Lifehacker.com recently posted the Top Ten Office Hacks, by Kevin Purdy. Take a look at the interesting list he brings together which goes beyond the usual list of ergonomic good-to-haves.

A list which includes tips for keeping your PCs/Macs clean and quiet, storing your gadgets, and installing a worthy whiteboard. What’s great about the post? The list works for both your home and workplace office.

Thanks for the Workspace Planner mention, Kevin! Glad to see you think it makes the top ten.

So, what’s on your top ten list?

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

A family member recently told me that when she gets into her car after working eight hours as a software engineer she finds herself lowering the rear view mirror as if she had somehow become shorter over the course of the day. I was delighted to hear such a graphic demonstration of the effect sitting at a computer can have on one’s posture, and it made me want to know more about how such a thing could happen.

Motion is the Potion

Working diligently for hours on end with eyes focused intently on the screen, seated computer users are largely unaware of the forces acting upon their body, that is, until they stand up. At that point, the body gets its message through to the brain with stiff, achy muscles, creaky joints, limited neck and lower back mobility, sore eyes, jaws and shoulders.

It’s a two-fold problem: even though you may start out in a neutral posture, your body gradually drifts out of it until you realize you’ve “locked” into a position far from where you started. Holding your body in one place, even if it is the least straining, neutral posture, is detrimental. The obvious remedy to static posture is to move on a regular basis; getting your brain to pay attention to the rest of your body when it’s so absorbed in visual activity with the computer screen is the greater challenge.

The Eyes Lead the Body

According to Dr. Jeffery Anshel, an expert in the field of visual ergonomics, “Nature has designed our visual system to be so dominant that we will alter our body posture to accommodate any deficiency in the way we see. In many office situations the vision of a worker is compromised and they must adapt their posture to ease the strain on the visual system.”

Breathe – Blink – Break

Based on the logic that the body follows the eyes, Dr. Anshel suggests that protecting the body from the hazards of computer use should begin with protection of the eyes. Toward that end, he recommends an approach called the “3 Bs”: Blink more often, take frequent deep Breaths and take a short Break every hour. Introducing these simple activities into your work routine requires nothing more than a commitment from you to yourself.

Keep your Eyes on the Prize: Comfortable Computing

Learn more about how computer use can compromise eyesight and get some valuable recommendations for setting up a computer monitor that encourages healthy vision in the table below. Visit Dr. Anshel’s website at: www.cvsconsulting.com for more information on the 3Bs and other great advice.

Pete Segar, SVP Product Innovation & Chief Technical Officer @ Ergotron

There are lots of us “road warriors” who shuttle a laptop computer between work and home, yet also have a home CPU computer with flat panel monitor.  Great productivity gains can be had by hooking up the system so that the computer monitor can serve as a second display when using the laptop (see my separate blog entry describing my work computer setup which uses the laptop as a second display).

Here is a fantastic solution that is easily achievable:

• Share a keyboard, mouse and monitor between the home CPU and work laptop
• Switch back and forth from laptop to CPU instantly in one keystroke
• View dual monitors when using the laptop computer
• Position the flat panel display and laptop in convenient ergonomic positions
• Reposition the laptop and flat panel monitor easily- adjust height or swivel

A very simple solution allows both the home CPU and the work laptop to share the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and even USB devices.  The solution uses  a “KVM Switch,” which can be purchased from any computer equipment retailer for less than $30 and be installed with ease. 

The KVM switch looks like a Y-cable with connections for the keyboard, mouse, monitor and possibly USB devices on one end, and two sets of corresponding connectors that go to each computer.  Pressing CTRL_SCROLL LOCK twice switches the display and peripherals from the laptop to the CPU and back.   This allows use of dual displays for the laptop computer.  I have not yet figured out if there is a way to use the laptop as a second display when using the CPU computer.

I purchased an inexpensive port replicator for the laptop on EBay, and mounted it on an Ergotron Neo-Flex Combo Stand.  The display is also mounted on the same stand.  This allows me to easily position both displays in an ergonomic and convenient position.  

Figure 1) Home computer setup showing dual monitor system – my home computer display serves as the second monitor when using my work laptop.

 Figure 2) Press Ctrl-Scroll Lock twice, and the flat panel screen now shows my home CPU computer.  The keyboard and mouse also now operate my home computer.  The work laptop computer is still live, but now is in single monitor mode.

Figure 3) Rear view of the setup.  All the laptop wiring is attached to a port replicator, so my laptop can simply be snapped in and out of the dock.  The whole system is height adjustable and swivels side to side.

With a few inexpensive devices, it is easy to create a really innovative, flexible, space-saving, ergonomic workstation that integrates your home computing equipment with work computing equipment.  Here is my “bill of materials:”

• KVM Switch ($20)
• Neo-Flex Combo Stand  ($179)
• Port Replicator  ($99 used)

I really encourage those of you who use work laptops and home computers to consider this solution.  The ergonomic and productivity benefits are well worth the few hundred dollars of investment.  Everything can be acquired from most major IT resellers.

Happy computing!!

Michelle Judd, Marketing Operations @ Ergotron

I like to write at home but have a non-wellness friendly desktop. Just take a look at the picture. No wonder my arm, neck, and back ache after a two hour stint on the novel.

Reading about how one blogger used Ergotron’s workspace planner in a Home Office Reorganization was a great reminder. I had forgotten all about bringing my calculations with me to the store as I begin looking for a new desk.

Although I’ve been known to cut the legs off of furniture before, I’d rather not. More to come on the quest for computing wellness @ home.