Programming is a challenging activity. The last thing you need is bad surrounding to make the experience distasteful. The niceness of the environment in which you work in goes a long way to increase productivity, makes the task less strenuous and also guarantee overall good health. There is no approved standard for what a programming environment should look like. Programming can be done from anywhere, as long as there’s a workable computer at hand. This doesn’t mean the environment should be ignored. A great programming environment should have:
1. Space
Don’t be satisfied with a small desk which can only fit your computer and nothing else. You need desk space. Maybe for the pen and notepad, you should keep next to your computer for writing down stuff. Coding involves a lot of typing. As such, the wrist should be supported and line up with the keyboard. A small desk with no space for the wrists will put stress on this part of the body. The uncomfortable pains which follow will reduce productivity.
2. A seat
Not just any seat. An ergonomically designed seat. No need to go for anything too fancy. All you need a seat that lines your elbows with the desk and provides a part to lean you back. Good posture should not be undermined. Slouching will bring about spine damage, which results in menacing backaches. A seat which is soft on your backside and which also compels you to sit upright is exactly what you should look for.
3. Proper lighting
Sure, your computer’s screen is bright, but you need the light anyway. Why you may ask. For your eyes. The eyes are delicate, and sitting by a screen all day brings about visual issues in the long run. Find yourself spending a lot of time in front of a screen? More than likely you need a blue light filter to protect your eyes from long term exposure. Try this test for your blue light glasses and see if they are working correctly. During the day, let sunlight stream in through the windows. At night, keep the bulb on. Although there’s little evidence proving using a computer in the dark destroys eyes sight, it does have the tendency to bring eye fatigue quickly.
4. Silence
The only voices you need to hear are those of your team members if at all you have a team. Otherwise, then isolate yourself and cut out the noise. You need absolute focus. There should be silence in the workspace, giving the brain a good condition for proper and effective thinking.
Recall that there is no standard ideal environment. Simply find that which is ergonomically-friendly, and which boosts your personal productivity.
Programming needs a lot brainpower and peaceful working environment. Learning a programming language is not enough. Especially if your are to build your own enterprise the environment is not limited to the desk, chair and a PC system, you need a real world problem to solve.
I do agree with you. Speaking of real world problems to solve could be treated in an article of its own. In this case, I kept my focus on the physical environment.
The physical environment involves the everything from the home to the workplace. A programmer tools is foremost the accumulated knowledge in the brain. For a young programmer the environment can be limited to ergonomics his or her room, no kids, no husband, no relatives, etc. For a family man or woman who is the same time a programmer the environment includes the wife or husband especially. The brain can only function properly when the home is conducive specially if the wife or husband approves the the lonely behavior of brain workers. It is for this reason brain workers like scientists, programmers, etc, will always develop winkles on the face if they do not have the right partners. Young programmers should be careful of their future mates. To exclude the family especially the wife or husband who are bound to be in the same space and time especially for at least for 12 hours everyday makes your post incomplete.