When we estimate a programming task, we usually estimate the time needed to finish the task, but we don’t usually take into consideration how much energy a task may need based on the current way we do it.

This is a different perspective to look at estimations, but let me explain why this is crucial especially for long term projects, and how to optimize for energy rather than just for time.

but before I continue, I want to mention that this applies to jobs that always require new solutions, and where you always face new programming challenges, if your job requires the same coding snippets, your brain might be already optimized to handle these tasks almost subconsciously with minimum energy/stress.

That being said, have you ever noticed that sometimes you work 1 hour on a specific task and you feel extremely exhausted, tired, and stressed, while sometimes you work on another task for so many hours, and you feel more relaxed and enjoying the process? (assuming here both tasks are as challenging, and you are in the same initial mood when you started both tasks,..).

I believe this is related to the way we approach a specific task/problem, and specifically related to the personal processes we use, and I know this topic is really complicated and it depends on different factors, but in this post specifically, I will just focus on the processes used to finish the task.

Based on my own experience, I noticed that the process I use to work on a specific programming task has a direct effect on my energy level and how much work I can accomplish afterward, and to give a very basic example, let’s assume that to solve a programming problem you search Google for a solution (since all your company does that), and then after 1 hour of reading you found the solution, and you implemented it, but during this time you felt exhausted and frustrated, since reading isn’t your most comfortable skill, while you are more of a visual person, so for the same task, you went to YouTube, watched some videos, and after 1.5 hours you solved the same problem, yes it was still a bit frustrating, and usually there’s always stress at work, but in general, you enjoyed the process more, and you solved the issue while feeling more energetic than in the 1st case, it took you 30 minutes more (since watching videos might be more time consuming in this case), but your energy level was higher, which on the longer term can help you work more, and be even more productive for the company or while working on your own projects.

And this also applies to the programming tools you decide to use, and how you approach solving a problem (learning from someone VS learning on your own, etc..), so what I am trying to say, if you enjoy programming, but you notice a frustration pattern while working on something new or solving new problems or learning new stuff, maybe try to experiment with other methods and processes to accomplish the task, even if these methods were a bit slower compared to previous ones, but I think on the longer run it will be worth it and it will have a good impact on both your career progress, and also on your mental health.