Personal Dev Wellbeing¶
12 cards — 🟢 4 easy | 🟡 5 medium | 🔴 3 hard
🟢 Easy (4)¶
1. What are the three dimensions of burnout according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory and how do you recognize them early?
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The three dimensions are: 1) Emotional exhaustion — feeling drained, dreading work, unable to recover over weekends. 2) Depersonalization/cynicism — detachment from work, treating colleagues or users as abstractions, sarcasm replacing engagement. 3) Reduced personal accomplishment — feeling ineffective despite working hard, questioning whether your work matters. Early signs: Sunday dread, dropping hobbies, increased caffeine dependence, irritability at minor requests, difficulty concentrating. Burnout is a continuum, not a switch. Catching it at exhaustion is much easier to reverse than at full cynicism.2. What are the key ergonomic principles for a desk setup and which mistakes cause the most injury?
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Key principles: monitor at arm's length, top of screen at eye level; elbows at 90 degrees with forearms parallel to desk; feet flat on floor or footrest; lumbar support maintaining the natural curve of the spine; wrists neutral (not bent up or down) while typing. Most damaging mistakes: monitor too low (neck strain), chair too high with feet dangling (lower back pressure), mouse too far away (shoulder tension), and wrist extension from keyboard angle. The 20-20-20 rule prevents eye strain: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Standing desks help but alternating sit/stand is better than standing all day.3. What is the Pomodoro Technique and why do regular breaks improve sustained productivity?
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The Pomodoro Technique: work in 25-minute focused blocks with 5-minute breaks. After four blocks, take a 15-30 minute break. The technique works because sustained attention depletes cognitive resources. Breaks allow the prefrontal cortex to recover, enable the default mode network (which processes and consolidates information), and prevent the quality degradation that occurs after 45-90 minutes of continuous focused work. Variations: some people find 50-10 or 90-20 more effective depending on the task depth. The key principle is not the specific interval but enforcing regular disengagement. During breaks: move physically, look at distant objects, avoid checking email or social media (which is still cognitive load, not rest).4. How do hydration and nutrition affect cognitive performance during a workday?
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Dehydration of even 1-2% body weight reduces concentration, working memory, and increases fatigue and headaches. Aim for roughly 2-3 liters of water daily (more if exercising or in dry climates). Signs of dehydration: dark urine, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. For sustained cognitive performance: eat protein and fat with meals (provides stable energy vs. sugar spikes), avoid large high-carb lunches (causes post-meal drowsiness), keep healthy snacks accessible, and do not skip breakfast if you work mornings. Caffeine improves alertness but has diminishing returns above 200-400mg/day and should be avoided after early afternoon due to its 5-6 hour half-life.🟡 Medium (5)¶
1. What are the evidence-based sleep hygiene practices that have the largest impact on sleep quality?
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Highest-impact practices: 1) Consistent wake time (even weekends) — anchors your circadian rhythm more than any other factor. 2) No caffeine after early afternoon (caffeine half-life is 5-6 hours). 3) Cool bedroom (65-68F / 18-20C). 4) Dark room or sleep mask — even dim light suppresses melatonin. 5) No screens 30-60 min before bed (blue light delays sleep onset by 30+ min). 6) Avoid alcohol before bed — it increases sleep onset but fragments sleep architecture, reducing REM. 7) Regular exercise (but not within 2-3 hours of bedtime). Common myths: "I can catch up on sleep on weekends" (sleep debt does not fully repay), "I only need 5 hours" (fewer than 3% of people genuinely function well on less than 7 hours, per Walker's research).2. How does regular exercise improve cognitive performance and what is the minimum effective dose for knowledge workers?
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Exercise improves cognition through multiple mechanisms: increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) promoting neuroplasticity, improves cerebral blood flow, reduces cortisol, enhances executive function and working memory, and improves mood regulation. The minimum effective dose for cognitive benefits is approximately 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise (brisk walking counts) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. Even a single 20-minute walk improves focus for 2-3 hours afterward. For knowledge workers, the best ROI is morning exercise (primes the brain for the day) or mid-afternoon (combats the post-lunch dip). Resistance training 2x/week additionally supports bone density and metabolic health.3. What is the physiological stress response and what techniques can interrupt it in real time?
