Hacking

Phil Karlton: "There are only two hard problems in computer science: cache invalidation and naming things."

Stafford Beer: "The Purpose Of the System Is What It Does"

Taking a cue from this reddit bit, what things make programming easier, better, safer, faster, saner, etc.?

Use a serious editor.
Version control.
Big monitors and serious window managers.
Good input devices.
Paper notebooks and decent pens. Sticky notes. Tape. Whiteboards.
Github.
Close the door, unplug the phone, own good headphones, work on snow days.
Talk to other programmers, explain your problems, listen to theirs.
Read other people's code.
Work with people smarter than you.
Make broken code act broken. * A single explosion is better than years of silent murder in the dark. A forlorn and pathetic cry for help is better than either. * Never mind failing ''gracefully'' - fail ''explicitly''.
Never enable false economies. Cheap equipment is you at the office at 3am screaming at the walls.
Sleep plenty, eat well, go outside.
Go for walks.
Be careful about mistaking expressed desires for actual needs.
You'll lie all the time - everyone does. When you're writing code, say what you mean and mean what you say.