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Logging is very important because it also allows you to debug/resolve issues easily on production systems. But caring about the appropriate log levels and the ability to configure them at runtime is also super important. It's just insane and ridiculous to log everything on a trace/debug level and stream it to the Expensive Innovative Big Data Machine Learning Smart Log Analytics Product. Yes, I'm looking at you Application Insights.

From an employers point of view, tracking hours does not make sense. At least as long as we are talking about creative work, where people tend to stay longer than they would be required to, without even noticing how much time they were working.

At least in Germany, working unions are fighting against not counting working hours, because it is better for the employees and is also a saftey net against related health issues. Without counting, legal rules are not enforceable and people may even work on weekends without any compensation. This also leads to the fact that managers start to expect those extra hours from everyone, and consequently see it as an lack of motivation or dedication not doing them.

If it is one thing that I have learned at a large software company it is the fact that Conway's Law is fundamentally true. Any software system is a mirror of the team setup and the interactions between the involved people. And many bugs are found in the interfaces/interactions between components of isolated teams.

However, this also means that as a software developer you are unable, or at least very constrained, in the ability to improve or refactor any complex legacy system. You are basically fighting uphill battles in such situations, because you are not in the authority to change/improve the organizational structure.

This also means that as programmers we may need to take more time and care to invest in human relationships and in our communication skills, as this could have an significant effect on code and product quality.

I think I use the same technique with another variation you might want to try out. Focus on your breath like in meditation but, at some point, slow it down as much as you can. So slow that you are on the edge of the body forcing you to breath again. You may calm down and shift into sleep quite easily.

And the great thing is that this technique helps even falling asleep in such situations for me. Its like imitating breathing, like you would be fully asleep and the real sleep follows.

You should be aware that this allows me to ignore and procrastinating on pressing issues which I should face head-on. But practicing meditation in the mornings helps with that.

Any steady stream of thoughts can stop me from falling asleep, even for hours. I have noticed that long hours of programming or programming late in the day causes this state of constant hard thinking that keeps me awake. It can be really exhausting and even end in nightmares.

I think that the article is right that you need to stop this cycle before falling asleep. Meditation practice helps to stop your thought cycle by focusing on your breath. As soon as your focus shifts away to any new thought, and you recognize it at some point, then you try to refocus again on your breath.

However, meditation is done while being fully awake. You want to feel the mind stopping, being fully present in the moment.

I found a trick, that helped me to find sleep, even when having the hardest thought cycles. Lying on the back in the bed, I try to focus on my breath just like being in meditation. After a while I slow down my breath as much as I can. It does not take long and I'm fully asleep.

I use this trick everytime I have a hard time finding sleep. And it always worked for me. Its one of the most valuable tricks in the toolbox of my life.