When I awaken in the early morning hours, I have a habit of going online and checking what's happening on social media. I'll see developers crunching the early morning hours, still going strong, and wonder: "Do these people ever sleep?"
Not long ago, I sent a client an e-mail in the wee hours of the morning, and the client responded, asking me if I ever slept. At that time, I had a different circadian rhythm. My routine was going to bed before 10 p.m. and waking up at 3 a.m. It worked for me. So, I understand developers still hard at work building in the hours of the dead, but I see those same developers equally hard at work during normal hours - even over weekends. We live in a society where perpetual busyness and productivity are glorified.
My reason was simple: I had a child to raise by any means possible, and that required me to sometimes work 18-hour days to make ends meet. It was a "needs must" situation, but it came with a price. It's a price I pay even today.
A 2009 study by Dr. Phillippa Lally found that, on average, it takes 66 days for a habit to become automatic. So, by the time my son became an adult, this habit of working 18-hour days, seven days a week, became nearly impossible to break.
It took me a year during COVID to break the habit of working 18-hour days. I found a reason to be doing something other than work when I reconnected with my childhood boyfriend. That led me to relocate, and it took me another year to break certain bad habits, but I never found the need to break the 7-workday habit. In 2023, I moved back to Mossel Bay. Although I no longer work 18-hour days and maintain a more natural sleeping routine - most of the time...ish - I'm incapable of managing a healthy work-life balance.
Doing nothing helps the mind and body recover, and that was the purpose of my month-long holiday. It was important to step back to replenish my creativity and ability to problem-solve. It's been a stressful year, and I needed to unplug and unwind. I needed to 'offline.' But I discovered that I haven't mastered the art of doing nothing yet.
My mind craved activity, projects, and problems to solve. It drove me up the wall, and I soon became really frustrated. I do not have the attention span to watch a movie - it feels like a brainless activity. My restlessness kept me from reading, but I did find some release in the #30in30 writing challenge.
Now, after a month off, I'm back, but my mind is not rested. Despite having all that time, I never learned how to just do nothing. I realize that I need to set boundaries for myself and probably need to give myself permission to rest without feeling guilty. I need to 'offline' and switch off my phone without worrying that the server will blow up if I do. (We have server managers, but I still...) I should just start small and work my way up from there.
We have implemented a 4-day work week. I'm the only one who has not fully embraced it. I could start by making my Fridays "no schedule" days and take it from there. I live by the sea, literally five minutes from the beach. I hardly ever spend time on the beach because I'm too busy. Fridays can be "work from a coffee shop" days (we have many!). Weekends are for writing only, so fewer pet projects.
It sounds like I have a plan.
So, my developer friends out there - even though I admire your dedication to your craft - a word of caution: Work-life balance is extremely important. If you lose it, it is extremely difficult to get back. Schedule and embrace your downtime unapologetically.
Rest. Recharge. Live.