
Ask HN: What is the best seating for productivity? - woriuweflksdncn
What kind of seating do you find best for studying, programming, or general computer work? I&#x27;m not necessarily looking for specific products, but more like features, sitting positions, etc. I know ergonomics is a big field, but I couldn&#x27;t find much about this particular topic. Personally, I like sitting in a reclined position for long sessions on a laptop. I haven&#x27;t experimented with one yet, but I&#x27;ve been anxious to try using an over-bed desk&#x2F;table like you see in hospitals. What do you use? Do you know of any research in this area?
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gregjor
I guess it depends on what you mean by “productivity.” If that comes from
quantity of typing you can optimize for that. 90% of my productive work
happens in my head, maybe while laying on the sofa, maybe when out for a walk.
I doubt my chair has much to do with it.

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woriuweflksdncn
I agree, I probably do my best thinking while not staring at a screen. But I'm
asking about seating for work that requires a computer.

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gregjor
In my several decades of experience sitting at desks writing code and staring
at screens, I’ve found desks and chairs fall into two groups: ok and
miserable. If I can sit comfortably for a couple of hours I feel productive. I
don’t believe a different chair or keyboard setup would give me a 10X
improvement, or even 2X. With so many other ways to improve my productivity —
including not sitting at a desk for too long — changing my seating position or
typing setups falls way down on the list of things I would experiment with.

Anecdotally I’ve worked with a few people who spent a lot of time optimizing
their work environment, and even more time telling everyone about it and
making unsupported claims about their greatly enhanced productivity. I have
not seen any actual evidence to support those claims, just evidence that they
had found something to do other than their job, like getting a treadmill desk
at work.

