5 life hacks to improve your productivity as a developer

Living in the internet era is a blessing because it allows people to become knowledgeable in any field of their choice. Learning is as simple as a Google search. However, learning demands intense concentration, which is difficult to achieve when you are surrounded by digital gadgets. Everything on the internet is designed and presented to us in such a way that it manages to take our attention, whether it's YouTube videos or an app on our smartphone, and these things distract us from our main goal. Here are the five habits that will boost your productivity.

1. After waking up, don’t pick up your smartphone

We don't usually turn off notifications on our smartphones by default, so we get a lot of meaningless notifications. If you have a habit of opening your social media app notification as soon as you wake up, you will be bombarded with posts like "12-year-old coder made six figures by selling an NFT," various success stories, and you will most likely begin to compare yourself to others, which may result in low self-esteem and low energy start to your day. I usually pick up my smartphone two hours after waking up.

2. Reading 30 minutes a day

Making a habit of reading 30 minutes in the morning will work as a miracle in the life of a developer. Reading improves focus and relieves stress, both of which can be very beneficial to a software engineer. As a programmer, you’ll be doing a lot of Debugging, bug fixing, and reading documents that require focus, and reading can help you improve your memory and the ability to focus.

3. Practising meditation in the morning

When I was growing up I used to hear a lot of gossip about meditation. People around me shared their experiences with meditation. Some people have found relief from depression through meditation, while others have been meditating for years in order to connect with God. So, during the lockdown in 2020, I began meditating, and it has proven to be really beneficial. You will not notice the immediate results of meditation but it's a journey that you will go through and feel a change within yourself. You will become aware of your emotions. Meditating will help you get rid of distractions, loss of attention, and emotional overwhelms.

4. Make a To-Do-List and also a NOT To-Do-List

A To-do list can make your day super productive, it forces you to think about the work that you have to accomplish to make your day fruitful. When you take control over the task that you have to finish, you start measuring your time.

As Bryan Tracy, the author of Eat the Frog says: “find the tasks that make the most impact on your career, so you will see where you should focus more of your energy and attention”.

A not-to-do list is just as important as a to-do list because it shows you which tasks you don't have to undertake each week to squander endless hours. Allocate specific times for binge-watching, gaming, and other activities. When you spend the majority of your time on social media, scrolling through Instagram 100 times a day and watching 20 YouTube videos, nothing will change in your life.

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

5. Go on walks(in nature, if possible)

Sitting at the computer and working on it all day without any human interaction can lead to burnout. In tech, As we all know to stand still is to die. Walking is one of the finest methods to detach from work and immerse yourself in the environment, and it can help you deal with burnout. Simply go for a walk without any other plans. Calm your breaths as you do it.

That's all there is to it; the article has come to an end. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please leave a comment sharing your experience and your fav emoji on this post if you enjoyed reading it; it will mean the world to me.