Developer satisfaction, developer joy, and business results are strongly correlated. Developer productivity frameworks like SPACE recognize this, with Satisfaction being a key metric. And yet - our jobs are frustrating, filled with mindless work, and free of joy. How do we fix that? Is annoying waste inevitable? Can developer performance be tuned? Are productivity measurements helping or hurting us? And how can you persuade management to invest in boredom?

Except… it’s not the boss we need to convince. Sometimes, it’s ourselves. We’re so in the habit of running to meet deadlines, running from one problem to the next, of aiming for 100% efficiency, we’re the first ones to say “I don’t have time for fun”. In this talk, Holly and Trisha will try to convince you that fun isn’t a luxury, but a necessity.

Holly is an expert on play at work, unwise automations, and polar bears. Trisha is an expert on performance tuning, tooling and productivity. Come to this talk to find out what these topics have in common.