The Zen Code: How Minimalism Boosts My Coding Focus

Jacky - Oct 11 '23 - - Dev Community

Write about minimalism by Software engineer style, just for fun :D ...

Decluttering my Physical and Mental Space

As a software engineer, I spend most of my day glued to my computer, typing away in code. My work requires 101% focus and Jedi-level problem solving skills. With so much brain power invested into slinging code, adopting a minimalist lifestyle has allowed me to πŸ’‘focus on the essentialsπŸ’‘ and avoid πŸ˜΅β€πŸ’«burnoutπŸ˜΅β€πŸ’«.

Decluttering my Physical and Mental Space

Minimalism means removing anything unnecessary from your life and living with just what you need. For me, this has meant decluttering my physical space and possessions, simplifying my choices and commitments, and being intentional about how I spend my time and energy.

Decluttering has been tremendously freeing. I regularly Marie Kondo my closet and joyfully thank my old graphic t-shirts for their service πŸ‘•πŸ‘‹. I try to limit my possessions to only items I use on a regular basis β€” my laptop, noise-cancelling headphones, and rubber duckie debug buddy. This clears both physical and mental space for me. I no longer waste time searching for things in a messy home.

Decluttering my Physical and Mental Space

Focusing on What Matters

Saying β€œno” more often has also been key. I’ve learned to turn down side quests πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ and social commitments πŸš«πŸ—“οΈ when my daily standup is full. Making intentional choices about how to spend my limited time and energy prevents me from hitting a 404 error πŸ’₯. I focus on activities that align with my values and bring me joy.

Focusing on What Matters

Living minimally has enabled me to 100x πŸ’―πŸ”₯ focus on what matters most. With fewer distractions, I can devote myself fully to perfecting my craft πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’» and producing clean, DRY code.

Recharging and Finding Inspiration

I spend my free time on hobbies like reading programming books πŸ“š, hiking through GitHub forests 🌲 , and playing Pac-Man πŸ’πŸ’πŸ’πŸ’. These activities recharge my batteries πŸ”‹ and inspire me.

Image description

The Rewarding Simplicity

While minimalism takes effort to maintain, I’ve found it very rewarding. The simplicity brings zen-like calmness πŸ§˜β€β™‚οΈ and focus to both my work and personal life. As a software engineer with limited RAM πŸ’Ύ and CPU cycles ⏱️, minimalism has been the key to sustaining my performance and creativity. Now excuse me while I go meditate on resolving this runtime error… πŸ§˜β€β™‚οΈ

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .