Problem: Overthinking and lack of focus

As developers, we spend our days thinking up elegant solutions to tough technical problems. But how often are you able to truly stop this thinking when you want it? After work, is your brain still revving its engine-- except now, there's no tough challenge to solve, and you begin to ruminate on unnecessary things? (I wonder what that dude I see once a month in the hallway thought of my shirt.)

This happened far too often when I first became a developer. I realized I had a tedendency to carry "code mode" into situations outside of work, and found myself unable to control my monkey brain.

SOLUTION

Mindfulness Meditation has made the biggest difference here by far. You're training your mind to shut off by focusing on the present mode. Your brain cannot concentrate on two things at once (though we certainly try), so when you stay in the now and enjoy your sensory inputs, your thoughts simply pass through. I highly recommend Why Buddhism is True for a rational argument on this concept.