Zoom meetings, online classrooms, writing assignments,
video-watching—they all require both adults and children to spend much of their
daily routine at the computer, on a tablet, or staring at a smartphone. To
reduce eyestrain, backaches, headaches, neck stiffness, and the like, Yale University's Environmental Health and Safety Department offers these
recommendations.
Move around. No matter how carefully you've set up
your work space, don't stay in the same position for more than about half an
hour. Periodically stand up and stretch, walk, shift the position of your
chair. The beauty of having a home office is that household chores become a
welcome change from long periods of sitting.
Position your computer. Place your monitor so the
center of the screen is at eye level, and you don't have to tuck your chin to
see it. You may have to set the monitor on a stack of books or other flat
objects.
Take care of your eyes. Look away from the screen
every 20 seconds and remind yourself to blink. Make sure there's no glare
reflecting on the screen and the room is well-lit.
Sit up straight. We all have a tendency to lean
toward the screen. Make sure you have a comfortable chair that's adjusted so
you can sit with your back against the chair, maintaining an angle of about 90
degrees at the hip.
Relax your arms. If your keyboard is too far away,
you'll have to stretch your arms out to type. You should be able to keep your
elbows at your sides.
For tablets and smartphones:
Texting can be hard on the thumbs. Limit typing sessions to
10-15 minutes.
A stylus can help with typing but try to get one with a
large handle.
Take breaks to stretch and move, just as on the computer.
Sit in a relaxed, natural posture as much as possible. Try
using a support for your device so you're not bending your neck, hunching over,
or using your arm muscles to hold it up for a long time.
Other articles by Get Organized