You got the programming fatigue?

#1

Post by eintnohick » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 3:00 AM UTC

I've recently started programming a new startup of mine full time and found that I am severely limited to how much work I can do because of physical fatigue - notably eye strain (pain) and wrist pain (carpel tunnel).

I have started wearing wrists braces on each hand to help with the wrist pain and that helps. And for my eyes I often wear polarized sunglasses and switch between staring at my laptop screen and hooking it up to my LCD TV.

I guess I'm kind of wondering if you guys have the same problems or if I'm sitting on the computer way to much. Also, what do you guys do to minimize, eliminate such physical problems like this?

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#2

Post by windsurfer » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 3:12 AM UTC

I find that a nice looking font face helps loads. A large, sub-pixel smoothed font is wonderful on the eyes. And nice relaxing colours help too. I keep my terminal on a salmon-y colour text on a dark grey background.

As for the wrists: invest in a good chair and use Vi :)

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#3

Post by olliesaunders » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 3:33 AM UTC

If your injuring yourself by using the computer where others aren't there's something about you, or the way you're using the computer that's causing you injury.

The best advice I've found is to just check, every 10 minutes or so, am I comfortable? How could I relax? Ask these questions of your fingers, wrists, arms, elbows, back, neck etc. Sit correctly (google for advice on that) but don't be tense.

I also found the Alexander Technique quite useful " rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_technique>.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#4

Post by seanb » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 3:49 AM UTC

Unless it has been diagnosed as carpel tunnel syndrome, I would guess that the wrist pain is actually a more general "repetitive stress injury" (RSI). Proper posture helps a lot for this, as does taking regular mini-breaks to let your wrists rest. Software RSI break timers help; I use AntiRSI on my mac. The idea is to let your arms hang down for 10 seconds or so every 5-10 minutes. Take longer breaks regularly, and stretch your wrists, arms and shoulders.

Google 'RSI wrist stretches' (or exercises), etc. The book "It's not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory & Therapy for Computer Professionals" is highly praised, but I haven't read it personally.

I've found that a trackball is much easier on my wrist when I'm forced to do any mousing. The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 helped too, but I couldn't stand the space bar's noise and action -- it's worth looking into a more friendly keyboard anyway.

Edit: As for eye strain, try to focus on something in the distance while you're letting your wrists rest. Human eyes aren't particularly well suited for focusing close-up for long periods of time, so you should let them relax once in a while.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#5

Post by Osmose » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 3:55 AM UTC

A lot of people keep their hands at the keyboard for long periods of time; excessive use of keyboard shortcuts keeps you in the same position for longer. I find that typing in bursts works better for me; I hold my chin, lean back, etc. while I ponder what to code next. Rather than keeping your wrist in the same position a lot, it gets to flex and move around.

I had a lot more pain while coding at home because I would sit at the computer more often, but when working at an office, I have to get up and talk to people more often, and it really makes a difference.

As for eye strain, getting a dark color layout for your code editor of choice and keeping most of your GUI dark helps. Black text on a white background is like staring into a lightbulb.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#6

Post by firefoxman1 » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 4:00 AM UTC

I found these wrist stretches very helpful: http://www.fitsugar.com/309088 I also read somewhere that staring at a computer screen for a long period of time weakens the eyes. It suggested that every 20 minutes you should get out of your seat and walk around, concentrating on objects different distances away. Also, make sure you maintain good posture when sitting at the computer.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#7

Post by sowbug » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 4:11 AM UTC

If you just started a new job, it's likely you also changed your work layout. Ergonomics can make a big difference.

In my case, I eventually figured out that I need my desk at a specific height. Being even an inch off causes burning and tingling in my arms after a couple days. So every time I move offices, step 1 is adjusting the desk height.

On the eye strain, have you switched monitor brands or OSes with your new job? Small things like color temperature or type of LCD subpixel rendering can take a while to get used to. One configuration isn't inherently better than another; it's just novel and different, and your eyes might be doing a little extra work recognizing slightly different glyphs on the screen. If this is the cause, then the discomfort should go away soon.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#8

Post by GeneralMaximus » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 4:13 AM UTC

Osmose wrote: post #5

A lot of people keep their hands at the keyboard for long periods of time; excessive use of keyboard shortcuts keeps you in the same position for longer. I find that typing in bursts works better for me; I hold my chin, lean back, etc. while I ponder what to code next. Rather than keeping your wrist in the same position a lot, it gets to flex and move around. I had a lot more pain while coding at home because I would…

May I suggest Zenburn? It has to be one of the most beautiful and comfortable color schemes out there. Available for both Emacs, Vim and a host of other editors/IDEs.

http://slinky.imukuppi.org/zenburnpage/

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#9

Post by bengtan » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 4:15 AM UTC

I use Workrave ... http://www.workrave.org/welcome to periodically force myself to take short breaks.

Re: You got the programming fatigue?

#10

Post by GeneralMaximus » Sat, Aug 01, 2009, 4:23 AM UTC

Physical pain is to be expected when you work on a laptop. I use my PC for long hours without any kind of discomfort, but working on the MacBook for even a few hours tires me out. Here is what I suggest:

1. Try using a desktop computer, if you can.

2. If you can't use a desktop, get a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse for your laptop. Use this setup when you're coding at home.

3. Learn and use Emacs or Vim. They're seriously better on the wrists. If you cannot invest time in one of these editors, learn whatever editor you're using right now properly. Make use of keyboard shortcuts whenever possible, and avoid the mouse/trackpad like the plague.

4. Use a dark color scheme in your editor and make it fullscreen. You won't believe how much cognitive strain it eliminates until you've tried it.

5. If you're using Windows, use the Windows Classic theme. On Linux, try using whatever monochrome theme you can find. The Mac already has a monochrome theme. Staring at wild colors and funky visual effects makes you feel tired. Eliminate these distractions.

Just this much for now :)