day, I manage to maintain a fairly healthy lifestyle and at the same time I really put effort into my work. Every day is different, but generally it starts from this base. As final advice for everyone, I recommend that you concentrate as much as possible in the morning on what you are doing, have a very well-planned program and leave the simpler tasks for the end of the day. And most importantly, make sure you get enough sleep. See ya next time!