The body language is important in situations where there is confrontation, opposition and reaction. It is also very important even for simple and relaxed chats. When two people try to discuss a difficult subject, it is very easy to get the wrong signals reading plain text. It would be a whole better if people were chatting face to face or even using voice.

What plays a key role is whether a person is generally pleasant when you are around them in the same room. When people smile a lot and generally approach things in a positive way, they are likely to transmit the same feelings even when someone is chatting with them using plain text. What helps, is the image of that person in the mind of the other chatting party. It’s the memories of the mood that person is in when interacting closely with the other party.

For example, when I chat with a person that is very distant and negative when I am around them, I get the same feeling when chatting with them using IM. It takes some effort to perceive what they type in a positive way even if they don’t say something in a negative way.

Being pleasant, smiling and open to your colleagues is a key factor towards a better communication even using text messaging.

During that, I don’t think or act on anything else. I turn off IM, phone, close the browser and stop letting others interrupt me. This way, I can finish it quickly and get on to the next unit of work.

If you find it difficult to stop others from interrupting you, using traditional techniques like telling them politely or not being so polite… you may try a different approach.

Apart from being more productive, I get many more chances to think if I want a break in between my tasks. This way, I burn less brain cells than I did when I thought I was multitasking.

Many claim they can multi task. I don’t believe we can multi task without loosing time or quality. I say, if you are a programmer, don’t do that. How can multitasking make you less productive? Studies suggest that changing between tasks makes you lose time. It could also make you stupider by not allowing you to learn during your work, the same way you could if you were focusing in one task.

Try it. It takes a while to get used to it, but you will never go back once you realize the benefits.

One of my 2009 resolutions is to exercise, and I don’t say “more” because I haven’t been exercising at all.

I subscribed to a local gym where I try to go almost every day. Unfortunately, I find the gym one of the most boring ways to spend your time. I want to find some other sports activities that are more interesting. Maybe a bunch of guys playing basketball once or twice a week and replace these days from the gym.

So far, the results have been really good. Although, still, the changes are more psychological rather than physiological. It doesn’t matter though. Good psychology helps to continue and eventually also become physically healthier.

Lately, I caught myself matching the picture above. I said enough is enough and set out to become what I once was: A healthy, strong fellow with a clear mind.

How?

Here is what I did:

• Stopped drinking anything except water and the occasional taverna drinks (Oyzo, Tsipoyro, Wine).
• Today I stopped drinking coffee.
• Started eating 4 times a day, not to much at a time.

What? Just that?

Well, I want to make many more changes, to become a healthy programmer, but what I have learned by now is not to overwhelm myself by making many difficult changes all at once. I used a technique that is also used in programming: Divide and Conquer. I have many more changes in line and I will post about my progress from time to time.