Getting enough sleep is the most important factor in productivity for programming or other "brain" work. Caffeine is not a real substitute for sleep.
When and whether to take in caffeine depends somewhat on your own situation. I am not a morning person. Morning caffeine helps a great deal as far as getting into the correct mindset, and I end up drinking a few cups of French press (or a double espresso) in the mornings and don't usually need to take any for the rest of the day. I sometimes take tea in the afternoon, but some of that is because I enjoy the break rather than a need to manage alertness.
I also worked previously at a company where half of the programmers would take an actual 30-60 minute lunch together everyday and this break in the middle did alot to help both the desire to be at work and actual productivity as there was rarely an "afternoon slump."
IMO, the best way to ensure productivity is to get enough sleep and take small regular breaks of ~5-10 mins every couple of hours, whether to get coffee/tea or just a drink of water and a short walk. A lunch break is also good if you can manage it. The mind works more efficiently if you don't force it to tackle too much at a time. Stepping away from the screen for a few minutes and just walking lets your conscious mind rest while still letting subconscious mind work on the problem.
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Getting enough sleep is the most important factor in productivity for programming or other "brain" work. Caffeine is not a real substitute for sleep.
When and whether to take in caffeine depends somewhat on your own situation. I am not a morning person. Morning caffeine helps a great deal as far as getting into the correct mindset, and I end up drinking a few cups of French press (or a double espresso) in the mornings and don't usually need to take any for the rest of the day. I sometimes take tea in the afternoon, but some of that is because I enjoy the break rather than a need to manage alertness.
I also worked previously at a company where half of the programmers would take an actual 30-60 minute lunch together everyday and this break in the middle did alot to help both the desire to be at work and actual productivity as there was rarely an "afternoon slump."
IMO, the best way to ensure productivity is to get enough sleep and take small regular breaks of ~5-10 mins every couple of hours, whether to get coffee/tea or just a drink of water and a short walk. A lunch break is also good if you can manage it. The mind works more efficiently if you don't force it to tackle too much at a time. Stepping away from the screen for a few minutes and just walking lets your conscious mind rest while still letting subconscious mind work on the problem.