Join Virtual Coffee in the Healthy Habits for Happy Devs monthly challenge
Tags: health, developer
Published: 2023-08-01 13:02:41

This has been a really difficult year for a lot of people with the number of layoffs and uncertainty in the world. Sometimes it is easy to overwork ourselves and get lost in all of the stress and expectations of our lives.

The goal of this month's challenge is to be mindful of mental and physical health by building and practicing healthy habits.

## Goals

### Build a new habit

Think of one new habit that you would like to incorporate into your life. Examples can include drinking more water, meditating, or walking. The goal is to pick something that will make you a healthier dev.

You can also choose a habit that is more code focused like revisiting some of your old projects and updating the README or refactoring your code.

### Practice a healthy habit

Once you have selected your habit, define what success means in completing this challenge. For example, if you want to drink more water, you could set a goal of drinking 2 glasses of water a day.

Or if you want to meditate, you could set a goal of meditating for 10 minutes a day.

## Weekly check-ins - Are you hitting your goals?

Each week, we will be checking in with each other and sharing our progress. You can share your progress by replying to the weekly check in post with a short message.

If you are not hitting your goals, don't worry! This is a process and we are all here to support each other. If you are struggling, reach out to the community for support.

Or if something unexpected comes up, you can always adjust your goals. For example, if you are sick and can't meditate, you can adjust your goal to be 5 minutes of meditation instead of 10.

Remember this is not about perfection, it is about progress.

## Who can participate?

This challenge is for all developers no matter where they are at in their coding journey. We are all here to support each other.

## How it works

### Set your intentions

Think about one new healthy habit you would like to start practicing this month. 

### Start your habit and track your progress

Make sure to track your progress by using a tool like a spreadsheet, habit tracker app or a habit journal.

Here are some options to consider:

- [Notion habit tracker](https://www.notion.so/58490c6abed4434289a86c6b3f802a68?v=006fa35bf496459395c0340db453fa07)
- [Done](https://thedoneapp.com/)
- [Habit Tracker](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/habit-tracker/id1438388363)
- [Productive Habit Tracker](https://productiveapp.io/)
- [Habitica](https://habitica.com/static/home)

### Share your progress

Share your progress in the weekly checkin posts. You can focus on small replies like "Walked 20 minutes today" or "I meditated for 5 minutes today".

If you are interested in sharing your progress on other platforms like your personal blog, Twitter, or Dev.to, then you are free to do so.

## Tips for forming healthy habits

### Start small

When you are starting a new habit, it is important to start small. For example, if you want to drink more water, you could start with drinking a glass of water every morning.

If you want to meditate, you could start with 5 minutes of meditation a day.

No matter what habit you choose, make sure that it is easy to do so that it is hard to say no.

### Make it a schedule

Block a time in your calendar to practice your habit. For example, if you want to meditate, you could block 10 minutes in the morning to meditate.

If you want to drink more water, you could block 5 minutes in the morning to drink a glass of water.

In the beginning of the month, I would suggest adding a recurring event in your calendar to remind you to practice your habit.

### Track your habits

Tracking your habits is a great way to visualize your progress. You can use a spreadsheet, habit tracker app or a habit journal.

### Be kind to yourself and celebrate your wins

Remember that this is a process and there will be some steps back. If you miss a day, don't worry! Just start again the next day.

Life can sometimes get in the way and that is okay. Just remember to be kind to yourself and to celebrate your wins.:tada:

## Conclusion

I hope that you will join us in this month's challenge in an effort to be a healthier dev. :smiley:

## Additional Resources

- [Atomic Habits](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits)
- [How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick ](https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change)
- [Notion habit tracker](https://www.notion.so/58490c6abed4434289a86c6b3f802a68?v=006fa35bf496459395c0340db453fa07)