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ā€¢2 min read

Summer Break But Make It Productive

lifelearningcoding

summer break is here and i've made myself a list of Things I Will Definitely Do. it's on my wall. mocking me.

the list

  1. build a personal project (something real this time)
  2. learn a new programming language
  3. read those books on my shelf
  4. exercise regularly
  5. fix my sleep schedule

it's been two weeks. the exercise thing is not happening. the sleep schedule is worse. but i'm making progress on some of the others, so.

the project dilemma

every developer knows this pain: you want to build something, but everything's been built. you have ideas, but they're either too simple ("another to-do app?") or too complex ("let me just quickly build a social network").

my current approach: build something i actually need. even if it exists. even if mine is worse. it's about learning, not launching.

i'm making a markdown note-taking app. does obsidian exist? yes. is mine better? absolutely not. am i learning a ton? yes.

skills i'm picking up

  • react - because everyone uses it and i should probably understand why
  • typescript - javascript but with seatbelts. i like seatbelts.
  • css - the eternal enemy. we're becoming reluctant friends.

the learning curve is steep but the dopamine hit when something works? unparalleled.

the guilt

there's this weird pressure to be productive during breaks. like rest is failure. like staring at the ceiling for an hour is "wasted time."

i'm trying to unlearn that. rest is part of the process. my brain needs to consolidate things. boredom is where creativity comes from.

(but also i should probably open my laptop today.)

what i'm actually doing

  • coding in bursts (2-3 hours, then break)
  • watching way too much youtube
  • cooking actual meals instead of surviving on instant noodles
  • calling my parents more
  • going on walks (this counts as exercise, right?)

the balance

the secret, i think, is to not make summer break feel like another semester. schedule some things. leave room for nothing. let yourself be a person who doesn't code occasionally.

but also: having projects makes me happy. building things makes me happy. that's not productivity culture, that's just me.

anyway, my markdown app now has three features and zero users (me excluded). i'm crushing it.