Pybites Podcast

Today we tackle the ugly monster of distraction. We give you some valuable pointers that can reduce the amount of stress that distractions cause:- Work on the 80/20, the stuff that matters and have goals so you know what to aim at.- Time-box your time, including social media.- Airplane mode is your new best friend.- Watch your bio (= willpower).- Social media vicious cycle (story time!)- Go async with online reading, batch articles with Pocket.- Tab galore is bad (unclosed loops!), go minimal, less is more.- An accountability partner increases your focus and therefore reduces distractions.- Disable desktop notifications and uninstall distracting phone apps.- When you work work, when you play play (again, control your phone use).To seriously boost your productivity, gaining valuable hours back every single week, check out our dedicated course: https://pybitesproductivity.com

This week we talk with Patrick Groß, long time PyBites community member and lead developer of Karmabot, the bot that handles karma points and other tasks in the PyBites Slack Community. We talk about how Patrick got into Python and how he really learned it, his switch from a university to a data analytics job and ... his overhaul of our early Karmabot prototype, turning it into the mature open source project it is today (thanks!) You'll learn about the improvements Patrick made to Karmabot, integrating "Hypermodern Python" concepts, and some of the lessons he learned from contributing to open source overall (hint: both tech and soft skills were important!)We hope this episode will inspire you to start (or continue) contributing to open source, it's a beautiful thing.Karmabot project and Hypermodern Python series:https://github.com/PyBites-Open-Source/karmabothttps://cjolowicz.github.io/posts/hypermodern-python-01-setup/To reach out to Patrick:https://twitter.com/patrick_grshttps://pybit.es/community (DM or #karmabot_dev channel ... actually while there let's give him some Karma, just type "@Patrick +++")

In this episode we have a chat about how setting realistic expectations in your day-to-day can make all the difference when it comes to frustration and stress.We share a bunch of stories and situations to drive the point home.Links to mentioned content:- Podcast: Chris Voss on Negotiation - Book: Indistractible by Nir Eyal- Book: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates- Book: Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. BrownJoin our Community: https://pybit.es/community

This week we talk with another member of our PyBites community: Robin Beer.He shares his coding journey, going from physicist to cloud software architect and co-founder of an energy startup.Some takeaways from our conversation:- Learning core Python and having a constant curious mindset gets you really far.- You have to become comfortable stepping outside of your comfort zone, specially in a high-paced startup environment. - How  his perception of Pythonic / quality code changed going from a coding physicist to a professional software architect.- How Python gave him more fulfilment in life, even to the point of becoming a digital nomad :)Reach out to Robin:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_E_Beer- Our community: https://pybit.es/community

Stress comes from everywhere these days. It's become such a constant part of all of our lives and if we don't know how to acknowledge and deal with it, it can lead to all sorts of problems.In this episode we share 5 Tips on how we deal with stress:Take a step back and remove yourself from the situation. This is a tip we learned from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.Use gratefulness to better handle "negative" feedback.Learn to say no to protect your time and ensure you don't get overloaded with busy work. More on this in PyBites Podcast Episode 12."Take Weekends Off". Whatever your schedule happens to be, find dedicated time to take off. Guilt free relaxation time is 100% necessary for dealing with and reducing stress levels.Analyse your situation and find something you can control. We give an example here of how we took control of our health with calorie counting. The same rule applies to finances - you control the budget!What it all comes down to is mindset and productivity. We've distilled all of this and much more in our very own "Practical Productivity with PyBites" course. The framework and practical examples we have in place will get you back on track to achieving your goals and reduce your stress in the process.Links:7 Habits of Highly Effective PeoplePyBites Podcast Episode on "Saying No": https://www.pybitespodcast.com/1501156/7783030-012-how-to-say-noPractical Productivity with PyBites course: https://pybit.es/productivityBooks we're reading:Julian: ContagiousBob: The Pragmatic Programmer and The Laws of Human Nature

This week we interview Pete Lynch who is a long time PyBites Community member.We talk about his career, how he shifted from marketing to a coding role (!) after taking a 5 month break to upskill by taking part in a bootcamp.Now as a web developer he is architecting his dream life.You might think: "Wow, this cannot be a technical skill transformation only, right?"Correct, MINDSET has been one of the key ingredients in pulling this off!So meet "Deathbed Pete" and learn how Pete deliberately manages risk for greater rewards in his career and life.We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did producing it. Ah and some interesting books mentioned in this episode: Mind for Numbers, Mindset (Carol Dweck) and The Daily Stoic.Get in touch with Pete here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelynchpinauHis website: https://peterlunch.comAnd of course on the PyBites Slack: https://pybit.es/communityP.S.: If you want to achieve results like Pete, come talk to us about our high intensity Python coaching program: https://pybitesdevelopermindset.com/

This week we talk with Sarah Gencarelli, animation director @ Cartoon Network and avid Pythonista and member of the PyBites community. We talk about how surprisingly common art creation and programming are!Sarah also shares how applying a creative mindset can help you as a developer.We had a blast, we hope you too!If you want to connect with Sarah you can do so here:https://www.instagram.com/sarah_gencarelli/https://pybit.es/community

In this episode we share our career stories: how we got into programming and Python. If you're somewhat new to PyBites or haven't yet heard how we got to where we are, you'll want to give this a listen.Note: this is an excerpt from a presentation we proudly gave to students at UCLA!The key takeaway from this episode is that careers are not always linear. The skills you develop along the way can lead you down different paths. Taking these opportunities as they come are usually highly beneficial - they certainly were for us.Many of the concepts we talk about in the podcast are also present in our stories: getting uncomfortable; building things and networking with people.Links:Click here to join the PyBites Community: https://pybit.es/community

This week we have Chris Patti on the show.We talk about how he got into programming going all the way back to the 80s!We talk about automation (and scratching your own itch) being the root of his everlasting passion for coding.His message is dear to our heart, because it was his ability to overcome perfectionism ("ship it" mentality), putting his work out there that opened doors for him and led to an amazing career so far.And this virtuous cycle is accessible to you too, just listen to Chris' valuable advice around:How to upskill your Python.The critical role of deliberate practice in this.Tips to get unstuck when solving complex problems.The need to become uncomfortable to gain the required confidence to succeed.That you don't need a CS degree per se, adopting the right mindset is of critical importance as a developer.And more...Resources:Peak, THE book on deliberate practice: https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Secrets-New-Science-Expertise/dp/0544947223/Our 100 Days of Python course: https://pybit.es/100daysGet in touch with Chris:Website: https://www.feoh.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/feohPyBites Community: https://pybit.es/community

In this episode we talk all about Habits and Triggers! In fact, this is actually a snippet from our new Practical Productivity with PyBites course that we know you'll get a lot of value out of."Goals are paramount, habits are King".You'll hear us share our thoughts on habits, what triggers are and most importantly, we share some solid, relatable examples of our own.Enjoy the listen and if you are interested in this course, check it out here:https://pybit.es/productivity