The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light • Hacker News Board

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#241

Post by beat » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:10 PM UTC

nikofeyn wrote: post #233

jwr wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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'…

I can't wear even the Beyerdynamics for more than a couple of hours (I've owned them for years, they're excellent). My ears get too warm.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#242

Post by wrong_variable » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:11 PM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #81

matwood wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And I can't get enough natural light. I hate artificial light, and require windows anywhere I work. When the temperature is right, I even sit on my back porch to work. For me, sitting in the dark is depressing.

> For me, sitting in the dark is depressing. I feel much better in a dimly lit room. Not pitch black but a twilight kind of darkness. However, I am autistic so that may have something to do with it. I only recently realised this. Ever since I've lived on my own I kept my curtains closed and my room dimly lit, but I never made the link to my autism or sensory issues. It seems kind of obvious in hindsight. For some rea…

I understand how you feel, I do the same thing but most of my friends think someday I am going to shoot up a school or something.

To many people NOT socializing doesn't compute.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#243

Post by legohead » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:17 PM UTC

another-cuppa wrote: post #88

I think some comments are missing the point. I used to work in an office that definitely had "natural light" because it did have windows, but the view from the windows was basically just other grey buildings about 10 metres away. I now work in an office where I can look out and see grass, trees, and the sky, and it's much nicer.

How much does it improve your work experience? I have the same view, but we have all the window blinds closed because it's too much light, causes glare on people's monitors, etc.

Personally I'd much rather have free lunches or unlimited PTO.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#244

Post by wallflower » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:18 PM UTC

This is an unpopular opinion. You can train yourself to work in relatively noisy environments. The mind is plastic and adaptable. It is not going to happen right away. The first step is to not plug in your headphones when you go to a coffee shop. Enjoy the ambient chatter. Don't try to do any work. After a while, you may try reading a book or a newspaper. It is my belief that headphones can breed dependency on them to focus. Kind of like you may be anchoring your flow state to the simple act of donning your headphones. It might not work for you. Especially if you pre-decide it won't work. Remember the mind is a powerful tool. It may work for you if you start trying out life without headphones.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#245

Post by electricslpnsld » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:19 PM UTC

ss2003 wrote: post #193

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.

I (previously) had the worst of both worlds, sharing a windowless closet with 5 other people.

Sounds like our offices! No natural light, but open seating, but it is only 'open' in the sense that the workspace is in an open area, so we have assigned seats. My assigned seat happens to be about 6 feet from the men's bathroom... Also, the managers and high ups do have private offices, private office with glass walls that face into the open work area so they can watch everyone work all day. It is pretty sketchy!

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#246

Post by deathanatos » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:21 PM UTC

bstar77 wrote: post #199

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.

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 think most of us are aware that this solution exists. This just shouldn't even be a problem that requires solving.

It also doesn't solve having an actual conversation with someone else, which can be hard when you're competing with Sales-bro Bryan.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#247

Post by wafflesraccoon » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:22 PM UTC

taneq wrote: post #99

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…

I think it's interesting that the comments here seem almost universally in favour of bright natural lighting, when clearly there are plenty of people (at least in gamedev) who feel otherwise. I tend to prefer a dimly lit room and am perfectly happy with the only light being from my monitors. Then again as an ex-gamedev troglodyte I'm also happiest working from 3pm-1am...

I'm the same way, I currently sit near a huge window and I find that it is way too bright. I've had to put up shades to block the sun. My last job I sat in a dim room with only a small amount of ambient light and I loved it.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#248

Post by DenisM » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:26 PM UTC

thekingofh wrote: post #217

DenisM wrote: post #202

Rarely discussed is the fact that professional phography lighting has high CRI and is not that expensive. There are plenty of LED panels on Amazon that can be rigged to work as desk lights. Also, you can buy a professinal CRI meter so that you can get an idea of what you’re buying here. Outside LED there are also high-CRI CFL lights which are easier to fit into overhead lights compared to LED. Still they need to be m…

Can you explain what you mean? Is this similar to natural lighting somehow?

Photographers like their lighting to be as close to natural as possible for best pictures. They can tell the effect when taking pictures, they have measuring tools to understand the light before taking pictures, and they have equipment (bulbs, panels, etc) made to satisfy their use cases which they can actually evaluate for quality.

Light quality is generally measured in CRI (color rendering index), with 100 being sunlight. Best professional photo lights give you up to 97 CRI. I don't know how closely CRI reflects the biological effect of the sun light, but we sort of can judge it by proxy - CRI reflects photography requirements, which correlates with closeness to sun light spectrum, which correlates with biologically positive effects. Even being a proxy, this measuring ability is still vastly better anything we have for the "health" light which you can't really measure except in a control group study which none of us can do.

In practice I suggest going to Amazon and shopping for high-CRI lights, such as photography LED panels, about $100-$200 a pop. They're not big enough to light up a room, but they can light up your desk or maybe cubicle. I bought a few and the light is very, very pleasant. Alternatively shop for high-CRI CFL lights to replace the ceiling lights, those can light up the room. I haven't tried that yet though.

It might also be useful to buy a CRI meter so that you know where you stand. Expensive as they are, might be still worth it considering the benefits. Also maybe pool money with friends on this - you're not going to use it a whole lot.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#249

Post by tdsamardzhiev » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:29 PM UTC

Ugh, no. My eyes ask for a place as dark as possible, so I can use a white-on-black theme and lower my monitor's brightness all the way down.

The #1 office perk for me is silence. Game sudios are so noisy, holly cow!

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#250

Post by Broken_Hippo » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 4:29 PM UTC

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…

"Don't listen to music while doing creative work. Use noise, like sounds of the sea (I use an app called "Naturespace" for high-quality audio)."

This simply doesn't work for me. I understand it probably works for you: We are all a bit different. I find much of the "noise" (rain, seascapes, and so on) grating and annoying to the point that I don't want to finish anything creative. (I don't mind the real thing: I enjoy falling asleep when it is raining outside, for example, or hearing birds singing).

I'm also easily distracted by small sounds. A "quiet" library is full of shuffling, people dropping things, whispers, and so on.

However, drawing and painting to music of my choosing? Absolutely fantastic. I tend to choose things that are either instrumental or that actually use lyrics as part of the music instead of the music highlighting the lyrics. I'll even pick music depending on how I want to move when I draw or paint. If I want to create ideas or think? Stick on headphones and tune the world out. Perhaps go for a walk while doing so.

I tune in and out of the music, and that's fine. It tunes out basic noises: car and apartment doors and so on.