One aspect of a programmer’s work that I think can get overlooked is the actual physical workspace where he or she works. Over the years I have invested a lot of time and effort into creating a home office that is ergonomic and promotes a workflow that works for me. By no means am I trying to tell everyone that…
and you shouldn’t get anything else. But I do recommend that you invest in the similar items for each section listed to help create your own environment that will help you make yourself more productive.
Desk
For a desk, I highly recommend some sort of standing desk that can be adjusted throughout the day so you are not always sitting down the entire day. I personally have an Uplift V2 Standing Desk which has been a great investment. If you don’t have the money for a standing desk, I have gone the cheapest route before with just a little Ikea end table I put on top of my desk that takes a minute to setup and just put my laptop on top of it. I cannot stress the importance of alternating between standing and sitting throughout the day to try to maintain your posture.
In case you were interested in the Uplift standing desk, below is a video describing all of the different customizations that you can make to create a standing desk that works for you. I am not paid to praise their desks, just a happy customer of Uplift.
Keyboard
Now when it comes to a keyboard, I have joined the cult of mechanical keyboards as I truly love the feel of every click of a key when typing. Mechanical keyboards are not for everyone, but when you are looking for a keyboard I recommend you at least look for an ergonomic keyboard to prevent yourself from getting carpal tunnel later down the road. For me personally I got the Ergodox EZ keyboard with brown mechanical switches. This is going to be a really hard keyboard for anybody to start using because you will feel like a novice trying to type on it for the first two weeks. After spending a considerable amount of time typing on it and configuring it to work with my flow. I can type just as fast, if not faster than I did on a normal keyboard and I’m doing it in an ergonomic way!
Below is a video to from ergo dox about what its all about in a nut shell.
If you’re interested to see what my configuration is personally for the keyboard, check out my configurations on the ergo dox ez configurator which I have tried to optimize for a Mac/Windows setup.
Monitor
For a monitor, I recommend getting either dual monitors or one big curved monitor to give yourself the real estate for increased multitasking. I myself prefer the big curved monitor from an ergonomic standpoint because its equivalent to having one and a half monitors which helps reduce the strain on my neck from turning to far looking at a dual monitor setup. Some people prefer the dual monitor setup though, so wouldn’t rule that out for yourself if that is what works for you.
I personally got the 34’’ Class 21:9 UltraWide® WQHD IPS Thunderbolt™ Curved LED Monitor which may have been a bit of overkill, but I also game and wanted a monitor that would have a fast response time for that. If you are looking for another curved monitor that is just for work, there are plenty of other great options out there that are more affordable.
Chair
The chair is one of the most important things to invest in since its where you’re sitting most of the day. So make sure whatever you choose to get is comfortable and ergonomic to sit in all day. I personally got the Secret Lab Titan Gaming Chair and may have even splurged for the limited edition Batman version of the chair. Very happy with the quality and comfort from the Secret lab chair!