your setup as a programmer is extremely important not just because it makes you more productive but because if you're getting into this game you're going to be using this equipment for most of the time you're awake so the stuff you're using daily should spark joy and it should keep you healthy.
whether that means sore wrists keeping your cardio on point or your mental health so in this Article I'm gonna try to subvert your expectations.
Well yes, noise-canceling headphones an ergonomic mouse, and a standing desk are all important we're going to take this list to the next level which can hopefully give you some creative ideas for your setup.
let's start off with the Mouse the most recommended of which is usually the Logitech, MX Master III, these masses are known as ergonomics so they fit the shape of your hand very nicely and there's a noticeable reduction in wrist strain when you compare it to something like the Apple Magic Mouse but if you're going to be working Twitter employee, Goblin mode hours you might even need something a little bit more potent than the MX Master what you might actually need is a trackball mouse.
1.) The trackball mouse allows you to roll the cursor around on your screen with either the thumb or your fingers and while it does take some getting used to it allows you to keep your wrist completely static and completely reduces strain I've personally loved the MX Ergo Mouse but there are a lot of new emerging options as trackballs become more popular I want to give a different suggestion and that is a vertical Mouse many people like these but I found them a bit too weird and that the trackball actually does a better job of ergonomics moving on to the second purchase.
2.) The standing desk but what no one's talking about is the fact that standing still is actually a bit uncomfortable some people suggest a foam floor mat which can make it more tolerable and what can actually give you more ideas in walking for example with a treadmill desk okay now we're talking About two issues,
Number one you can't really put a treadmill at work unless you want to be that guy and number two the treadmill is pretty ugly so the unconventional suggestion here is to get a stepper desk it's very small and compact you get the same motion as a treadmill desk and I think it's a good meet you halfway.
3.) Purchase number three is not just an ergonomic keyboard but it's a keyboard that you built have you ever heard of the Ikea effect something you assemble yourself you feel more attached to well as a programmer you should at least try building a mechanical keyboard yourself because it is kind of like that Lego experience that you had when you were a kid keyboard kits can go from expensive and simple to more complicated but what I personally would suggest is you try some different layouts and switches with cheaper pre-built keyboards before you commit to one for your master keyboard that you're going to build yourself kykeon has some really good value Mechanicals that you can try out and you can also get a switch test kit to see if you like red blue or brown better I personally like Blue switches 65 layout which still has the arrow keys just in case you were wondering.
4.) Move on to number four which is not a Tech backpack but it is a cable bag now there are some nice Tech backpacks like the peak design one which is a bit expensive and the coat at CL backpack also quite expensive but regardless of what bag you use one thing that I started using way too late was a cable bag you're most likely letting your cables Chargers and plugs just float around and then you can't find it when you actually need it I would really recommend getting a bag like a peak design cable bag because I'm thinking ninety percent of you just have cables everywhere and there are of course cheaper models too but it's kind of a no-brainer.
5.) To just grab one next about investing in your own learning courses coaches and mentors some of the best insight eyes can be found by taking things that work well in other Industries and applying them to your own and we often apply I think a funny sort of logic to coding because when you compare it to the piano you can teach yourself yes it's a step better with an online course and it's a step even better with a personal coach there's just a matrix of Time Versus investing a bit of money that you need to decide where you fall on if your time Rich money poor and can focus extremely well then, by all means, go self-taught but realistically that's not 95 percent of us.
6.) Purchase number six, this would be a quick one is GitHub sponsorships I'm not gonna virtue signal and say which people on GitHub I sponsor but basically open source programmers are working day and night for free, and as far as I'm concerned they deserve all the respect in the world from the rest of us GitHub sponsorships are a bit like Patreon except you can sponsor creators on GitHub instead and I feel like it's a way to give back, especially if you've built projects with any of these open source repositories.
7.) okay now the last suggestion and maybe this will make some of you cringe but it is investing to make your space cozy even if you're an alpha Cobra Tate Spartan look chances are your desk setup is probably facing a plain wall and if you took a picture of it and posted it on Reddit your workspace would look like a mental hospital now I've split tested this and creating a workspace that you enjoy more even if you don't want to use the word cozy which could mean adding a backlight some plants and maybe some pictures on the wall that you like looking at this can make you quite a bit more productive and the reason you probably haven't done it is number one you feel like you don't need it or number two you don't know what to get so what I suggest is just finding someone's workspace on Instagram and copying it as closely as possible once you've made your copy then you can start to change it and customize it to your own liking so long story short just don't think you don't need to be cozy you do okay that is my unconventional list at this point.
