Brain Breaks

Step Away From Your Code

Sometimes you just need to take a break. When you find yourself getting frustrated it’s time to do something else for a bit and come back with fresh eyes.

Exercise, go for a walk, do the dishes, put on some music and dance, meditate, set a timer and look up memes (bonus share them with your peers).
Does not matter what you do. By giving your brain a break, often times when you come back to the code you’ll have new insight to the problem that had frustrated you in the first place.

Pick Me Ups

The following are curated lists from fellow LaunchCoders. By no means are they definitive, but rather a jumping off point.

Music

Make your own playlist, or search for a tech/it/coding/homework music compilations on your internet player of choice (i.e., pandora, spotify, youtube). Some LaunchCode favorites to get you started:

  1. Gloria by Laura Branigan
  2. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)
  3. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
  4. Happy by Pharrell Williams
  5. Journey - Dont Stop Believin
  6. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson
  7. For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder
  8. Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys
  9. Rise Up by Andra Day
  10. Roar by Katy Perry
  11. Fight Song by Rachel Platten
  12. Im Still Standing by Elton John
  13. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2)
  14. Respect by Aretha Franklin

Ted Talks

Visit TED.Com to view the entire library of TED Talks. Below are some of LaunchCoders favorites.

  1. Grit: The power of passion and perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth
  2. Start With Why by Simon Sinek
  3. Achieve your goals with practice, persistence and patience by Ryan Roxie
  4. Inside the mind of a master procrastinator by Tim Urban or if reading is more your thing Blog Post Master Procrastinator
  5. Learning how to learn by Barbara Oakley
  6. The power of vulnerability by Brene Brown
  7. Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. by Louie Schwartzberg
  8. How to make stress your friend by Kelly McGonigal
  9. A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong by Eric Whitacre
  10. The surprising habits of original thinkers by Adam Grant

Books

  1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
  2. Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
  3. A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley
  4. Getting Things Done by David Allen

Misc

Excellent article, Screw motivation, what you need is discipline . Note that there are a few expletives used in it, so if you are sensitive to swearing, you may not wish to read it.

  1. Wizard Zines by Julia Evans
  2. Bukolas Youtube Channel on Life as a Developer

And remember,

You Got This!