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Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

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Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#31

Post by dindresto »

kaybe wrote: post #25
cpach wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had no idea that erasable ink (for fountain pens) is a thing. That’s awesome!

You're going to need this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ink_eraser (We called it 'ink killer' in school, you were however not allowed to use it the first few years after switching to ink from pencil.) addendum: And you can get ballpens with the ink as well.

I highly disliked them, the result always looked off to me. At some point in school, I reverted to just striking through everything.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#32

Post by csomar »

I have switched from working in bedroom, to working in a dedicated office, to working in a co-working space, to working from home in a dedicated office.

1. Working from the bedroom is hell. It's fun for the first few months but then you are likely to have severe eye strain and become very sleepy.

2. Working from a real office sets boundaries and forces a schedule. You have to wake up at xx:xx time and drive to office. But traffic for a downtown area is hell, so is finding a parking spot, finding a reasonable place to eat, etc... After a while, I got bored of the fact that there is little human communication since I was alone in the office. Also, I thought about all the time I wasted commuting to the office.

3. Working from a co-working space was a boost for the first 2-3 months then downhill. I need multiple monitors, my own whiteboard, where to put stuff, etc... It's not very sustainable. And everyone seeing what you were working on was not really for me.

4. Working from a dedicated office in my apartment was a good change; but after 1.5 years, I feel like I have become super-lazy to do any going outside and more likely to instead go to the bedroom for a quick nap.

I'm thinking now of renting an office but instead in the residential area I live in (think 2-5 minutes drive, 10 max). That should be the best of both worlds; though my only concern is that the residential area is super sleepy and it might affect my mood.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#33

Post by mhd »

chrisseaton wrote: post #8
globular-toast wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty unhealthy to spend 90% of your time in one room. For me, the bedroom is for sleeping and sex only. No work happens in there. When I work from home I get dressed like normal and go to my study. Then I'm in work mode.

I guess some young people don't have any other space - perhaps literally if they share a house.

Studio apartments aren't a thing anymore? Pretty common in Europe and AFAIK not entirely unknown in high-rent Metropolitan areas worldwide (NYC, Tokyo etc.)

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#34

Post by 7839284023 »

bschwindHN wrote: post #19
petargyurov wrote: post #5

> Buy a whiteboard and write the goals for the day on it, for instance As a solo dev the biggest productivity booster for me, from a physical and mental aspect, was purchasing a whiteboard. It honestly feels like some sort of hack. Prior to having one I would use pen and paper but that didn't quite scratch my itch - if I made a mistake I would have to scribble it out and that space was now wasted. I can't quite expla…

The Frixion pens they sell in Japan are incredible for this. They're truly erasable, not like the shitty ones I remember from my childhood. The multi-color pens are especially useful. All the fun of brainstorming and erasability, without the bad smells and imprecise lines of whiteboard markers. http://www.frixion.jp/lineup/work.html?pid=product_ball-3-sl...

I would never use those to write something important in a notebook. I did this and left it in my bag, the sun shone on the bag and because of the heat most of my notes got erased. Well because friction = heat, so it was the same thing.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#35

Post by mxschumacher »

csomar wrote: post #32

I have switched from working in bedroom, to working in a dedicated office, to working in a co-working space, to working from home in a dedicated office. 1. Working from the bedroom is hell. It's fun for the first few months but then you are likely to have severe eye strain and become very sleepy. 2. Working from a real office sets boundaries and forces a schedule. You have to wake up at xx:xx time and drive to office…

Do you exercise on a regular basis and do you have sufficient in-person social contact?

The trade-offs you describe ring true to me, I'm in a similar situation. I'm not sure changing your office will be a permanent solution for you.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#37

Post by jamil7 »

csomar wrote: post #32

I have switched from working in bedroom, to working in a dedicated office, to working in a co-working space, to working from home in a dedicated office. 1. Working from the bedroom is hell. It's fun for the first few months but then you are likely to have severe eye strain and become very sleepy. 2. Working from a real office sets boundaries and forces a schedule. You have to wake up at xx:xx time and drive to office…

I moved to doing basically what you suggest at the end and would highly recommend it. I rent space in a shared office about 10 minutes walk from my apartment. I still have a desk and monitor at home if I ever feel like working there too.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#38

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

vicmiclovich wrote: post #15
globular-toast wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My PhD supervisor had me do all my writing in pencil. I still do it to this day. Being able to erase is great, but I prefer the permanence and limitless space of paper.

I too still use pencil and paper

I have an absolutely huge project folder split into hundreds of topics, and a master ToDo in Excel used as a kind of Kanban/white board, with development notes in Word.

It's clumsy AF - the Excel part works, the Word part could be better - but it's a working solution of sorts, with everything synced across all my devices so I can make some notes on my Macbook while out and then pick up the thread at my desk later.

I tried all the usual alternatives - Trello, Org Mode, paper notebooks, real white boards, and so on - and so far this is the most productive.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#39

Post by Drakar1903 »

colechristensen wrote: post #18
superbrane wrote: post #14

Here's another angle - not saying it's correct, just different. Why would you want to perfect working from your bedroom? It's ok to WFH for a while, but i would not recommend perfecting it long term. As a human being you should be looking to interact and socialize with other humans, in person, as well - this makes us better humans, more empathetic, more understanding to the needs and pains of others.

During my worst commute I was spending 4.5 hours traveling to and from work each day. A long day at work meant doing nothing but work, travel, and sleep and still being deprived of sleep. I didn't last six months, and I have no family or anyone to depend on me. When I worked from home I lived in a difficult climate which became overly pleasant. The worst snow storm didn't bother me in the slightest, if I didn't feel…

Anything close to an hour would have me thinking about moving closer.

On that note, I don't know if there's any research to it, but I feel like commute is an exponentially increasing nuisance. To illustrate: Moving from a 15 minutes commute to a 20 minutes commute will bring me less irritation than moving from a 55 minutes -> 60 minutes commute.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#40

Post by fsajkdnjk »

csomar wrote: post #32

I have switched from working in bedroom, to working in a dedicated office, to working in a co-working space, to working from home in a dedicated office. 1. Working from the bedroom is hell. It's fun for the first few months but then you are likely to have severe eye strain and become very sleepy. 2. Working from a real office sets boundaries and forces a schedule. You have to wake up at xx:xx time and drive to office…

The best for me was working out of co-working space BUT not the one you imagine. It was actually from an office of a company I worked for before. About 5 people, modern, spacious, 15 minutes walking distance from my home. Literally not a single con. I just paid for my old desk space and that was it. I always suggest people to do the same - don't go to dedicated co-working space. I never understood that concept. Try to find a company that would rent you out a desk, in a walking distance from your home. Ideally with 24/7 access ass well. I had my screen there and only carried my notebook. Unfortunately after years, the moved to smaller space and there was no space for me, which sucks. I haven't worked outside home since :(
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