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The stress response (fight-or-flight) triggers the sympathetic nervous system: cortisol and adrenaline surge, heart rate increases, digestion stops, peripheral vision narrows. Chronic activation causes cardiovascular damage, immune suppression, and cognitive impairment. Real-time interruption techniques: 1) Physiological sigh (double inhale through nose, extended exhale through mouth) — activates the parasympathetic system in one breath cycle. 2) Box breathing (4-4-4-4: inhale, hold, exhale, hold). 3) Cold water on wrists or face (triggers the dive reflex, lowering heart rate). 4) Progressive muscle relaxation (tense and release muscle groups). 5) Grounding (5-4-3-2-1 sensory exercise). These work because they activate the vagus nerve, counteracting sympathetic arousal.4. What are effective boundary-setting strategies for remote workers and why is "always available" culture harmful?
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Always available culture blurs work-life boundaries, leading to chronic stress, fragmented attention, and eventual burnout. Effective strategies: 1) Define and communicate working hours — put them in your Slack status and calendar. 2) Create physical separation — a dedicated workspace you leave at end of day. 3) Shutdown ritual — a consistent end-of-day routine that signals transition (review tomorrow's priorities, close work apps, change clothes). 4) Disable work notifications on personal devices outside hours. 5) Batch asynchronous communication rather than responding in real time. 6) Say no to meetings outside your working hours. The harm: research shows that even the expectation of being available after hours causes anxiety and prevents psychological detachment, even if no actual work occurs.5. Why is social connection important for wellbeing and how does remote work affect it?
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Social connection is a fundamental human need — loneliness has health effects comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Holt-Lunstad meta-analysis). Remote work removes incidental social interactions (hallway conversations, lunch together, coffee chats) that build belonging. The impact: increased loneliness, reduced trust, weaker team cohesion, and higher turnover. Countermeasures: 1) Schedule regular virtual coffee chats with colleagues (not about work). 2) Use video for some meetings (facial expressions build rapport). 3) Attend in-person gatherings when possible. 4) Maintain non-work social connections actively. 5) Join communities of practice. The key is that remote social connection requires deliberate effort — it does not happen passively like it does in offices.🔴 Hard (3)¶
1. What are the evidence-based strategies for recovering from burnout, and why does "just take vacation" rarely work?
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Vacation alone rarely works because burnout involves structural problems (workload, autonomy, fairness, community, values mismatch) that remain when you return. Recovery strategies: 1) Identify the root cause using the Maslach six areas of worklife (workload, control, reward, community, fairness, values). 2) Set hard boundaries — stop checking work messages outside hours. 3) Rebuild non-work identity — reconnect with hobbies and relationships. 4) Reduce workload to sustainable levels (this often requires difficult conversations with management). 5) Consider whether the role or organization is fixable. 6) Seek professional support — therapists specializing in occupational burnout. Full recovery typically takes 3-12 months. Attempting to push through worsens it and can lead to depersonalization that damages relationships permanently.2. What is attention residue and how does it degrade the quality of knowledge work?
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Attention residue (Sophie Leroy's research) occurs when switching between tasks — part of your attention remains on the previous task. Even after you stop thinking about Task A and switch to Task B, cognitive performance on Task B is measurably reduced for 15-25 minutes. This means context-switching between meetings, Slack, and deep work fragments your cognition even if each switch feels seamless. Mitigations: 1) Time-block your calendar (protect 2+ hour deep work blocks). 2) Complete tasks to a natural stopping point before switching. 3) Write a "parking lot" note when you must interrupt a task (externalizes the unfinished thought). 4) Batch similar tasks together. 5) Close communication tools during deep work. Knowledge workers who context-switch frequently lose 20-40% of productive capacity.3. What is imposter syndrome, how prevalent is it in tech, and what strategies help manage it?