How to Survive The Holidays as A Developer! 5 Tips to Make It Awesome!

So you’re going to go into the holidays as a developer…Like it or not you’re going to have to interact with people OUTSIDE of your day-to-day world! These 5 tips will help you break the ice!

Holiday season can be a blast, here are some tips that can help you out as you mingle with loved ones and friends, some of whom may have no idea what Unity 3D is let alone some who (Yes they exist) don’t play GAMES…and even the odd one or two who DON’T USE APPS!

1. It’s about having fun, not JUST hibernating away from people!

Lighten up! This is a key issue I see developers doing at every year during the holiday time (And thus leading to burnout!). They forget that they are human beings too and need to take a break!

Go out to events, host a party, Say hello! Make a friend! Catch up with a loved one! Go and ignite a new love interest! The point is whatever you do PLEASE DO NOT SIT AND WATCH THE ENTIRE 7 (Soon 8) SEASONS OF GAME OF THRONES! Our bodies and minds need HUMAN connections so please go out and have some fun.

In fact I recommend (If you must play games) to buy a few BOARD GAMES that are group games. Fun things like Jenga or other silly games like Scrabble can be fun and bring family and friends together (Especially if you are hosting an event). Board games are always a blast and your goal during these times is to talk ANYTHING but business/dev (Your brain will thank you for it! I mean you are ON A HOLIDAY BREAK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!)

2. Be Considerate Around Non-Dev Folk

When was the last time you stood around two car mechanics talking? How about two doctors? two lawyers? etc. The point is in those situations you most likely feel uncomfortable because you have NO idea what they’re talking about! “Last week I did a triple biopsy with a cardiac blah blah blah…” Yeah the rest of my family is doctors GO FIGURE!

Point is just as you would feel uncomfortable in those situations, there are others who are NOT technical like you so if you’re talking code and you see a few people who do not speak the “Lingo” seriously take a step back and say hello and CHANGE THE TOPIC to something you both understand! You’ll end up making more friends and will also lighten the mood and make things more comfortable for your guests (ESPECIALLY IF IT’S YOUR PARTY!!).

There are other topics to speak about…I generally stay clear of Religion and Politics though (This is a time to be thankful not a time for fighting and arguments, but that’s just my own personal thing lol). Talk about movies, talk about the 8th season of Game of Thrones coming up (That you plan to watch AFTER the holiday season ahem ahem!), talk about things that most people can relate to => “Darn is it ever getting cold outside, eh?” (<== YEAH I’M CANADIAN)

3. DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

This one goes without saying, but please drink responsibly. There are MANY reasons for this, ofcourse the number one being safety, but also there are times where you may literally go against NDA’s and other contracts by blurting things out at these events because you had one too many drinks!

Sure one or two drinks may bring out your relaxed super cool side but don’t overdo it! Be safe and have fun and if you need to…UBER IT HOME! 🙂

4. Don’t Over Eat!

As we are entering a time where there is a lot of HEAVY foods (And some are darn near heart attack levels…but TASTE SO DARN GOOD!), eating healthy during holiday season shouldn’t be an afterthought!

If people generally stay clear of veggies at your party, do something fun to make them more pleasing to eat. Things such as placing greens in garlic sauce or having finger food style veggies with dip can definitely help in getting people to eat more healthy.

Try creating some fun healthy drinks and mock tails for those who don’t drink alcohol and be mindful for those who are vegetarian by labeling foods.

5. Babies, Kids and MORE babies…

During this time of year you will definitely have your share of children and babies trying to touch your coveted MINT CONDITION Star Trek Memorabilia! (What? Am I the only trekkie? SERIOUSLY!?)

Anyways, before having any event at your own place, please CHILD PROOF your place. Put your important items away in a place that a child would not be able to reach.

Keep sharp objects and items away from locations that they could fall on someone short who could reach up (Kids will try and reach for anything!) and if you have some time put together some fun things for kids to do so that they can stay occupied. Setup a game console

CONCLUSION

I hope you all have a blast during this time. It’s a great time to connect with your own clients and other professionals and family and friends in a light hearted fun manner. Be safe and have a lot of fun and remember, You’re a HUMAN BEING TOO! Be yourself and enjoy! => TAKE PHOTOS 😉

You are a super star! Keep up the great work and NEVER GIVE UP! You Got This!! BE A CHAMPION!

Nav is a Unity Live Expert and Mobile Game and App Developer

LEARN TO MAKE GAMES FOR FREE! => Watch Me Live On Twitch => https://www.twitch.tv/academyofgames0
“I’m a game dev making fun awesome RPG and Fantasy Games. Check out my games on Steam and all major mobile platforms today => Game Scorpion Inc.!”