Every time I tell someone I work with computers, they light up. "That's so cool," they say. For a long time, I didn't get why.
Most of my actual day looks like this : staring at a screen, stuck on something that'll take hours, sometimes days, to figure out. Not exactly cinematic. People picture me hacking Netflix passwords or dodging the FBI, straight out of a movie. The reality is a lot less exciting — and a lot more satisfying, honestly, once you get to the good part.
Because when I do finally crack the fix? I get happy like a five-year-old. There's a kind of satisfaction in solving something after weeks of digging through a codebase that I don't get from anything "conventionally cool."
The catch is, that satisfaction doesn't clock out with me.
I love spending time with my family. But I've caught myself thinking about some random React property mid-dinner, while everyone else is talking about curtain colors. Weekends are the same — I genuinely struggle to figure out how to spend my free time, because "free" would mean not thinking about tech, and that's the one thing I can't seem to do.
That's the paradox : I love this work more than almost anything. I can't picture a version of my life without computers in it. But loving it this much means I've had to learn, the hard way, that peace isn't the absence of effort — it's the presence of boundaries. Something like, one screen-free day a week, or maybe a hobby that has nothing to do with tech.Even my hobbies are based on tech.(inserts awkard emoji)
I'm still figuring this part out. If you've found something that works for you — pulling yourself out of desk-brain and actually being present — I'd love to hear it.
Have a good day!
Top comments (13)
Music, writing, drawing works for me!
hobbies that let you slow down and disconnect. sounds perfect
Honestly, start with gaming. It's the gateway to understanding free time. You're on your PC, doing something completely unrelated to work. Just being at your desk, doesnt mean you have to work, nor does it mean you dont relax. Then of course, touch grass. Pick a day and go outside, do something outside of chores and work. Then you'll understand where the invisible line is drawn for you and you know when and where to overstep it as necessary. It's a tough skill to learn, but once you do, it's instant switch off after work is done, because your mind immediately goes elsewhere. A really compelling game like Witcher 3 is perfect gateway!
Haha, that's actually a good point. I think the bigger challenge for me is finding something that doesn't involve another screen 😅 I already spend enough of my day staring at one, so gaming as a way to switch off might just turn into more screen time for me. Still figuring out what works!
It sounds like it yes, but it's a gateway. It's not the end-goal. Gaming is as a way to teach your brain that screen time does not mean work time. So you break the habit of working every time you're at your desk. Whether you go touch grass, or take up pottery, doesnt really matter, that muscle memory of working at your computer everytime you sit at it is the habit to break.
Yeah, I think I get what you mean now. It’s less about gaming itself and more about breaking that automatic association of “I’m at my computer, so I should be working.” I hadn’t really thought about it that way. Maybe having something completely unrelated to work at the desk is actually a good way to teach your brain that it’s okay to just be there without being productive. The “gateway” idea makes a lot more sense to me now.
exactly, the game isnt important, it's that pattern break that matters
Aw man you should have kept the title "Everyone thinks im hacking the fbi. Im just debugging css" lol.
There are a lot of things you can do. Like @unitbuilds mentions, gaming. It can be any game really or even play good sports. I tend to play Tennis occasionally.
😂 HayDay, Minecraft and Stardew with my fiance for me. Other than that, walking dogs on the beach, helping her in the garden, origami, there's plenty to do, I picked up an old Rift S for like $60, so my favorite if I had a long week is to set up FNAF on it and watch her scream her ass off 🤣
Did you get why?
I think it's mostly the way it's perceived. 😅 I'm still trying to figure it out, tbh. From the outside, it probably looks way cooler than it actually is.
What helped me daily to get away from the screen is to do my workouts. It's both healthy and gives me more energy throughout the day. I also have this issue that when I am on to something, I can't seem to stop and I think it is unhealthy. Sometimes I caught myself coding up until 4:00AM in the morning. Now, I'm trying to fix that with healthy distractions. I hope this helps!
Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments.