This article is based on a chapter of my "The Sustainable Developer" book.
Check the List of articles related to "The Sustainable Developer" here
Let’s start with my personal guidelines for writing this series of articles.
I decided to commit myself to the following rules while in front of a computer :
- Before and while typing, I had to maintain an aligned and balanced body posture;
- Before touching the keyboard, I had to focus on my breathing, then start typing;
- If I doubt my writings or if I get indecisive about what to write, first I should notice it, then stop myself, then apply rule number 2;
Looks easy right ? Not at all.
First Rule: to find a body posture that is well balanced and consumes the least amount of energy is hard work. My main goal here was to stay between 4 to 6 hours in front of the computer per day and finish any session with more energy then when I started. Is it possible ? How do I consume my own energy? Is there one specific posture ? Would the same tactics apply to 2hs or 12hs of coding?
Second Rule: to focus on my breath before touching the keyboard seemed easy. But, respecting this rule at all times required a Confucius determination. My main goal here was to connect with my body before diving into thoughts. Why is this relevant? Can I call breath.init() before any action?
Third Rule: to notice that “I am having doubts about my writings”, then stop and refocus on the breath was probably the trickiest of the rules. My main goal was to remind me about the root of my thoughts: consciousness. Why is so important to understand consciousness from your own experience? Do I need to instantiate consciousness or is it a global variable?
As many Developers, myself included, we are not aware of how much we are draining our bodies daily while coding. In my first 15 years of coding I developed 3 serious problems: Tendonitis, bulge disks and dupuytrens. These problems almost ruined my career.
In 2001 I found some relief by practicing Yoga and Meditation. A slow re-engineering of my habits lead me to re-think my entire body posture. It was time for me to share and in 2007 I've started teaching workshops on self sustainability in Europe.
It is time for us to talk and discuss about self sustainability in the software industry.
This is our time.
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