Programmer Room Setup: A Complete Guide

The work of a programmer or software developer involves being seated at a desk for most of the day. It is important that the workstation is practical, ergonomic, and pleasant. Give your tech buddies something to talk about with the ultimate programmer room tour. If the perfect office setup is what you are after, here is a complete guide to a programmer room setup.

Ergonomic Office Chair

Chairs are often allocated the lowest budget when planning a programmer room setup. This should not be so. Ergonomic office chairs are blessings to programmers who spend long hours seated. The perfect chair for programmers has lumbar support that supports the inward curve of the lumbar region of the spine. Buy an ergonomic chair that has a headrest to take pressure off the head and neck, adjustable arm rests to relieve pressure off the arms, and a chair that is adjustable up and down. Good office chairs have breathable upholstery that is comfortable to sit on and prevents the buildup of bad odor. Investing in an ergonomic chair is a good programmer room idea.

The Best Ergonomic Chairs for Your Programmer Room Setup

Now that we have a clear understanding of why we need an ergonomic office chair and what factors we should take into consideration, we can now explore the best options for your programmer or developer workspace setup.

1. ErgoChair Pro

The ErgoChair Pro is a great choice for an office chair for your programmer setup as it offers lumber support, has a headrest, and offers a range of adjustability. It has a smooth recline, can hold up to 300 pounds, and comes with a two year warranty. The chair is made from eco-friendly, breathable mesh material, so it is comfortable to sit on and provides the correct support and durability. Finally, ErgoChair Pro comes in a range of colors and has a modern minimalist design with adjustable armrests.

2. ErgoChair Ultra

If you are looking for greater adjustability than the ErgoChair Pro, the right office chair for you is the ErgoChair Ultra. Like the ErgoChair Pro, the ErgoChair Ultra has a weight capacity of 300 pounds and is made from breathable mesh material. It allows even more adjustability than the ErgoChair Pro because it has 11 lockable positions. The ErgoChair Ultra provides lumbar support that adapts to your body, so it really does not get better than that when looking for great lumbar support. It has a wonderfully modern design and would make a noteworthy addition to your workspace.

Now that you know which office chairs are best suited for your programmer or developer setup, we can move on to the next essential item for your developer workspace setup: the standing desk.

Standing Desk

The perfect programmer desk is a standing desk. Standing desks are adjustable to allow you to adjust the height to work more comfortably while standing. To enjoy the full benefits of a standing desk, ensure that you split your time between sitting and standing 50/50. Making use of a standing desk can provide many health benefits.

Health Benefits of Standing Desk

1. Standing Desks Lower Your Risk of Weight Gain

Alternating between sitting and standing improves blood flow and engages the core, glutes, and leg muscles in programmer room setup. It also allows your muscles to stretch and prevents them from remaining sedentary all day. Sitting means that no calories are being burned and eating throughout the day means that more calories are being consumed than are being burned. This is what leads to weight gain. In contrast, spending the same time standing burns calories because your muscles are being used to hold you upright.

2. Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

Remaining sedentary after meals has been proven to impact your sugar levels negatively. Standing regularly throughout the day, especially after meals, could reduce your sugar levels by 11%.

3. Prevents Back Pain

Standing prevents back pain that can be brought about by sitting for long periods of time. Poor posture when sitting can compress the discs on your spine and cause chronic pain in your lower back. An office standing desk can prevent this from happening.

4. Increases Productivity

Contrary to popular belief, working while standing can improve productivity. It may seem difficult to type on a computer keyboard while standing and it does take some getting used to but working while standing can increase productivity because it improves blood flow.

5. Standing Desks can Help Improve Your Mood and Energy Levels

Did you know that standing desks in programmer room setup can also have a good impact on your mental health? High sedentary time has been linked to an increase in both depression and anxiety. Working while standing reduces stress levels and fatigue, improving overall mood.

6. Decreased Risk of Heart Disease

Spending more time on your feet has been linked to a reduction in the risk of heart disease as it improves blood flow to your body. Sitting makes it difficult for your body to metabolize fat, which means that the fat gets stored. This puts you at risk for insulin resistance and diabetes, which both increase your risk of heart disease.

7. Standing Desks Increase the Lifespan of Programmers

Those who spend most of their day seated are 49% more likely to die early than those who do not. This is because remaining seated all day has been linked to many diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Taking into consideration the health benefits standing desks provide, no programmer workstation would be complete without a high-quality standing desk.

The Three Best Desks for Your Programmer Room Setup

A programmer’s desk also needs to be longer than a traditional office desk because it needs to accommodate two or more monitors, an audio setup, keyboard and mouse among other tech devices. Programmer desks must be adjustable, practical, and add aesthetic value to the room. Here are three office standing desks that are highly recommended for programmers and software developers.

