Guide To Not Dying Early

Dua_Alem

Vital Stuff

DON'T die. An author friend of mine refers to this as "Rule #1". Dying is pretty much the only total failure state. Hence, avoiding it should be your top business and lifestyle priority. (Excepting some really extreme circumstances.)
DON'T avoid the doctor. There are lots and lots of health issues that start out as minor problems and end up, if untreated, with you in the morgue. Early detection is vital in most cancers, cardiac issues, and lots of other fun things. If you have chest pains, a cough that won't go away, weird lumps or moles, or anything else odd, go see a doctor already.
DON'T skip sleep. Skipping sleep makes you significantly more likely to die. If you don't get enough sleep you react worse to stress, you lead worse, you manage worse, your memory gets worse, you're supider, you're more likely to have a heart attack, you're more likely to become obese. Get enough sleep.
DO take breaks. If there's one single magic bullet to reduce your chances of getting nasty health problems, it's this: take frequent breaks.
DO get exercise. YOu'll be hard-pressed to find a really successful person who doesn't prioritise exercise, and there's a reason for that. Time spent exercising, no matter how short on time you feel, will pay itself back in terms of increased energy. Also, to quote the US NIH, "the body rapidly maladapts to insufficient physical activity, and if continued, results in substantial decreases in both total and quality years of life.". In other words - get exercise, die later and happier.


Diet Stuff

DON'T eat refined sugar if you can avoid it. Diet and nutrition is a minefield, but this recommendation seems to be fairly universal. Refined sugar is bad for your health. It contributes to Type 2 Diabetes, may increase your chances of a heart attack, and generally is worth avoiding. Annoyingly, this is likely to involve lots of reading the ingredients labels on food, as food companies add sugar to almost everything - I once discovered a 400g chilli had 30g of sugar in it!
DO consider taking Vitamin D if you don't get a lot of sun. This includes people who work indoors a lot, people who live in northern countries, and definitely people who fit both categories. It's not the miracle cure that many people claim but it's cheap and probably worth it.

Working Habits Stuff

DO stretch. Most people seriously underestimate the health impact of sitting in one place typing all day. Your muscles tense, form knots and trigger points, and those can in turn produce a host of health problems from migraines to Repetitive Strain Injury. Learn some basic stretches and consider taking a class in something like yoga or Pilates (I prefer Pilates personally). As a heavy computer user you'll want to prioritise back, hip flexor, neck and shoulder stretching.
DON'T neglect your eye muscles. Eyestrain is no fun and can really cripple your ability to work. Your eye muscles need stretching too.
DO pay attention to workplace ergonomics. Remember I mentioned that some habits really kick your !!! as you get older? Bad ergonomics can be one of them. Working curled up on the sofa with a laptop is fine until it isn't - I personally know one author who had to have major back surgery because of doing just that. Setting up your workplace ergonomically isn't very hard or expensive.
DO stand up as much as possible. Sit-stand desks are expensive but worth it. If you sit for a long period of time at your work, that's associated with an increase in all-causes morbidity - in other words, you are more likely to die sooner. Period. So try to avoid that.
DO avoid blue light late at night. Blue light shortly before bed screws with our circadian rhythms and makes it harder to get to sleep. Fortunately, it's easy to avoid. In an ideal world, try not to use the computer for an hour or so before bed. If you can't do that, get F.lux, which will alter the colours of your monitor to help with light issues.

Mental Stuff

DON'T stay silent or ignore your feelings. Depression and suicide are a major killer: indeed, it's the biggest killer of men between 20 and 49. If you're feeling down, empty, worthless, like a failure - go to your doctor. Find a counsellor or therapist. Talk to friends, talk to your loved ones. DO NOT suffer in silence.
DO try meditation. There are a host of studies showing that meditation is really good for you - it improves stress response, it reduces loss of grey matter as you get older, and more. There are lots and lots of different meditation techniques, so don't get discouraged if one doesn't work for you - try some others.