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mikeal / self-care

Discussion repo for developers to share their self-care routines
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How to force yourself to take breaks? #2

Open mikeal opened 5 years ago

mikeal commented 5 years ago

I struggled with this for years. I know that I'm more productive and less stressed out the more I take breaks but I couldn't find a way to force myself to do it consistently.

After having a baby this problem was solved for me, I'm not forced for a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening not to work as a one year old won't really let you work in a small apartment ;) But this isn't very practical advice for everyone so I'm wondering if other people have found better ways to ensure they take regular breaks.

AndreaGriffiths11 commented 5 years ago

Not the best system but I use a combo of yours via the kiddos (doing school pick up in the afternoon) and setting timers on an echo 👈 this has proven super helpful to force me to walk away when I'm stuck.

victusfate commented 5 years ago

Walk 3 hours a morning, usually before work. When I have to commute I would split this up to before and after work and shrink it to make the day work.

That time spent walking helps sharpen my thinking for the rest of the day.

troy0820 commented 5 years ago

Apple Watch helps me because they want you to stand every hour, but I am looking for a better way because that's not as reliable as I'd like it to be.

nikitavoloboev commented 5 years ago

What helps me is to have automated pomodoro sessions throughout the day. 80 min focus. 10 min break. Throughout the day. During focus sessions I can't visit any distracting websites like Twitter/HackerNews/GitHub front page / ..

I wrote about it in detail here.

leonardiwagner commented 5 years ago

@troy0820 what do you mean by not reliable? Anyways, physical stuff, such as a physical pomodoro timer :tomato: , always works better for me, I postpone virtual stuff much more often than having something physical warning me (board, timer, etc..).

jinsy-at-cascade commented 5 years ago

I think it helps me to have accountability checks with one other person, be it coworker or partner or kid. Picking up kid(s), quick chat with partner, sit with co-workers for lunch.

troy0820 commented 5 years ago

@leonardiwagner Unreliable in the sense that I don't feel the taps at times. Something like you mentioned is what I'm leaning to, like a physical timer. I saw some shaped like a tomato for the Pomodoro technique and I want to give it a try.

I like @jinsy-at-cascade idea as well. That helps getting away from work as a distraction but planning that will make the breaks worth it.

underscoredotspace commented 5 years ago

I used WakaTime on Linux. It totally takes over your screen until you lock and go away for X minutes. I'm still looking for something that is as effective for macOS.

troy0820 commented 5 years ago

I use RescueTime but I didn't do the paid version (please don't shame me) and I see where all of it is going but I need to do something because this is a problem area I admit I have.

lemmycaution commented 5 years ago

Cat friend or better; cat lover. S/he will know right time or will be absent and make you think where it is, what is doing?

graysonarts commented 5 years ago

I have a super low-tech way to force breaks on myself. I drink ALOT of water, so I'm having to pee pretty darn regularly. The walk to the bathroom let's me take a moment, recenter, and assess if I need a longer break.

realChainLife commented 5 years ago

I've set aside two hours for the gym everyday, takes about a one hour to and from walk which gives me a three hour break that I look forward to regardless of how long or stressful my day's going. If the gym doesn't cut it at the end of the day, I sleep a hour earlier that my scheduled routine.

m-onz commented 5 years ago

sleep is for the weak!

asgartech commented 5 years ago

sleep is for the weak!

For your sake I hope that's sarcasm.

slurmulon commented 5 years ago

For those without children (like myself), having a puppers is a great way to force yourself into taking breaks.

I have to give my dog at least an hour of walking every single day, otherwise he just walks all over my keyboard and I can't get anything done :laughing:

Also, walking is great for your back!

mikeal commented 5 years ago

I’ll often take meetings downtown so that I know I need to walk there and back at the very least. I usually then end up working from different spots downtown which ads to the walking and breaks and also just keeps me from getting bored from being in the same place all day.

MikeMcQuaid commented 5 years ago