Profiles in Tech, Part I: The Programmer, Productivity, and Prioritization

Welcome to “Profiles in Tech,” a blog series focusing on the unique mindset of the techie. Each post derives from an interview with an engineer, programmer, or developer in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ll begin with “Derek,” a software engineer who’s exploring the role that coding plays in his life, and what it means to be productive.

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9 ways to stop being self-critical

We beat ourselves up with thoughts. We replay conversations and interactions, ruminating over anything we might have done wrong… our words, our actions, our decisions. We judge ourselves to be “not good enough.” It's so common. Thankfully, my friends, you can stop the suffering. Read on to learn 9 effective ways to stop being self-critical.

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Help! I'm a perfectionist at work. What's a totally perfect way to cope?

Do you agonize over every detail in a slide deck? Spend 20 minutes composing a one-paragraph email? Perfectionism at work can be stressful and distracting. Even worse, it can cause you to hate your job. In this post we’ll identify where your perfectionism likely comes from, how to recognize when it shows up, and how to release yourself from its grip. Ironically, by getting out of your own way, you’ll get more of what you’re looking for.

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A couples therapist’s take on song lyrics that you know

Your favorite song’s playing, and you’re singing along. Are you stopping to think about the lyrics? Probably not, if you’re like most of us. Our favorite artists write about love, sex, infatuation, heartache, jealousy, etc. After repeated listens, their words wind up being stored in our motor memory. We might subconsciously come to regard it with unquestioning deference. With the health of your love life in mind, I’ve taken the liberty of offering a couples therapist’s take on song lyrics that you know. [God help us all.]

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