Health Working on PC
Do you work on a laptop or PC for a long time?
Do you find you are stiff in some joints?
How is your digestion?
Here are a few tips to keep you healthy and keep your spirits up while slaving away on the keyboard
Your monitor or screen should be up high enough that you do not need to bow your head. This will help to alleviate headaches and tension round your shoulders. Ideally you should be looking at your monitor as though it is in front of you at eye height and your neck is straight and relaxed. If you can swivel your head comfortably from left to right – it is probably in the right position.
Your chair should support your back and should be at a height which allows your calves to be vertical on the floor. Your feet should be placed flat on the floor; that is a better position than tucked under the chair. (Pot calling the kettle black here.)
When you are attacking the keyboard your forearms should be horizontal, with your hands able to hover over the keyboard or with your wrists on a support. If your hand is curled too tight, you may suffer from finger strain after a hard day’s inputting.
Always have some extra soft lighting behind or to one side of the monitor to reduce eyestrain. Do not type in the dark. The glare from the screen can make your eyes water and give you a headache.
I like to have a small lamp with a “daylight” bulb off to one side. It helps seeing paper on the desk and is more comfortable on my eyes.
Ultradian Rhythms
Strange scientific words, but be not afeard, there is a simple explanation.
We are not machines. Machines can keep working day and night and only need a break if they malfunction, i.e. break down. We are an organism and we need sleep, drink food, fresh air, daylight and a clear head to think. The brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes before it needs a break. If you force your brain to continue, it will slow down and become less focused and less alert.
When you are focussed and alert your efficiency is much higher. This means you work more accurately, fewer mistakes and faster. So to fight against this natural human rhythm is pointless. Ignore it and you will find you spend more time going back over and checking your work, correcting mistakes and possibly redoing the work to improve it.
To take the breaks, I use a timer on my desktop. There are several available.
Now everyone’s Ultradian rhythms are slightly different and they are also affected by your circadian rhythm which is your sleep pattern. If you sleep regularly, your Ultradian rhythm will stay fairly constant. Try a basic 90 minutes then take a 5 to 10 minute break. The break could be a walk to the kitchen, get a drink or move outside for some fresh air.
Some people believe they can push themselves hard and just work, work and work. They are probably not working at their most efficient level all the time. Plan your working time and build in breaks for movement and for eating away from the computer. Get enough sleep and drink enough water.
Goals
Set yourself some long and short-term goals that you would like to achieve and set some short-term ones for day to day working. See if you can achieve those short-term goals. If you are constantly failing then review your working practice, (see above,) and reset your goals to be achievable. You will feel better about yourself if you are succeeding. Feeling better about yourself will make you more efficient and generally keep your motivation up.
If you hate working on your own, hate computers and the electronic digital world: Stop.
Be prepared to learn. The digital world is constantly changing and you need to adapt to the twists and turns of the internet. Thankfully there are people who make it their business to be on top of these changes and by joining forums, for example you can keep abreast of them yourself.
Work sensibly and you could grow to love that blinking screen and the touch of the keyboard. It is a wonderful, ever-changing world out there. Stay healthy and Good luck to you, whatever you do.
