Showing posts with label Writing setup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing setup. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

I'm Not The Poster Child for Ergonomics

 This Week's Topic: Tools of the Trade Ergonomic Edition
Split keyboard or straight, laptop or desktop, phone, voice-to-text, etc.

This is another post where you'll likely not want to emulate me. Despite being a middle-aged broad, I don't give much thought to ergonomics and my writing setup. 

I don't write at a desk or a table, which is where a lot of ergonomic preventative measures are applied. Instead, I am Goldilocks, sitting in whatever comfy recliner, armchair, or couch fits my mood. Sometimes I use a cushioned lap desk to elevate my screen; though most often I just eat more holiday cookies to fluff up my thighs. {cough} {looks askance}

I write on my laptop (backlit keyboard + number pad). I don't own a desktop, and the few times I've used my phone for working on the WiP were total disastrophies. I've had the big ol' 18-inch screen and the small tablet 11-inch, but find a 14-inch or 15-inch is the sweet spot for text-heavy work. The only thing I hate about composing on my laptop is that the trackpad is centered under the QWERTY keyboard instead of the whole keyboard. I'm forever right-clicking when I want to left-click because of that. (Yes, I'm a PC user. Yes, I must have the number pad or I'll really go 'nanners.)

I don't use voice-to-text for drafting; though, that may be a "yet" statement. Mostly because speaking the punctuation breaks my train of thought faster than seeing the world's longest run-on sentence on my screen. For me, there's something almost subconsciously affirming about the clickety-clack of typing that keeps me in the creative thrall. That said, I do use text-to-voice for editing. I like having the computer read my mss back to me so I can catch missing and redundant words, along with nonsensical statements. 

So far, I'm fortunate to not suffer carpal tunnel, so I don't need a wrist brace. I am diligent about getting up and taking a short walk every two hours to avoid blood clots (my dog is trained to pester me at the appointed hours).  

Looking up/away frequently from my screen to allow my eyes to shift focus happens whenever I think, so I've got that guidance well covered. My computer screen is permanently set to "night mode" to minimize blue light. Recently, the news that viewing the world through rose-colored glasses helps relieve light sensitivity for migraine sufferers crossed my feeds. The power of FL-41 tint could be pure marketing hype or it could be scientifically proven, either way, I just received my pink glasses. 

So, uhm, yeah, thar' be the ways this couch potato avoids the ouchies of sitting on her ass all day. 😇