When your music is just right and you're coding without interruptions and feel like a wizard.

Before lockdown, I was working in what was pretty much my dream job. Coding, problem-solving, listening to music on the company headsets, nights out, and even a work social holiday. With no university revision to complete, I had a lot more free time than I had prior and properly got back into playing video games and watching DVDs that I had been putting off, not to mention extra money.

Enter lockdown. All of this freedom was taken away by COVID-19. My living space had turned into a literal prison. All of my social connections had evaporated and work took over my life as there was no other life left to take away. Video calls through Electron-powered bloatware that breaks constantly do not count, no matter how much the lying companies behind it insist otherwise. Sure, my game consoles were still physically there but my productivity had rapidly drained away to the point that I was not completing nearly as much as I would in a full morning in a full day, so they went unused. My management were very understanding of this - they probably saw where I was mentally. By the time my contract finished, the project that I had started just before lockdown was so broken that they had to call me back to fix it before my company laptop was returned.

My enthusiasm for programming and technology was damaged considerably and at one point I swore I would never work in this industry again. I tried finishing my university course but it is, to this day (October 2022) still remote so I just left as I did not sign up for the Open University. May as well just watch YouTube as I learn far more that way and it doesn't slow down my computer nearly as much. I am slowly recovering - I've started working on personal projects again, my counselling appointment is next week, and - after a stint in fast food and away from the computer - I am once again looking for a programming job as a few of them have returned to a functioning workplace and I do miss the salary, though it has become very challenging to find anything to apply to - it's an absolute minefield out there in ways that were largely irrelevant before COVID-19.

what music do you like to listen to when you're coding (or working in general)? what gets you into the zone?

These days I'm listening to french music so much.
Even when coding. Trust me I am loving it and productivity really increased.

- Linux (OS)
- VSCodium (General Coding)
- Godot (Game Dev)
- Krita (Digital art and edits)
- Blender (3D Art)
- LibreOffice (Docs)
- LMMS (Music/Audio)

I'm trying to find OpenSource alternatives to anything creative I do.

Any non-tech hobby usually helps my coding, because relaxing breaks are far more efficient if I'm not just laying in a bean bag trying not to think about work but rather engaged in something unrelated. During the summer I was storing a really good electric guitar because the owner emigrated, so when I felt stuck I played some music. I used to play the cello in middle school but I was never really good at it nor did I care to practice properly because it felt a lot like yet another class to attend. Apparently music practice works whether you do it in one long or several short rounds as long as the total time is enough.