#1: A Senior's Christmas Holiday
It’s Christmas time here in the US and around the world. A time of family, gifts, and reflection.
Most software engineers enjoy the luxury of a relatively peaceful holiday time at work. We accrue paid time off (PTO) and spend it unapologetically for at least the week between Christmas and New Years. Many companies even plan for it and reduce or cease operations entirely. Those who work usually have less responsibility, as customers are enjoying the holidays themselves.
As a senior software engineer, how can you ensure your holiday is handled with care so you don’t end up on Santa’s naughty list?
Working Through The Holiday
For those who choose to or are stuck with work, here are ways you can prepare for and make good use of holiday time:
Check with your coworkers who are going on PTO. Check with your boss or anyone you’re collaborating with. Be clear about what’s expected of you while they’re gone.
Act on your wishlist. Is your expected workload lighter than usual? Find delight in delivering wishlist items you might not normally have the capacity for, such as tech debt improvements, performance optimizations, or other small customer-facing issues. Bonus points for solving a problem for one of your coworkers.
Take time to learn. The slower moments are a great time to read, take online courses, and practice your craft.
Enjoy the peace. Chances are you’ll have a lot fewer meetings and interruptions during the holiday. A developer’s dream!
Before You Leave
If you are planning to take PTO, make sure you don’t leave any loose ends for yourself or your coworkers.
Finish code reviews. If you have reviews to do or need completed, get them done while work context is still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Check with your coworkers. Are they expecting anything from you still? Make sure they’re taken care of so they aren’t waiting or end up with more work themselves.
Delegate any processes you handle. If you perform any non-automated processes that continue while you’re gone, ensure someone can handle them in your absence.
Commit and push. Even if it isn’t release-ready, make sure your work is safe in the cloud.
Ensure tickets are up-to-date. Communicate your current progress and state by ensuring tickets have the proper status and comments.
Write down where you left off and what’s next. Note your plans and what you need to do next, to make returning to work that much easier.
Update your calendar. Cancel any meetings you organize that won’t happen while you’re gone, and ensure your coworkers know not to expect you.
While On Holiday
Turn off Slack, relax, and enjoy. You deserve it. 🙂
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🎄🥂