DevDiscuss Episode 5: How Hobbies Like Powerlifting, Auto Repair, and Music Can Make You a Better Developer
Tags: podcast, discuss
Published: 2020-06-10 17:26:45

---
title: DevDiscuss Episode 5: How Hobbies Like Powerlifting, Auto Repair, and Music Can Make You a Better Developer
published: true
description: 
tags: podcast, discuss
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ih1kvo3fts4vao4pir61.png
---

{% podcast https://dev.to/devdiscuss/s1-e5-how-hobbies-like-powerflifting-auto-repair-and-music-can-make-you-a-better-developer %}

On this week’s episode of DevDiscuss, we tackle the importance of feeding your hobbies that seemingly _aren’t_ related to software development. Cooking, sculpting, candle-making, reading novels -- they all contribute to your overall happiness _and_ make you a better developer anyway! 

We were joined by two very well-rounded humans and developers: Milecia McGregor (@flippedcoding), Senior UI Engineer at Mediavine and author of the DEV post, [Why It's Important To Have Hobbies Outside Of Tech](https://dev.to/flippedcoding/why-it-s-important-to-have-hobbies-outside-of-tech-2d1#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20things%20that,losing%20a%20part%20of%20yourself.), and Kayla Sween (@kaylasween), User Experience Engineer at Dogly, and author of the post, [Powerlifting Has Made Me a Better Developer](https://dev.to/kaylasween/powerlifting-has-made-me-a-better-developer-part-1-interpersonally-3l6d).

It’s no coincidence that both Milecia and Kayla are so well equipped to speak on this subject: they are both involved in the side of tech that directly and obviously affects human beings: UI and UX, respectively! As human beings, we naturally are drawn to a variety of subjects, and many UI/UX engineers have spent time cultivating these myriad interests -- which, in turn, makes them better at building software people like to use. 

One thing we touch on in this episode that I think is important to highlight here, too: cultivating your hobbies should be the goal in and of itself; for enjoyment, relaxation, and creative stimulation. The benefits to your career are important and great, but if that’s the motivator in everything you do, burnout _will_ happen.  In addition to Milecia and Kayla’s writings on hobbies, writer Jaya Saxena also summed it up in a New York Times “Smarter Living” [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/smarter-living/the-case-for-hobbies-ideas.html) like this: _“It’s time to divest hobbies from productivity. Their value lies in more than their relationship to work. Yes, studies have shown that having a hobby can make you more productive at work, but hobbies can also remind you that work isn’t everything.”_

### _In this episode, Ben, Milecia, Kayla, and I discuss:_ 

* How our career paths have changed due to shifting priorities 
* Specific hobbies that have either directly or indirectly helped our developer careers
* The pressures within tech that can diminish our energy and humanity without life balance
* How our mindset shifted for the better once we cultivated our pastimes

… and much more!

Check out Episode 5 of DevDiscuss: How Hobbies Like Powerlifting, Auto Repair, and Music Can Make You a Better Developer today. If you enjoy it, please consider [leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/devdiscuss/id1513053883). **We’ll mail you a small thank you gift if you send us a screenshot of your review by June 30! All you have to do is fill out [this form](https://airtable.com/shr8oKAIMZgdYnBxx).**

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_Huge thanks to @levisharpe for producing & mixing the show, and @peter and @saronyitbarek for their editorial oversight._

_Thank you to our Season 1 sponsors who help make this show possible. If you're in the market for any of their services, please check out [DigitalOcean](https://try.digitalocean.com/open-source/?utm_source=devdiscuss&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Core_DO_SS_Cold), [Heroku](https://devcenter.heroku.com/start), [CommerceJS](https://commercejs.com/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=devto_podcast), and [Fastly](https://www.fastly.com/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=fy20_get_a_demo)._