I Never Thought a Clothing Steamer Would Become Part of My Work Setup
If you walked into my study right now, you'd see a pile of things that perfectly match the identity of a programmer.
Three monitors.
Mechanical keyboard.
Height-adjustable desk.
Noise-canceling headphones.
There's always half a cup of cold coffee left in the coffee cup.
There's also a clothing steamer placed in the corner.
Believe me, this is definitely not something I would have bought a few years ago.
My thoughts used to be very simple.
Who cares what I wear, as long as I'm a programmer?
Reality gave me a harsh lesson.
My job isn't actually as "homebound" as people might imagine.
Many people think software engineers just sit around writing code every day.
Actually, writing code only makes up a part of the job.
What truly makes me feel exhausted is often not the code.
but a meeting.
Morning stand-up.
Lunchtime Product Review.
Afternoon Architecture Meeting.
I still need to sync with the U.S. team tonight.
Holding five or six video meetings a day is not at all an exaggeration.
Once, I had just fixed a bug in an online system.
He collapsed onto the chair, completely exhausted.
Slack suddenly popped up.
The customer will be online in ten minutes.
I glanced down at myself.
The freshly washed blue shirt was already wrinkled all over after sitting for so long.
Hair can still be styled.
The face can still be washed.
What should I do with the clothes?
You can't keep the camera turned off forever.
That day I realized for the first time.
Programmers aren't invisible.
It's just that no one ever told us before.
I bought a clothing steamer purely because I'm lazy.
Really.
Not because I suddenly started pursuing a refined lifestyle.
But because I'm too lazy.
Traditional irons have a magical ability.
Just having it sitting there takes away my motivation.
First, find the ironing board.
Plug in.
Wait for preheating.
Adjust the temperature.
Turn the clothes inside out.
Worried about getting burned.
I'm already thinking of giving up before the whole process has even started.
Programmers have a professional illness.
Any task that involves more than three steps automatically triggers the brain to start thinking:
Is there an automation solution?
A clothing steamer is, for me, the automated solution.
Hang it up.
Open.
Wait a few dozen seconds.
Start steaming.
Done.
The whole process is as simple as restarting your router.
The greatest enemy of a programmer is not bugs.
I'll be right back.
I wonder if you've ever had this experience.
The boss suddenly said:
Could you please turn on the camera?
You answered verbally:
Of course.
My mind had already begun frantically scanning the entire room.
Is the table messy?
Is there a sock in the background?
Am I wearing the same T-shirt as yesterday?
Oh, right.
The clothes are still wrinkled.
In the past, at times like this, I would quietly adjust the camera a little higher.
Only my head was visible.
Later, it turned out that using this trick too often would make your colleagues suspect you were living in the basement.
It's much easier now.
Two minutes before the meeting.
Hang up the shirt.
Run the steamer over it a couple of times.
Done.
I instantly looked more put together.
To be honest.
Others might not compliment you on how polished you look today.
But no one will be distracted by your clothes being wrinkled like a crumpled piece of paper.
That's enough.
The funniest time was attending a tech conference.
I attended a developer conference two years ago.
The suitcase was packed to the brim.
Open upon arrival at the hotel.
My white shirt, which I was going to wear for the speech the next day, looked like it had been through a wrestling match.
The hotel does have an iron.
The problem is—
No one told me where the ironing board was hidden.
I searched for a long time.
Finally found it at the very back of the closet.
It took twenty minutes to sort it out.
The shirt wasn't ironed properly.
The hotel carpet nearly made me kick over the iron.
Since then, the first small appliance I've packed in my suitcase for business trips has been a clothing steamer.
Light.
Space-saving.
Most importantly, there's no need to search for where the hotel has hidden the ironing board in some mysterious corner.
Programmers actually really like "taking shortcuts."
Many people think programmers enjoy tinkering.
Actually, it's the exact opposite.
People who have been writing code for a long time all share one common trait.
If you can save a step, never take two.
Automate whenever possible; never do it manually.
Life is the same.
Why do I like a clothing steamer?
Because it's not like doing a household chore.
More like casually completing a small task.
When the computer starts up.
When boiling water.
While brushing your teeth.
The shirt is ready to wear.
This feeling is especially comfortable.
Some clothes, I just don't bother ironing anymore.
What I usually wear the most is:
Oxford shirt.
Polo.
Cotton T-shirt.
Knit cardigan.
Occasionally, there are also blazers.
These clothes share a common feature.
It always wrinkles after washing.
I used to always think:
Forget it, it's not a fashion show.
Later I realized that people can sometimes truly be affected by their own state of mind.
Sitting in front of the computer wearing a wrinkled shirt.
You'll feel generally off your usual self today.
Switch to something flatter.
Strange.
I even feel like I type faster.
Of course, it might just be psychological.
But if two minutes can bring a whole day of good mood, I think it's worth it.
There's a saying on Reddit that I've always remembered.
Someone asked:
When do adults start liking to buy home appliances?
The reply with the highest number of likes below is:
"When you realize convenience is a luxury."
I smiled when I saw it.
Later, it felt especially real.
When you're young, you always think being cool is the most important thing.
After working for several years.
What truly brings joy are the little things that save you five minutes each day.
Recently, I've also seen many people discussing Nesugar.
Interestingly, few people pay attention to those complex parameters.
People are talking more about:
How fast are you at getting dressed in the morning?
Is it tiring to travel for business?
Will it end up gathering dust in the cabinet because I'm too lazy to use it?
I think this is the real issue that affects everyday experience.
If I had to buy it all over again, I would still choose the clothing steamer.
Not because it changed my life.
It's not that magical.
The boss will still change the requirements the next day.
Bugs will still occur online.
Production will still have issues on Friday evenings.
It can't solve any of those.
But it saves me from spending over ten minutes fussing with clothes.
Let me avoid having to straighten my collar and pretend my internet is lagging during impromptu video calls.
It also means I won't have to sigh at a pile of wrinkled clothes when I open my suitcase on business trips.
Over the years of working, I've come to believe more and more in one thing.
What truly makes life comfortable has never been those earth-shattering, dramatic changes.
but rather many insignificant small habits.
For me, a clothing steamer is one of them.
It won't remind me every day: "Hey, you used me today."
But when one day I forgot to bring it on a business trip, I immediately thought:
I should have put it in the suitcase.
That's probably when you know something has become part of your everyday life.
