What is the most effective work rythm for a programmer?

Question

I was wondering what is the best work rhythm for the job a programmer does? I am coding all day long and sometimes I get stuck in a problem and it keeps me occupied a few hours before I realize that maybe I need a break.

Some say frequent and short brakes help you but sometimes when I am focused on a problem I feel like a break would not help, but rather loose my focus. So how often should a break be taken, and how long? The more basic question regarding this issue is comes from the fact that, you can get tons of "good ideas" ('promodo' for instance) on the net, that promise you will be more effective in whatever you do.

Are these principles good or, this is something everybody should decide for himself?
I wonder if any of them can accomplish what it promises! I mean what they promise is that (if the conditions are met) it works for everybody. Are there really such principles? And if there are, what are these and how can we find them?

Answer 1

Nothing is going to work for everyone, of course. I find that five minutes every hour is good for my eyes, legs and back. However if I am 'in the zone' at that point then it makes no sense for me to stop. If on the other hand I have spent the last hour staring fruitlessly at the same five lines of code then a break seems like a very smart idea - half the time the solution will be apparent on sitting back down again.

Answer 2

This is a very personal question. Not in the sense that it's rude to ask but that it varies significantly from person to person.

Like choosing a text editor or buying a car you need to pick the solution that works best with the way you are wired and your own experiences. Lately Pomodoro is popular: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/index.html this is a structured version of the short breaks you suggested. This would be my suggestion as to where to start.

Finally, don't be surprised to find this change. When I was really young I could sit still for an alarming number of hours working on my computer before realizing I had lost a day and was hungry. Now I require eye breaks and the occasional nap.

Answer 3

Don't force a long break if you are on a roll, in a groove, feelin' the beat, etc... But you should still get up to stretch the legs, arms, let your eyes look somewhere else lest they get tired and dry. I find the actual details of this vary from person to person. Find what works for you.

I used to use the Viking Reminder widget for Opera to remind me to stretch and move about every 1.25 hours (or so). I think Outlook can be programmed similarly, and there are probably tonnes of other utilites that do the same thing. Avoid using things like egg timers or beepers as they will likely irritate other nearby programmers whose personal break routine is timed differently from yours.