1. SmartDesk 2 (Standard)

The SmartDesk 2 (Standard) is height adjustable, allowing you to work comfortably while standing or sitting. It has four programmable settings and can lift 290 pounds easily. It has a sturdy steel frame and an electric dual motor. The SmartDesk 2 (Standard) comes in a regular and extra-large size so you can select one that is best suited to your needs. It also comes in a range of colors and is available in three finishes. Additionally, it comes with a five-year warranty and has a modern sleek look that would add value to your workspace. This is a great choice for programmer room setup if you are starting out as a programmer or want to keep your workspace as minimalistic as possible.

2. SmartDesk 2

The SmartDesk 2 has a greater range of adjustability than the SmartDesk 2 (Standard). If you are taller than the average person, this may be the perfect desk for you. With a seven-year warranty, the SmartDesk 2 has an upgraded dual motor and can lift 350 pounds. It is also a lot quieter than the SmartDesk 2 (Standard), emitting only 40 decibels of sound. This is good if you are the kind of person who is easily disrupted by noise while working. The SmartDesk 2 is available in a range of colors and finishes, and like the other desks in this range, has a modern appeal.

3. SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped

If you need extra space to store additional tech items, the L-shaped SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped is the one for you. It is a corner standing desk with modular segments to help you achieve the perfect fit, has a whisper quiet triple motor, and offers twice the space than the SmartDesk 2 and SmartDesk 2 (Standard). With a five-year warranty and good height adjustment range, the SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped is the ultimate standing desk for your programmer workstation setup.

Corner standing desks make working with tech items much easier in your coding room setup as it provides ample space to store printers and additional writing material for note taking, putting everything within arm’s reach. This saves you the hassle of having to leave your desk or dig through drawers to get the things you need. Corner desks make efficient use of the space available in programmer room setup to provide you with the most workspace without bombarding your space with excess furniture.

Other Things to Be Mindful of When Setting Up Your Workspace

Office furniture is an integral part of setting up an ergonomic workspace for programmers. It is not the only thing that you need to take into consideration, however. There are other factors and productivity tools for programmers that may be helpful in keeping you focused and providing the right support for you. Here are other programmer room ideas to consider.

1. Lighting

Programmers spend a great deal of time staring into screens. It is important that adequate lighting is available to prevent damage to the eyes due to poor lighting. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind when choosing your lighting and a perfect LED desk lamp for your programmer room setup.

Glare

When light bounces off a computer screen, it can create glare. Glare is harmful to your eyes because it puts the eye under pressure to accommodate for the excess brightness and can cause damage to your eyes over time. This can be corrected by selecting lighting that has correctors and diffusers. These reduce the glare and decrease the pressure on your eyes, which is crucial for people who spend most of their time on the computer.

Color Temperature

Choose warmer colors to make your coding room setup feel more homely. Bluish white light is like the light from your computer screen so you should opt for more yellowish tones to dull the light from your computer screen.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is lighting that is more focused and can help to illuminate your desk at a particular place. This is helpful if you are working with paperwork at night and the room lighting is insufficient.

2. Plants

Plants are useful to have in your office because they add a pop of color. But did you know that having plants in your office has several health benefits?

Clean Air

The most obvious health benefit is that plants clean the air by replacing carbon dioxide with oxygen. They are also great at removing other harmful chemicals from the air in programmer room setup such as formaldehyde, a gas produced naturally by all life forms. Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to the formation of cancer cells.

Calming Effect

The color green is said to have a calming effect, so the addition of plants to your workspace can help reduce stress levels.

Reduce the Rate of Illness

Office desk plants reduce the rate of illness by absorbing toxins in the air that promote the growth of harmful bacteria and viruses.

Noise Reduction

Another benefit of including plants in your workspace is noise reduction. Plants absorb sound and help to reduce noise levels in your place of work.

Makes Your Space More Inviting

The addition of greenery in your workspace makes your workstation more attractive and inviting, making it a place you want to spend time in.

3. Desk Pad

Another item in programmer room setup that is popular among programmers is the addition of a desk pad to their workspace. It adds color to your desk and keeps the desk clean from spills or stains. It can also prevent your keyboard from moving around while you work.

4. Organizational Tools

Now that you have finalized your coding room setup, investing in productivity tools for programmers is imperative in remaining focused and organized while coding. There are several software tools on the market, such as Habitica, Evernote, Trello, and Google calendar. Investing in a physical calendar can be useful if you are the kind of person who retains memory upon physically writing things down on paper. You can also opt for a pinboard or white board to keep yourself organized.

For more details on essential tech gadgets and other essential additions to your office setup, check out this article entitled: “Developer Desk Essentials: What you need at your workstation”.

Final Thoughts

Knowing what to look for in office furniture for your programmer room setup can ensure that your office is ergonomic and keeps you healthy while helping you be productive. Now that you have options for the perfect standing desk and ergonomic chair, you can make informed decisions and populate your programmer office space with items that add value and a modern flair to your workspace.