Why some things should not be automated, redux

Previously, I wrote a piece on why there are some things we should not automate. Today's blogpost is not so much a revisitation of the concept, but rather an expansion upon that idea.

I obtained that insight through something my wife did. Recently, Mrs TeochewThunder had something to tell me. It was along the lines of how lucky she felt to have met me, and to have married a man like myself who had her back unconditionally and... well, you get the idea.

Awww how sweet, you say? This did not produce an "Awww" moment for me. Instead, my first reaction was alarm; to ask if she was feeling OK, or if awful something had happened. You see, my wife isn't given to overt displays of affection and/or gratitude. She's not cold, it's just not part of the culture. Ergo, when she suddenly gave me this spiel after months of not saying anything to this effect, naturally it gave me cause for concern. Like, was she depressed or something?

Turned out to be a false alarm. Apparently, amid the COVID-19 crisis and all, she had some time for introspection and somehow realized she had a lot to be thankful for.

But here's my point exactly. Stuff like this, ideally, should be done with greater frequency and lesser intensity. Holding it in before letting it out in some explosive burst is counter-productive. Sure, it looks good in trashy soap operas. It's impractical in real life.

Kind of like how regularly giving my mother money is better than giving her one lump sum at one go. Or regularly putting money aside is better than having a yearly quota that I try to meet at one glorious shot.

Because it forms good habits. Healthy habits.

Here's how we can expand on this concept. There are plenty of things where this is applicable. Where doing it in regular, reasonably-sized doses is healthier than saving it for later.

Eating and drinking

You know how some people starve themselves on some diet or other, then give themselves a cheat meal of some sort? Well, don't take it to extremes. Don't, for instance, gorge yourself at one sitting and then starve the next few days. Yes, I know some animals do that. Surprise, surprise - the human body isn't made for that.

You're not a python;
don't eat like one.

Eat regularly. In fact, don't wait till you're hungry. Eat when it's time to eat, and keep the portions reasonable. That way, your body has a regular supply of fuel instead of having to constantly adjust and anticipate the next intake. If I know there's a buffet lined up in the evening, I'm still going to eat at noon anyway. And if that means I somehow have less capacity later on, so be it.

The same case could be made for hydrating yourself. Don't wait till you're thirsty to drink. By the time your body feels thirsty, it's probably too late. That's exactly why I keep a source of water nearby while I work... though admittedly I could improve on remembering to drink from it. Ah well... baby steps, amirite?

Exercise

Some doctors recommend five days a week of cardio, and honestly it's a bit of a struggle to maintain. But it is way worse to lead a sedentary lifestyle for six days a week, then put in one intense session at the gym. You risk getting injured, and it doesn't magically erase whatever ills that were accumulated during six days of relative inactivity.

Run, baby, run.

I don't pretend to be some hunk. That said, I think I could definitely be in worse shape. I'm probably in better shape than most guys my age, or even ten years younger.

That's because I place my faith in regular and frequent doses of exercise, rather than torturing myself maybe once a week with a personal trainer. If that works for you, great, but I believe medical practitioners are with me on this one.

Breaks at work

French author Jules Renard once said something to this effect.

"Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."

I don't think of it as laziness - rather, I think of it as pre-empting fatigue. Frequent breaks at work should be the norm.

Pushed a commit? Take a break.

Finished a test and the result was successful? Or even unsuccessful? Take a break.

Finished a decent-sized paragraph of documentation? Take a break. Hell, take two!

Take a break. Take several.

The thing here is that sitting your ass down to concentrate like a mofo for hours helps no one, least of all what you're trying to accomplish. Even in a normal situation, one makes mistakes. If you get tired, you make really silly mistakes. I've found that working late into the night produced errors I normally wouldn't have made otherwise. What's the solution to this? Avoid working late into the night. Duh.

This goes double for endeavors that require a great deal of thinking... such as writing code. Frequent breaks help. I'm not immune to the temptation of delaying the gratification of a well-earned rest by obsessively hammering away at code. But no, that rarely ends well. Grinding away all year round hoping for a well-earned vacation overseas is even more foolish... as the COVID-19 outbreak has ultimately proved.

The same could also be applied to sleeping in general. A habit of resting and rising early is better than starving yourself of sleep the entire week, and then sleeping in on weekends. To be really honest, I'm still working on this one.

Get on it!

The key word here is consistency. Don't wait until there's a need (money, food, water, rest, etc) before you actually make an effort to fulfil those needs. Pre-empt those needs. Because those needs will always be there. Be consistent. Your body and wallet will thank you.

Yours in automation,
T___T