the Debug Life Mitch

00:00 Introduction
00:54 Why You Need a Mentor
01:44 Network With People in the Tech Industry
02:44 Ask for Help
03:36 Analyze Your Company
04:30 Conclusion

A couple of years ago, while I was living in Denver, I wanted to buy a house. And so I started job hunting at some point, NASDAQ headhunted me, and my friend Will loaned me a suit for the initial interview. I got hired by NASDAQ, but after a few months, I was utterly stressed out. I hated the job. I couldn't get anything done. I didn't get the results I wanted. I just wasn't happy. 

Another friend of mine at the time, Justin, was a remote software developer and showed me what it was like to work remotely, so that's something that I really aspired to. Because of all these struggles and because he saw how hard I worked, my friend will, who was obviously also my mentor, set me up with his company, where I was able to work remotely. And this made all the difference in the world. I'm still with this company today. I love my team. I love the product we're working on, and just that one key relationship has helped me so much.

As a young professional tech, the skill to set boundaries at work is essential to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Here's how to say no to colleagues and managers without compromising the work you get done or how you're perceived. First off, look at everything that is expected of you and how they impact the product and yourself, and the team. Prioritize according to which ones are most important. Then whenever your manager asks you to do something, you'll be able to tell them, "I would really like to get this done, but I have other things that require my attention and with a much greater impact." "Can we talk about what I should deprioritize in order to get what you're asking me to get done?" More often than not, you'll find them willing to drop the issue.
00:00 Introduction

00:10 Learn to Say No
00:54 Use Routines
01:56 Time-Block Your Schedule
02:51 Unplug to Recharge
03:47 Look for Win-Win
04:34 Conclusion

Meditation is a practice that involves training the mind to focus and relax in order to achieve a heightened state of awareness, inducing mental and emotional calm. It's a technique to improve mental clarity, increase self-awareness, and reduce stress and anxiety.

Someone who is mediating might not seem to be doing much other than breathing or repeating a mantra over and over again. Inside their brain, however, a lot is happening. Modern diagnostic and imaging techniques, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), show that meditation can have a wide variety of positive impacts on the brain and mental health.

00:00 Meditation
01:14 The Science Behind Meditation
03:49 Getting Started with Meditation

Journaling is the habit of keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings, insights, and struggles and wins in your life. Whether you decide to write by hand on paper, type on the computer or use an app on your phone, journaling is a fantastic and low-cost option to maintain and improve your mental health. 

The idea of starting a journal and thereby setting the expectation of having to write may seem overwhelming at first. But the idea isn't to write an entire chapter every day. It doesn't have to be a beautiful story, and it doesn't have to be polished. The idea is simply to do a "brain dump" and transfer whatever is taking up space in your head to paper in order to create more room in your head. Some days that may be a few paragraphs, and other days you may only write one sentence.

00:00 What Journaling Is and Isn't
01:09 The Benefits and Purpose of Journaling
03:08 How to Get Started With Journaling

Impostor syndrome is the belief many of us hold that we aren't actually as capable or smart as others think we are, no matter how much evidence there is that we're successfully navigating our professional and personal lives.

Impostor syndrome isn’t a diagnosis or a medical problem but a pattern of thinking that can lead to self-doubt, negative self-talk, and missed opportunities. According to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, more than eight out of every ten people experience impostor syndrome.

00:00 What Impostor Syndrome Looks Like
01:19 Impostor Syndrome is Just Another Variation of Shame
03:01 The Solution to Impostor Syndrome Is Exposing It

In today's fast-paced and high-stress world, burnout has become a common problem that affects many of us. It can leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and detached from your work or personal life. Today, we'll explore the science behind burnout and how you can use neuroscience to prevent it.