It’s Not All About Tech
✨ Dev Shorts #13 - short and meaningful | How prioritizing health and balance builds a more sustainable career in tech
I used to believe that building a successful career in tech was mostly about how much I could learn, how fast I could deliver, and how well I could handle pressure.
And for a while, I was proud of that pace. The long hours, the back-to-back meetings, the side projects after work, all of it felt like proof that I belonged.
Until my body started saying otherwise.
It wasn’t burnout at first. It was subtle, trouble sleeping, a fog that made focusing harder, energy that never fully came back after a long week. I kept pushing, telling myself it was normal. That this was the price of growth.
But it wasn’t.
When the body says “enough”
There’s a quiet strength in ambition, but there’s also a quiet wisdom in knowing when it’s too much.
As women, we often carry both, the drive to keep building and the pressure to hold everything together.
No one really teaches you how to balance career success with your own wellbeing. You just figure it out, sometimes the hard way.
For me, it took a few too many cycles of exhaustion and recovery to realize that health isn’t separate from performance. It’s the foundation of it.
When I finally started listening to my body, eating well, resting without guilt, respecting my energy cycles, I didn’t slow down. I actually got better. Clearer. More grounded.
Redefining what “productive” means
In tech, it’s easy to romanticize the hustle.
To equate long hours with dedication and busyness with progress.
But the truth is, your best ideas rarely come from exhaustion.
They come when your mind has space. When you sleep enough. When you take that walk instead of another meeting.
I used to think productivity meant output. Now I think it means sustainability.
I’d rather do a little less, for a long time, than everything, for a short while.
Health as a form of ambition
Choosing to take care of yourself doesn’t mean you’re less ambitious. It means you want your ambition to last.
Our health, physical, emotional, hormonal, is deeply intertwined with how we show up at work.
When we understand that, we start making different choices. We say “no” more often. We design our routines around recovery, not just output. We stop feeling guilty for being human.
And slowly, success starts to look different.
Less about titles or deadlines, more about feeling well, fulfilled, and present in your own life.
Building from wholeness
The best teams I’ve ever worked with weren’t just high-performing. They were human.
They cared about balance, empathy, and rest, not just velocity.
They understood that sustainable success isn’t built on burnout.
And that’s what I wish more companies would realize:
A healthy environment creates better work.
A healthy woman creates lasting impact.
My Wellness Non-Negotiables
A slow morning before diving into work. Reading, having a nice breakfast, listening to music, chatting with my loved ones, walking the dog.
Moving my body daily, no matter how small.
Hitting the gym at least 3 times per week.
Eating real food, not skipping meals for “one more task.”
Taking a nap from time to time, whenever I feel the need.
Disconnecting fully in the evening.
Listening to my body, always.
✨ Takeaway
It’s not all about tech.
It’s about building a life where you can still enjoy it.
Where your mind is sharp, your body feels strong, and your work adds meaning, not exhaustion.
So if you’re reading this while running on empty, pause for a moment.
Take a breath.
Your worth isn’t something you earn by pushing harder. It’s already within you.
What you can do now is take care of it.
A reflection for every woman in tech learning to grow without losing herself along the way.
Until next time,
Stefania
Articles from the ♻️ Knowledge seeks community 🫶 collection: https://stefsdevnotes.substack.com/t/knowledgeseekscommunity
Articles from the ✨ Frontend Shorts collection: https://stefsdevnotes.substack.com/t/frontendshorts
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