"For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, And next year’s words await another voice.” ― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Every day is a new day is how I go around thinking about life. It’s a must because I suffer from depression among other things. Go to bed depressed knowing that the day after, the sun is shining and things will be better as the day starts over and there are plenty of opportunities.
I am going to apply this to other aspects of my life, especially when it comes to coding and getting better as a programmer. So here are my New Years To-dos. I don’t do resolutions.
- Code every day. I need to get more practice. I have a mentor now and that is super great but I have to put in the effort to keep at it. Some days I find myself looking into the Code Newbie Slack team and seeing people working their tails off. When I played basketball, I’d continuously practice every aspect of the game until I was really, really good. Same thing applies here. To learn a new skill, it requires focus and practice.
- Get more exercise. My back is a mess. I sit too much without standing. I have gained back a good amount of the weight I took off two years ago. My hip flexors are so tight from all the sitting, my back also, that my knees are suffering as well. I took a big step to rectifying my issues by investing in an ergonomic chair. Need to actually stand up during intense periods of sitting and getting back into lifting weights at Wright’s Gym. Not only does it make you feel badass after a good session, it helps keep you focused and energized.
- Get more sleep. Coding well into the morning and writing blog posts or whatever well until you can’t see isn’t fine for anyone. I may be older, but even young coders need sleep. Seriously. Go to bed if you’re reading this past 11:30 PM.
- Put more effort into school. I mentioned this in my last post so I won’t go over too much of it here. Effort pays off, as I found out by sharing and being more vocal about my experiences this year.
- Read more. I read 23 books this year. That’s not enough. I just started to appreciate audiobooks that I take out from the school and local libraries so that will help get my book count up. I pride myself on reading as much as possible, whether books or articles.
Some other things
Taking a break is important to staying fresh. I want to start going for more walks down in Oakland or Squirrel Hill. Clearing my head keeps me just as sane as smashing a 1RM on a deadlift. It’s important, kind of like meditating.
I also now don’t get as frustrated at things that stump me, I just go search for an answer or come back to it later. I hope to continue that trend in 2016 and forward.
Stay Sharp
"For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, And next year’s words await another voice.” ― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Every day is a new day is how I go around thinking about life. It’s a must because I suffer from depression among other things. Go to bed depressed knowing that the day after, the sun is shining and things will be better as the day starts over and there are plenty of opportunities.
I am going to apply this to other aspects of my life, especially when it comes to coding and getting better as a programmer. So here are my New Years To-dos. I don’t do resolutions.
- Code every day. I need to get more practice. I have a mentor now and that is super great but I have to put in the effort to keep at it. Some days I find myself looking into the Code Newbie Slack team and seeing people working their tails off. When I played basketball, I’d continuously practice every aspect of the game until I was really, really good. Same thing applies here. To learn a new skill, it requires focus and practice.
- Get more exercise. My back is a mess. I sit too much without standing. I have gained back a good amount of the weight I took off two years ago. My hip flexors are so tight from all the sitting, my back also, that my knees are suffering as well. I took a big step to rectifying my issues by investing in an ergonomic chair. Need to actually stand up during intense periods of sitting and getting back into lifting weights at Wright’s Gym. Not only does it make you feel badass after a good session, it helps keep you focused and energized.
- Get more sleep. Coding well into the morning and writing blog posts or whatever well until you can’t see isn’t fine for anyone. I may be older, but even young coders need sleep. Seriously. Go to bed if you’re reading this past 11:30 PM.
- Put more effort into school. I mentioned this in my last post so I won’t go over too much of it here. Effort pays off, as I found out by sharing and being more vocal about my experiences this year.
- Read more. I read 23 books this year. That’s not enough. I just started to appreciate audiobooks that I take out from the school and local libraries so that will help get my book count up. I pride myself on reading as much as possible, whether books or articles.
Some other things
Taking a break is important to staying fresh. I want to start going for more walks down in Oakland or Squirrel Hill. Clearing my head keeps me just as sane as smashing a 1RM on a deadlift. It’s important, kind of like meditating.
I also now don’t get as frustrated at things that stump me, I just go search for an answer or come back to it later. I hope to continue that trend in 2016 and forward.
Stay Sharp
I plan to start all this tomorrow evening. So as we say at the gym, Let’s get it.
