The article contains solid advice that certainly transcends coding, alone; in my free time, I try to essentially "find work". Sometimes that work consists of writing software to solve weird little home "problems" that may or may not be actual problems. Sometimes that means building something as a joke, just for fun.
Sometimes that work consists of over-engineering a water heater box-turned-space shuttle for my daughter. Or recording my dog's wheezing and turning it into "classic industrial" music. It all feeds the same internal need, though; to learn, to build, and to produce something, rather than to passively consume other people's products. It keeps my brain alive, and I find improved performance/innovation in other work-related projects, as a result of just staying active, mentally.
Curious if you've tried any "work" games. Factory building games (Factorio, Dyson Sphere Program, Satisfactory, Captain of Industry, etc.), programming games (Human Resource Machine, 7 Billion Humans, anything by Zacktronics), or colony sims (Rimworld, Oxygen Not Included, Banished)?
