Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Man, long day. I was kept at work late again tonight, so that I ended up working a ten-hour day. Long days like that are why I gave up programming as a full-time job.

Not that I wouldn’t consider a full-time programming job in the right environment—proper pair programming, pervasive unit testing, a “WOW!” goal. Until then? Nah, I’d rather go home at five.

But it was a long day, not a particularly hard one. I spent much of the day puttering around the office; I’ve been working so hard for the past week or so that I decided to take a day “off” and straighten up a few things. I’m glad I did, too; I feel more rested now.

I can feel myself settling into my routines. I’m more comfortable taking frequent breaks to walk or get a cup of tea or what-have-you, and I’m meditating more often. I’m also stopping my online conversations at reasonable hours now, too, so I can get to bed and to sleep.

Rituals have surprising amounts of power.