Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a massively underrated quality for software developers to possess and can be used as your very own superpower. Without self-awareness, we may find ourselves aimlessly wandering without direction or purpose. 

Fortunately, self-awareness is a skill that can be developed. 

By practising self-awareness, we open many doors for ourselves.

Physical wellbeing

One area where self-awareness is particularly important is in our physical wellbeing. What we eat is important, but before we focus on what we eat, it's crucial to understand how much we eat. 

Eat until you’re 80% full

If you’re looking to improve your health, just like when we build software, it can be helpful to make small changes and build on them incrementally. Forming healthy habits is a great way to do this. 

One simple habit you can start practising immediately is becoming more self-aware at mealtime.

Next time you’re eating a substantial meal, try to bring some self-awareness to the table. Reduce the speed at which you eat and only continue until you feel 80% full. The goal of eating shouldn't be to eat until we can't eat anymore but rather to enjoy our food and become more mindful of our portion sizes.

You may find that you will feel more full after a few minutes than when you stopped eating. Over time, this can help you to refine your portion sizes and determine the appropriate amount of food for you. Bringing self-awareness to your mealtime can actually make the experience more enjoyable and satisfying.

If you need a distraction while you eat, use the opportunity to engage with your loved ones. Ask your partner or children about their day or share your own experiences with them. 

All physical activity counts!

Physical activity is also crucial for our physical wellbeing. Too often, people set the bar too high for themselves and give up on making physical changes. However, fitness isn't just about excelling at sports. Any form of physical activity is beneficial, so it's important to find something we enjoy and make it a habit. 

Examples:

• Taking the stairs when you normally take the lift.
• Going for a 5-10 minute walk every day.
• Cleaning the house and doing work in the garden.

If you want to step it up a bit:

• A gentle swim
• A short jog
• A bit of yoga

It doesn’t matter what you decide to do but do something. Start small and build on it incrementally.

Take your self-awareness to the next level 

Developing self-awareness can also have positive effects on our mental wellbeing. By being aware of our thoughts and emotions, we can better manage them and prevent them from overwhelming us. This can help us to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve our overall mental health.

As software developers, it's helpful to identify our strengths and weaknesses. By being aware of our strengths, we can focus on using them to our advantage and excel in our careers. On the other hand, being aware of our weaknesses allows us to work on improving them and become more well-rounded individuals.

In addition, self-awareness can also improve our relationships with others. By being aware of how we interact with others and how our actions and words affect them, we can become more empathetic and understanding. This can lead to better communication and stronger bonds with our colleagues, friends, and loved ones.

Start by asking yourself a few questions:

• What are my strengths and weaknesses? All of them – not just technical…
• When do I feel at my happiest and saddest?
• When do I doubt myself the most?
• When am I most productive and least productive?
• What motivates and drives me?
• What gets me excited?
• Am I hydrated or not?
• Am I getting enough sleep?
• How do I talk to myself? (helpfully or unhelpfully)

When you think you've answered these questions, seek to validate them.

How do I validate this?

Sometimes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when you are unaware of just how much you don't know.

We all have our own view of the world, the world according to us if you like, and this can lead us to believe things about ourselves that may not always be true.

We find it easy to convince ourselves the world is how we see it and that we are how we think we are, which is why it's so important to seek validation or proof.

So how can you validate what you think?

You collect data:

• Document (or Journal)
• Feedback (get other people’s perspectives)
• Test yourself (take a test, exam or quiz)

One or more of these could play a role.

For example:

• You could list your strengths and weaknesses (document)
• You could note when something confirms what you’ve listed or when something contradicts it. (document)
• You could ask a trusted colleague what they think your strengths and weaknesses are and contrast that to your own list (feedback)
• You could take an online test and compare whether your results match your expectation. (test yourself)

Now you have the opportunity to start making data-driven decisions.

Data-driven decisions

Now you have objective data to start making meaningful improvements.

For example, I used to be very pessimistic; I wore it like a badge of honour. No worst-case scenario could get past me!

After doing some self-reflection and gathering feedback from those around me, I was horrified to find out that I was coming across as overly negative and not having the positive impact I thought I was.

Given this new data, I decided to experiment with being optimistic and positive. Smiling at people, praising their contribution and taking an interest.

Initially, it was met with shock and sometimes taken as sarcasm, but I kept it up.

Soon enough, I noticed things started to change around me. Collaboration was easier, people shared their ideas and thoughts more freely, and there seemed to be less tension around.

And guess what…? I felt better about it too!

Self-awareness is a great tool; use it to your advantage.

Remember

It’s not selfish to put yourself first; there’s nothing more important than your own wellbeing!