Last friday, I had the day off. Again.
This was just one of several days that I have had off, not counting weekends and vacations. So am I just a slacker that don’t work 5 five days a week? No, on the contrary! This makes me a better programmer. How? Read on.
Having a day off from my assignment has nothing to do with me wanting just to take it easy. No, those days off is when I work either at other shorter assignments, teaches a class, read a book or perhaps work on a private project.
Why?
I believe in software craftsmanship.
That if I continuously train myself, experience new things and have fun while I am doing it, I become a better programmer. I believe in the Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship, and in order to be able to create well-crafted software, I have to develop as a programmer.
Just because I am on the wrong (?) side of 40 doesn’t mean I can relax. Oh, and another thing! These days off I choose what I want to work on, which makes it fun, and that makes me motivated.
Becoming a better programmer also makes me a better consultant, which is a craft of it’s own. Having the experience from many types of products/systems/organizations makes it easier for me to adapt to the next assignment.
A slack day creates innovation
Photo Credit: all photos are taken by myself.
