By Tim | Ergonomics
Question: What’s the #1 thing you can do with your computer to overcome RSI? Answer: Tame your time and stop using it!
Here’s how to do just that without giving up your job.
What if you’re stuck in a role where you sit at a computer all day, but circumstances mean that you have to stay where you are? Some RSI sufferers may be radical enough to change their job, but for many people, that simply isn’t an option. The answer is to tame your time and stop using your PC.
Of course, I don’t really mean to stop using your PC, not altogether. I do mean that you can stop using it on a regular basis throughout your day. I also mean that you can use it in different ways at different times.
The way to do that is to tame your time. Within that, there are two important, but often overlooked, concepts:
By understanding and implementing these concepts, not only will you keep your job, but you will actually be more productive as a result.
For me personally, taming my time has been the number one tip for avoiding, overcoming or preventing RSI. It has literally transformed my life.
As I discuss in my Ergonomic Toolbox online course, I’ve tried out pretty much every ergonomic gadget you can think of:
I’ve worked with trackballs, vertical mice, adjustable chairs, one or more movable monitors, mouse mats, wrist rests and typing/spelling/shortcut/clipping programs, and so on. You name it and I’ve tinkered with it, played with it or worked with it (oh, except for ergonomic keyboards).
Many of those gadgets were genuinely helpful and some devices felt like a revelation. However, I’ve found that even the best of them can’t beat good old-fashioned rest.
Regularly taking breaks and changing up my tools has transformed my life. And you can experience the same thing.
Repetitive Strain Injuries are caused by repetition of movement, so there are two basic strategies we can use to tame your time and decrease that repetition:
Breaks address the first strategy and changing your tools deals with the second.
Practically, you can achieve this through the following ways:
If you tame your time, you’ll be more efficient.
I'm Tim Bader, founder of ErgonomicToolbox.com and the Ergonomic Toolbox training course. I am a writer, author, blogger and church leader, and I help people to overcome RSI and live comfortably with technology. When I'm not writing, helping or training people, I live at home with my wife, two teenage kids and Playstation.
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