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Sustainable Careers — Nerdful Mind #124

May 29, 2022 by Simon Mannes

“Can I keep doing this long term without negative effects?”

That's what sustainability is about.

That's true for eating and partnerships, but also for your career. In startup and hustle culture, some glorify sacrificing sleep and family time for some future where “it all pays off”.

I strongly believe that if you don't take time for what makes you happy now, you won't take time for that in the future. Not taking time for yourself for a few weeks may work, but it is not sustainable for months or years.

I also strongly believe that whatever you work on, you'll produce much better results if you are happy and well-rested than if you are overworked. And in software-related careers, the quality of results and decisions matters much more than the quantity of hours you put in.

If you struggle to notice you need time for yourself, being mindful of your mind and body helps. A great exercise for this is the body scan.

“No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” – David Attenborough

Reading Recommendations

Taking Mindfulness on Holiday

“When we embark on a holiday we naturally want it to be a time of rest and relaxation, or excitement and adventure. However, whilst we may plan our holiday itinerary down to the finest detail, we can never plan for what feelings may arise during that time.”

Values 101

“The term ‘values’ is shorthand for hinting at complex levels of imagination. It ranges from one’s dreams and their roots in unconscious night processes to more preconscious daydreams and conscious aspirations. Values are potential capital fueled by hope and the motivation to expand and go forward.”

Microservices • Principles of Green Software Engineering

“The Microservices architecture consists of a collection of small, autonomous services. Each service is self-contained and should implement a single business capability.

Applying the principles of Green Software Engineering, the following are examples of changes you can make to your microservices architecture to optimize it for sustainability.”

Weekly Mindfulness Practice

Start at the top of your head and gently scan down towards your toes. Don’t try to change anything in your body while scanning. Only notice.

A good time to do this exercise is every time you take a quick break.

End Note

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Have a great week

Simon

PS: What do you think about this? Please hit reply and let me know. I’m curious!