Programmers need to start meditating now

# Programmers need to start meditating now Source: [https://jacob.gold/posts/programmers-need-to-start-meditating-now/](https://jacob.gold/posts/programmers-need-to-start-meditating-now/) For over 20 years, the meditative focus of programming has been one of the best parts of my job\. Every week I’d spend countless hours in a[flow state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)), which[quiets](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.019)the[default mode network](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network)\. The DMN is responsible for daydreaming/reflection but also rumination/worrying, so quieting it settles your mind\. If I didn’t manage to write code for a week, I’d start to notice it\. ## [Now it’s context switching all day](https://jacob.gold/posts/programmers-need-to-start-meditating-now/#now-its-context-switching-all-day) I’m clearly much more productive now\. I’m doing five things at once very effectively, switching between multiple agent sessions from morning to night\. After working full\-time like this for ~8 months, one thing I’m sure of is that this way of working involves much less time spent in a flow state\. ## [Find another way to settle your mind](https://jacob.gold/posts/programmers-need-to-start-meditating-now/#find-another-way-to-settle-your-mind) Until recently, programmers had a meditative job\. Now that this has changed, every programmer should probably pick up a new meditative hobby or spend some time deliberately meditating with an app like[Calm](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calm/id571800810)or[Waking Up](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/waking-up-meditation-wisdom/id1307736395)\. If you’re a programmer wondering why you feel different now that your work has changed, this might be part of the reason\.