Working on a project for hours is a regular thing for me now, whether it’s web development, graphic design, or animation. I work for hours daily, spending most of my time on web development and the rest on designing or animating. But it seems that every time I write code, there is a bug. Yes, that nasty bug!
It often takes me hours to fix it, making those working hours incredibly stressful and painful. This isn't something that happens just once; it happens to me way too often. It mainly occurs when I work for hours and write many lines of code without taking a break.
I noticed that when I look at someone else’s code, I can spot the issue immediately, but it takes me hours to fix a small bug in my own. This becomes a big problem when you write too many lines of code, everything is interlinked, and it later has to be divided into multiple files. Being able to spot a fix in someone else's code isn't a special ability; it’s simply that you are looking at their code with fresh eyes.
Looking with fresh eyes is really important. What does it mean? Working on something for hours makes your eyes see the same thing over and over again. Your eyes start to ignore the finer details because they have to focus on so many things, taking in huge chunks of information instead of the small specifics.
How do you fix this? Take a break. While some may disagree, it is incredibly effective. Giving your brain and eyes a short rest from staring at the exact same thing lets them relax. When you look back, your brain has had time to refresh, allowing your eyes to pick up on those finer details again.
You might not always have enough time to take a full break, especially if you have a deadline to meet. But simply looking away from your screen for a moment can give your eyes an instant reset.
How do I implement it?
When doing graphic design, choosing the best colors gets difficult over time. When I've been working for hours and need to make an edit, I look at something off-screen. When I look back at my monitor, I instantly know if the color suits the subject I am working with.
I do the same when writing code. I take a short break and come back to the page of code I wrote. This helps me fix the issue immediately because my mind got a mild break from processing the same thing over and over.
Your eyes are like a web browser; you need to hit F5/Refresh to update the content. (This post only supports IE 9 or above.)
Try this yourself. Leave a comment below and let me know how this helped you.
