Everyone’s got their own rubric for how they spend their money, but if you pass the lion’s share of your day at a desk and on a computer, Microsoft employee Scott Hanselman firmly believes there are four B’s you should never skimp on.
- Brain: Invest in classes/experiences/books and other things that will challenge your brain.
- Bytes: You shouldn’t be wasting time staring at hourglasses and beachballs.
- Back: Get a good bed, try yoga or get some regular exercise that’ll keep your body in check.
- Buns: Spend some money on a good chair. He recommends, for example, an Aeron Chair (which this editor also uses and has never regretted purchasing).
You may be thinking, “yeah, must be nice to have a $700 office chair”, but it’s hard to argue with the logic he lays out. For example, regarding that chair and your “buns”:
We are talking about a chair that is going to be sat on while work is done for hours a day for at least a few years. Figure 50 weeks a year, for 3 years (at least) for 5 hours a day (because these are round numbers) that’s at least 1250 hours in the first year (and more likely much more) and 3750 if it lasts the 3. That’s a 19 cents an hour for a comfortable butt. Invest in your own arse.
Obviously, your purchases are contingent on how much money you’ve got in the bank, but nearly everything Hanselman has to say rings true for most office workers (despite the fact that his post is aimed at developers).
Hit up the full post at the link below, and whether you agree or not, let’s hear what you simply will not skimp on in the comments.
Brain, Byes, Back, and Buns – The Programmer’s Priorities [Scott Hanselman’s Computer Zen]
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