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The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

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Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#231

Post by db48x »

egypturnash wrote: post #200
sean-duffy wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting to see that this seems like it might be a theme at game dev places. I remember reading in Masters of Doom about developers constructing similar makeshift structures to shield their workspaces from light at John Romero's company, Ion Storm.

Id and Ion Storm are/were both in Texas. There’s a lot of sun there. Enough that you can afford to hide from it. Anecdotally, I was a lot more nocturnal when I lived in New Orleans than when I lived in Boston and Seattle. It’s impossible to get too much sun up here, but down in the tropics, that’s a definite problem.

Also, weren't they on the top floor with a glass ceiling? Direct sunlight glaring down on me is very annoying, but sunlight that has reflected off of the grass or filtered through the trees outside my window is fine. It not all coming from the same direction, and all the infrared has been absorbed.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#232

Post by s73v3r_ »

wmil wrote: post #229
gambiting wrote: post #71

Oh yes please. I work as a games programmer at a massive studio and it looks like 90% of people here prefer complete darkness during the day, to the point where they have these umbrella-like covers above their desks to cover any light from the lamps that somehow miraculously are still on. Me and few other people occupy a little corner next to a window that we stubbornly refuse to close the blinds on, despite bi-weekl…

Designers are probably dealing with white balance issues. Daylight changes colour throughout the day. It's enough to throw off their work. As a compromise you might try daylight balanced photography bulbs. Consistent color but it feels like daylight.

So, shouldn't the business put them in an office where they can control the light?

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#233

Post by nikofeyn »

jwr wrote: post #216
beat wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it difficult to work while wearing headphones. Music is very distracting. I just spent two and a half years working from home, where I could leave the tv on in the background. That was awesome. A little motion out of the corner of my eye, some noise, but nothing structured in a way I cared about. Loud reality shows about mechanical stuff were my noise-companion. I could just ignore them. Music is full of struc…

Yes, music is more distracting than people think. Its effects can be subtle: it engages your creative brain, so you end up working like crazy, only to notice afterwards that the work was not needed at all (there was a better solution, but your creative abilities were busy processing music). Don't listen to music while doing creative work. Use noise, like sounds of the sea (I use an app called "Naturespace" for high-q…

that's an overly hard and fast rule. i find that instrumental electronic music is amazing for work. it focuses rather than distracts, providing nice mental bumpers. i actually can't stand unnatural or played back sounds of the sea or nature and other such sounds, as i find it too distracting. it doesn't provide any focusing structure and allows my mind to wonder and relax.

and people complaining about headphones don't buy the right ones. i use beyerdynamic headphones and could wear them all day.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#234

Post by jimmy1 »

s73v3r_ wrote: post #230
jimmy1 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here I feel the need to share what I feel like is my ultimate setup: put in earplugs first, then cover with sound deadening/isolating headphones, finally play white noise. I don't hear shit. Added bonus: put your chair and feet on a mat with vibration deadening material such as sorbothane, so you don't even feel people walk by. Next I am planning on experimenting putting up a tri-fold poster board to block out visual…

It seems absolutely ridiculous that we have been forced to such lengths just to get some quiet working space.

It absolutely is, but I am a firm believer in not worrying about things I cannot change, and focusing on things I can change, I guess. If I think about how absurd it is, I just get mad and can't focus.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#235

Post by [deleted] »

beat wrote: post #212
bstar77 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My solution was to buy a pair of headphones with good sound isolation. The building could be burning down and I'd wouldn't give a shit.

I find it difficult to work while wearing headphones. Music is very distracting. I just spent two and a half years working from home, where I could leave the tv on in the background. That was awesome. A little motion out of the corner of my eye, some noise, but nothing structured in a way I cared about. Loud reality shows about mechanical stuff were my noise-companion. I could just ignore them. Music is full of struc…

[deleted]

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#236

Post by rsynnott »

dithering wrote: post #143
rsynnott wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are at least two separate issues here; some countries have health and safety laws requiring natural light, while others require natural light in newly-built offices (as a condition of planning etc). Can you build an office in London these days that doesn't have natural light in the main spaces? I'd be sceptical.

Old building. Managed offices, completely gutted internally last year. I don't know if that wound count as new build. Probably not.

No, definitely not. You get away with all sorts of things with a sufficiently old building.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#237

Post by Timmah »

dijit wrote: post #210
Sileni wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will never work in an open plan building again. It left me absolutely brain dead and begging the clock to go faster because I couldn't think at work anyway.

I'm with you, it's like my brain turns off when I'm there, no amount of noise-cancelling headphones can stop me noticing movements in my periphery or the feeling of possible immediate jarring interruptions if I have my back to the room. I get all my day-work done in the evening, when I'm in the office I just browse reddit or read HN because; unless I'm in a meeting or talking to a colleague- I cannot possibly be prod…

> no amount of noise-cancelling headphones can stop me noticing movements in my periphery

Or the shaking of the floor. I worked in a "modern" high-rise of a well known company with open offices and the floor felt like it was made of Ikea particle board skin of an under-floor giant African drum.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#238

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

l33tbro wrote: post #113

Currently working alone in my own windowless office in an almost completely windowless building. Compared to the previous 'open-plan' gig where I sat opposite opposite Jill-from-Comms and Sales-bro Bryan, it rules so hard. So yeah,"the #1 office perk" for me is not getting interrupted with inane shit every ten minutes.

How long have you been in the new office?

I felt the same for about 6 months. It's been a couple years now, and I am getting incredibly lonely and bored. Which is weird because I've never been a "social" person.

Even though my office is huge, it feels like hiding in a closet.

I often wonder why I even come in instead of working from home. All my collaboration with co-workers happens over email and screen sharing programs anyway.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#239

Post by amiga-workbench »

beat wrote: post #212
bstar77 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My solution was to buy a pair of headphones with good sound isolation. The building could be burning down and I'd wouldn't give a shit.

I find it difficult to work while wearing headphones. Music is very distracting. I just spent two and a half years working from home, where I could leave the tv on in the background. That was awesome. A little motion out of the corner of my eye, some noise, but nothing structured in a way I cared about. Loud reality shows about mechanical stuff were my noise-companion. I could just ignore them. Music is full of struc…

Depends on what you listen to, I listen to ambient or house music without any vocals or lyrics, it tunes out quite nicely.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#240

Post by xur17 »

jwr wrote: post #216
beat wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it difficult to work while wearing headphones. Music is very distracting. I just spent two and a half years working from home, where I could leave the tv on in the background. That was awesome. A little motion out of the corner of my eye, some noise, but nothing structured in a way I cared about. Loud reality shows about mechanical stuff were my noise-companion. I could just ignore them. Music is full of struc…

Yes, music is more distracting than people think. Its effects can be subtle: it engages your creative brain, so you end up working like crazy, only to notice afterwards that the work was not needed at all (there was a better solution, but your creative abilities were busy processing music). Don't listen to music while doing creative work. Use noise, like sounds of the sea (I use an app called "Naturespace" for high-q…

I find music to work best when I'm doing a semi-repetitive task, or if I've already designed the system, and I'm just writing it down. I've definitely noticed that it results in sub-optimal code if this is not the case.
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