If you ask most developers once they like better to work ,many will say their most efficient hours are at night.This may be very true for open source contributors who are contributing to projects outside of their day job.
some like to start in the evening and work till the early hours while others get up super early-say 5.a.m -to get most of the programming work done before the daily grind kicks in
this work habit may make many developers appear to be oddballs and misfits .However there are quite few reasons why numerous programmers like better to work during the odd hours .
The maker's schedule
according to Paul graham ,people who produce stuff tend to adhere to the maker schedule they prefer to use time in units of a half day or longer. in fact most developers have the same preference.
for one thing developers work on large abstract systems and wish the mental space to process a model in its entirety .Having their schedules sliced into 15 to 30 minute chunks for emails meeting phone calls and interruptions from co-workers is simply counterproductive
For another, its often not possible to program effectively in units of an hours ,that's barely enough time to wrap your head around the task at hand and get started .
Programming is additionally adversely suffering from context switching by performing at night developers can avoid as many distractions as possible without the constant barrage of interruptions they will spend a few solid hours focusing on the task at hand and be as productive as possible.
The peaceful quiet
with the background noise of various activities (e.g -traffic on the street, office chatter) mostly absent at night or in the early hours,many programmers experience a sense of relaxation this allows them to be more creative and productive -especially when tacking mentally tasks such as coding.The solitude and peacefulness ,Pius knowing that they will have a couple of uninterrupted hours often take the strain and time pressure related to a daytime work schedule off their shoulders allowing them to supply higher quality work .
Communication
Developers working on open source projects can have a different communication cadence than a programmer working in-house at a company .Most of the time other programmers are in different countries and time zones,so different language also must important
The sleepy brain
This may sound counteractive but because the day wears on the brain gets tired enough so it can only specialise in one task .This essentially eliminates multitasking which is a major hurdle to staying focused on a single task. this essentially eliminates multitasking ,which may be a major hurdle to staying focused and productive .But with a sleepy brain you cant afford to not stay focused .
Flexible and creative thinking
According to Brant Hasler ,assistant professor of psychiatry at the university of Pittsburgh school of medicine ,"with less of that top-down control and cognitive inhibition the Brian might be freed up for more easily ." Combined with the positive mood made possible by a more relaxed environment ,developers can come up with innovation ideas more easily.
Bright computer screens
the sleep cycle of the many programmers is delayed because they appear at bright screens all day. The blue light from computer screens disrupts our circadian rhythm by delaying the release of sleep inducing melatonin ,increasing alertness,and resetting the body's internal clock to later schedule.AS a result ,developers tend to go to bed later and later.
influence from the past
in the past most developers worked at night out of necessity because shared servers didn't have the computing power to support programming work while everyone else in the company in using the servers during the day .Developers needed to wait until late at night to perform tasks that weren't feasible during the day such as testing projects ,running extensive,code -compile-run-debug cycles and deploying new codes .Even through servers are more powerful now and most can support the demand the trend to work at night continues as part of the culture
Final thoughts
while there are many reasons why developers prefer to work at night,keep in mind that being a night owl doesn't means you should skimp on sleep. Lack of sleep leads to stress and anxiety and ultimately ,burnout.no matter what your schedule is, make sure to give your Brian the rest it needs so you can be on your game and as productive as possible- all day ,every day !


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