33 Things Your Developers Could Be Doing Instead of Writing Customer Documentation
Picture this: Your star developer just spent three hours writing user guides for a feature they built in thirty minutes. Meanwhile, that critical bug fix sits in the backlog, the performance optimization remains a pipe dream, and the innovative side project that could revolutionize your product stays locked in their head.
Sound familiar? You're not alone. The average developer spends 20-25% of their time on documentation-related tasks, according to recent industry surveys. That's roughly 10 hours per week—or an entire day and a half—that could be redirected toward what they actually love doing: building amazing software.
But here's the thing: we're not suggesting you abandon documentation. Good docs are crucial for user success. We're suggesting you stop making your most expensive technical talent write them manually when AI tools like Doc Holiday can handle the heavy lifting automatically.
So what could your developers be doing with those reclaimed hours? Here are 33 ideas that might just transform your team's productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction.
The Productivity Powerhouse Activities
Ask a dev what they'd like to do for the next hour, and you're probably not going to get a lot of responses that include "write documentation." When-I-have-the-time items lay in wait on everyone's to-do list; make your engineers happy by giving them some of that "someday" time today.
1. Actually fix that bug everyone's been complaining about
You know, the one that's been sitting in your backlog for three months because "there's never time."
2. Optimize that slow database query
The one that makes your app feel like it's running on a potato from 2003.
3. Refactor that code everyone's afraid to touch
Turn that 500-line function into something readable by humans.
4. Write comprehensive unit tests
Because "it works on my machine" isn't a deployment strategy.
5. Set up proper monitoring and alerting
So you can fix problems before your users start tweeting about them.
6. Automate that manual deployment process
Because clicking through 47 steps every release is nobody's idea of fun.
7. Research and implement that new technology
The one that could solve three different problems but requires a learning investment.
8. Build internal tools that make everyone's life easier
That dashboard the sales team keeps asking for? Now there's time to build it.
9. Conduct proper code reviews
Instead of the current "looks good to me" approach based on a 30-second scan.
10. Update dependencies and fix security vulnerabilities
Because running software from 2019 is like driving a car without seatbelts.
The Innovation and Learning Zone
Next your devs can turn their attention to the stuff that keeps them excited about tech in the first place. Like those 'what if' ideas from last month's standup, forays into new technologies, and other wacky ideas that just might work.
11. Prototype that crazy idea they mentioned in standup
Sometimes the "crazy" ideas are the ones that change everything.
12. Learn a new programming language or framework
Stay current with technology trends and expand their toolkit.
13. Contribute to open source projects
Build their reputation while giving back to the community.
14. Attend virtual conferences and workshops
Professional development that actually fits into their schedule.
15. Experiment with AI and machine learning
Because every company needs someone who understands what's possible.
16. Build proof-of-concepts for future features
Test ideas quickly before committing to full development cycles.
17. Research competitors and industry trends
Understand the landscape and identify opportunities.
18. Create technical blog posts or tutorials
Share knowledge and build your company's thought leadership.
19. Mentor junior developers
Invest in your team's growth and knowledge transfer.
20. Participate in hackathons or coding challenges
Keep skills sharp and explore creative solutions.
The Well-Being and Balance Activities
Developers are also humans who need to, you know, live their lives. The best code doesn't come from someone who's been staring at a screen for twelve straight hours. Sometimes the most productive thing a developer can do is step away from the keyboard entirely.
21. Take actual lunch breaks
Revolutionary concept: eating food while not staring at code.
22. Go for walks to solve problems
Some of the best debugging happens away from the computer.
23. Learn a musical instrument
Because pattern recognition skills transfer surprisingly well.
24. Exercise regularly
A healthy developer is a productive developer.
25. Read books (both technical and non-technical)
Expand perspectives and reduce screen time.
26. Spend quality time with family and friends
Remember those people who exist outside of Slack?
27. Pursue creative hobbies
Photography, painting, woodworking—activities that use different parts of the brain.
28. Get adequate sleep
Eight hours of sleep beats four hours of caffeine-fueled coding.
29. Cook elaborate meals
Channel that attention to detail into something delicious.
The Career and Personal Growth Activities
Developers who are growing are developers who are staying. When your team has time to level up their skills, build their reputation, and explore new interests, they become more valuable to your organization—and more invested in it. Personal growth and company loyalty aren't opposites; they're actually the same thing.
30. Build a personal portfolio or website
Document their work and establish their professional presence online.
31. Network with other developers
Connect with the broader tech community and learn from peers.
32. Start a side project or business
Turn that app idea into reality (with proper work-life boundaries, of course).
33. Plan their next career move
Set goals, identify skill gaps, and plan their growth trajectory within the organization.
The Reality Check
Now, before you think this is just a fantasy list, consider this: companies that have implemented AI documentation tools report that developers actually do pursue many of these activities. They ship features faster, fix more bugs, and—perhaps most importantly—report higher job satisfaction.
When developers aren't spending their evenings and weekends catching up on documentation debt, they have mental energy for creative problem-solving. When they're not context-switching between writing code and writing user guides, they can maintain deeper focus on complex technical challenges.
Doc Holiday and similar AI writing teammates don't replace the need for good documentation—they replace the need for developers to manually create it. The AI monitors your code changes, understands your product context, and generates user-appropriate documentation automatically. Developers can review and approve the output, but they're not starting from a blank page at 6 PM on a Friday.
The Compound Effect
Here's what's really interesting: when developers have time for activities like these, the benefits compound. The developer who learns a new framework might solve an old problem in a novel way. The one who contributes to open source might discover a library that saves the team weeks of work. The developer who actually takes breaks might spot the bug that's been hiding in plain sight.
And let's be honest—happier developers write better code. When your team isn't constantly stressed about documentation backlogs, they can focus on what they do best: building software that users love.
The Bottom Line
Your developers didn't get into software engineering to become technical writers. They got into it to solve problems, build cool things, and maybe change the world a little bit. When you free them from the manual labor of documentation creation, you're not just saving time—you're unlocking their potential to do what they're actually great at.
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in AI documentation tools. The question is whether you can afford not to, when the alternative is watching your most valuable technical talent spend a quarter of their time on work that could be automated.
So what will your developers do with their extra 10 hours per week? Probably something amazing. And definitely something more valuable than manually writing user guides at midnight.
