Four Activities That Can Boost Your Developer Skills

There’s an assumption that writing more code makes you a better programmer. While that may be true, marathon coding sessions can cause fatigue and frustration. This can easily lead to burnout which affects the quality of your output including your gaming experience at https://www.americancasinosites.com/online-slots/.

Take breaks between programming sessions. Breaking monotony refreshes your body and mind. Engaging in activities that activate your body can help improve programming skills. You can incorporate the following activities into your routine to boost your coding skills.

Playing Video Games

Some studies have linked video games to negative effects. However, other studies suggest that you can experience cognitive benefits from gaming. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH) suggests video games can improve cognitive performance.

In a study conducted on children, researchers evaluated the effect on cognitive skills. The study compared children who played video games with those who did not.

The results showed that children who played video games had better control of their impulses. They could also memorize more information and perform tasks more quickly. The study does not only apply to kids. It shows how humans use skills in gaming to strategize and plan for real-life situations.

As a programmer, you can boost your coding skills while having fun. Pick strategic video games that allow you to think, plan and solve problems. These skills will help you when designing and strategizing development elements while coding and you can visit online casinos for some design inspiration.

Reading a Good Book

Reading improves the mental ability of everyone, including programmers. And this does not include programming manuals and documentation. Try to find reading material that’s entirely different from your programming work, like a biography or novel.

A National Library of Medicine paper suggests that reading novels strengthens the brain. It evaluated brain connectivity during a period when individuals read and when they didn’t. The researchers observed increased connectivity in the brain during the reading period. During the non-reading sessions, the connectivity declined.

This study shows programmers can strengthen their brain cells with fictional material. The boost in comprehension helps when the developer returns to coding activities. Fictional materials, like sci-fi, can boost creativity in designing, vocabulary, and programming elements.

Exercising Your Body, Not Just Your Mind

Regular exercise strengthens your physical and mental capacity to deal with stress. Programmers need strong mental abilities to deal with software technology’s challenges.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports physical exercise reduces stress. It also promotes emotional balance. Keeping your body active enhances your learning, thinking, and problem-solving ability.

One CDC study evaluated active adults and those that weren’t. It found that active adults had better mental health. On the other hand, inactive adults had an extensive cognitive decline. They were at a higher risk of developing mental illnesses like dementia.

Programmers can pick exercises that flex the entire body, especially the back, neck, and thorax. These are the most affected muscles as programmers tend to sit for a long period. There are some great fitness apps that can help you improve your overall health. These include your diet, hydration, and sleeping schedule.

Writing About What You Know

Writing greatly enhances your communication abilities as a developer. Developers are now required to produce documentation for their code. StackOverflow reports that engineers spend 70-90% of their time producing documentation.

Technical writing involves breaking down complex technical concepts into simple explanations. It educates people on technologies and shows how to use products and software. The best way to learn is to teach. Developers get to learn concepts deeper by explaining them to others.

Writing technical documentation can be a problem if you did not take a writing class. Fortunately, you can learn technical writing and even build a career in it. Google’s technical writing guides can teach you the basics of technical writing. On his blog, I’d rather be writing, Tom Johnson provides a practical tutorial on API writing for beginners.