Could we remember to take a little time to review some code? The tickets have been accumulating in the review column for ages, but everyone’s working on something.

Could we be mindful about code quality and checking that things work? Lately, we’ve had more bugs in production.

Could we remember to release code to production more often? “Finished” work is not moving for days, and it gets stale.

We just need to make sure we don’t forget this time. Next time will be different, we have to be better.

I’ve been wondering about how I’d feel if I had to come back to the office most of the time. Plenty of companies have been announcing Return to Office (RTO) mandates these years. Even during my job search last year, I got the sense that things were already changing, except for the odd remote position, most jobs were hybrid and pushing for at least three to four days in the office.

Let’s be honest, if there’s no other choice, I will go. Still, it’s shocking that companies haven’t learned much from the pandemic, and can’t wait to rush to the old ways. At least, I get the sense that we might be going in the direction of the 4-day workweek, which will be a great step for people that can’t work remotely—most of the population.

When wondering about coming back to the office full-time, my mind goes into the quality of life that I’ll lose, the way my day to day will change. I can rationalize it by saying that this is just “going back to normal”, that I’m snapping back to reality, and it’s not wrong. I fully accept that being a developer is already a privileged situation, and that working remotely or hybrid is even more so.

There’s a hidden reality right in the open: many companies didn’t offer hybrid or remote work, as they thought it didn’t work or that it would stymie collaboration, camaraderie or creativity, until they were forced to. The pandemic was, in a twisted way, a catalyst and a reminder that things can be different. After being forced to adapt, many companies found that things didn’t get worse, and I bet that lots of them found out that productivity actually increased, like the company I was working in during the lockdowns.

After coming back to London, I’ve been trying to get used to the routine again, and it’s always somewhat challenging after some weeks of holidays of chaos. Had to take the last week off from the newsletter, as I was too tired and didn’t get into the swing of things. I'm still struggling this week, but I’m making some strides.

For me, it always starts with a proper sleep hygiene, going to sleep and waking up at roughly the same time every day, and, after that, my second big “anchor” tends to be exercising and moving regularly. Once I get those two going, other things are easier. If I can wake up early enough to have a few hours before work, then I can start studying more often. If I start working out regularly, I can sleep better, have more energy during the day and feel mentally and emotionally healthier. A virtuous loop. When I live “chaotically”, going to sleep at random hours and waking up super late and don’t move or exercise, my brain goes to zombie mode.

This week was about the sleep hygiene and introducing “movement snacks” again—every thirty or sixty minutes during my working hours I do some squats, kettlebell swings, pull-up hangs, and walk a bit around the flat. Next week I’ll get back to working out and studying. The goal is to get closer to doing one arm/leg stuff (one arm push-ups, one arm pull-ups, pistol squats).

Hey there! Today’s going to be a short one.

I’ve been taking it easy this week, no studying or coding outside of work. I went to Valencia over the weekend, and the next day after coming back to Madrid, I got a cold! Interestingly, the last time I was in Madrid, I also got sick at the end. Most likely, what happens is that I tend to go out more, interact with more people, take the train more often, etc. so there you go.

Valencia was great. Coincidentally, the weather improved that weekend, so it felt like a mini summer in January. While I’ve been to the city a few times already, this time I got a new appreciation for it. I walked quite a bit (almost 25k steps a day), went to the Albufera Natural Park, and of course, couldn’t leave without eating an outstanding paella. After also eating a few burgers, I can also say that Valencia has great burger places.

If there’s anything I’m enjoying about my weeks in Spain is the sunlight. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. It does something to the mood and energy.

Lately, I've been thinking about death, not in a depressing way, but more as a way to reflect.

For the longest time I feared it, and when I was a teenager and a bit into my 20s it kept me up at night. What if my loved ones die, what if I die?, those kinds of questions, and I used to get vivid images at night about it.

I can't say I don't have my moments sometimes, but I'm more willing to accept it as the years pass. It is what it is.

There are many ways to look at it. Epicurus wrote: