Ask HN: What is the best seating for productivity? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is the best seating for productivity?

What kind of seating do you find best for studying, programming, or general computer work? I'm not necessarily looking for specific products, but more like features, sitting positions, etc. I know ergonomics is a big field, but I couldn't find much about this particular topic. Personally, I like sitting in a reclined position for long sessions on a laptop. I haven't experimented with one yet, but I've been anxious to try using an over-bed desk/table like you see in hospitals. What do you use? Do you know of any research in this area?

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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.

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.

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.

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