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Comment by novok | Hacker News Reader

I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding.

Also you get more total workout by just going outside on a 30m walk, not to mention all the benefits of sunlight. Now I just do walks and explicit exercising vs. the fence sitting that is a treadmill walking desk.

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"Free up" brain power: I turn off the radio when I need to focus driving on the road (e.g. traffic, rain, snow)

It sounds absurds. But I think some may do the same.

It is not absurd. There's a reason why people lower the volume to park their car.

> "Free up" brain power

Same. When I have to seriously think about the code I'm writing - I stop the music. I think that goes against a lot of people who continuously jam music while writing code.

I don't mind music when the work is mundane, but I fucking hate needing to have something playing to drown out the sounds of people around me when I need to really think (best done in silence or with cafe noise for me). I honestly don't know how people actually do hard things in an office.

> I honestly don't know how people actually do hard things in an office.

I close the door.

What is "door"?

This movable thing I have separating my office from the hallway.

> What is "door"?

A meeting room or a phone booth generally has a door :-)

Phone booth... ha.

Kids may only see these in classic media like the matrix, dr who or the original superman.

This guy codes.

White (or brown) noise!

3M - Peltor earmuffs/noise cancellers. I got two pairs of them, one next to the desk, one next to the bed. Anytime there is any noise that I cannot control, I put these on and (almost) everything goes away. After 30 seconds I only hear my heartbeat, and that 'goes away' after 1-2 minutes giving me (almost) total silence.

At $20, it is the best one I've tried. It is not 'active' (mic filtering & speakers), it just has good foam tech.

(not a ref link) https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Optime-Earmuff-H10A/dp/B007...

If you get used to the 'weight' (not that much) they are also great for your meditation time.

Oh, I tried these last year. I'm glad they work for you and I'm sure for others, but it didn't work for me. The size took a little getting used to in an office, but that was fine. They just didn't work to completely remove the eating sounds that my coworker was making on our code assembly line.

3M classic superfit 33 earplugs (33 nrr) are comfortable and quiet. I buy a box of 250 and it lasts me forever.

Good to know. I've tried other construction style 3M earmuffs that didn't come close to doing the trick.

I have to have total silence as well when seeking complete focus.

I usually have music playing when I work, but when I leave the zone I often realise for the last 30 minutes I had headphones on for no reason, as the playlist finished :-)

I also do this. In particularly treacherous stretches of road or in unfamiliar areas I turn off the music.

Only on well-worn commutes do I feel free to blast the radio.

My experience was the same. I ended up standing on a balance board at my stand-up desk. This strengthened my core and helped me to be more alert without actively distracting me.

And yes, this should be a supplement and not a substitute for outdoor activity, normal cardio and strength training, stretching, etc.

It’s the same for me except if I’m talking. When I present or have long conversations, my body automatically starts walking, and the more I walk the more I can focus on the conversation. It’s unreal, but it absolutely works. I end up pacing all over the house (thank goodness for wireless headsets) for hours. I have not found yet a way to reconcile this with the need for notes and screen when I present remotely, but for anything else it’s a great help.

We had student surveys at university, and one professor was admired for his leg work during lecture :-)

I think how well you can get "into the zone" while being physically active depends partly on how physically active you are to be begin with. If your body is not used to cycling or walking on a treadmill, then you're going to find it difficult to multitask when doing that activity.

I have used a bike desk for more than a decade. I have no difficulty getting into the zone; in fact, I find the rhythmic motion actually helps.

You can get far more exercise while you work than you can in your free time, simply because time spent working > available free time for most people. It all depends on how long and how much you exert yourself. Based on my desk's power meter, I burn about 1200 calories/day while I work.

A 30 meter walk doesn't even get me to the door!

30 minutes ;)

m = meters

min = minutes

:-)

Humble brag. In NYC it gets you around the block twice!

What tiny block in NYC do you live?

I’ve got a treadmill walking desk - two, actually. I’m in a bit of a unique situation where I do two types of jobs on my computer. I do both photography and some development. I can do all my photography tasks while walking at a fairly slow pace, 2mph or so. I’ll often walk 4 or 5 hours a day. I can’t, however, concentrate on an audiobook at the same time while culling photos. Editing and retouching are so automatic I can do all three.

Programming though? Only if I’m doing something I know how to do fairly well I can walk. That’s pretty rare due to how little time I can commit to coding.

In either situation it keeps me more awake and energized, even if I can’t concentrate as well.

When I was coding, I could only listen to (soft) music when I was doing the visuals (colors, buttons, screens). At the time of writing code I would require absolute silence (noise cancallers I mentioned on another comment further up).

I took up Dance Dance Revolution again, which I used to be into in high school. I thought I "couldn't do it anymore" but it just took several weeks before I was conditioned enough to not be in pain the next few days.

I love DDR and would love to play, but all my mats are destroyed!

There’s a company called L-Tek in Poland that’s making pretty sturdy ones out of wood and sheet metal. After shipping and everything it worked out to like $350. Not too bad if you’re serious about it.

That's a bit impractical atm, but good to know there's still some kind of market for that.

There’s a study out there that Dr. Edell used to talk about.

It compared the mood of treadmill vs. outside walking.

Outside was perfected by a lot.

(I miss Dr. Edell. I thought someone would replace him, but no.)

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