How to sit at a computer for eight hours without pain
- You can hire an ergonomic expert.
- You can buy a £500 chair, a £200 ergonomic keyboard, a drawer-ful of mice.
- You can arrange your desk, chair, computer, keyboard, mouse, foot-rest, arm-rest, wrist-rest, head-rest, whatever-you-like-rest
… and STILL be in pain.
OR you can do it the easier way
Learn how to sit well, easily and without strain.
You can do it the easiest way
Choose the above 'easier way' and do semi-supine as well.
Semi-Supine
“What's this about semi-supine?”
If you've been reading my articles on semi-supine
you will know that lying down often is a very good idea.
(On the floor, with your knees up and a few books under your head)
You will also know:–
- How to do it
- When to do it — and for how long
- Why to do it
What more is there to say?
This: “Get on with it then!” 
“But I CAN'T lie down at work”
Yes, I understand that — and that's purpose of this newsletter.
Why you can't lie down:–
- The boss will think you're wasting time
- You're not allowed to take breaks
- People will worry
- Colleagues will think you're slacking
- There's no room available where you can do it
- Doing so will break health and safety regulations
- People will trip over you
- It's embarrassing
Let's see how we can deal with these problems:–
“The boss will think I'm wasting time”
I realise that you probably can't educate your boss single-handed.
I'm here to help. Next week's newsletter will be addressed to office managers. You can then show it to your boss.
You can also write in and ask for my help. I'm sure I can come up with some ideas that answer you boss's objections. I'd also be happy to talk to him/her personally. Just let me know and we'll arrange it.
“We're not allowed to take breaks”
My understanding is that in the UK, by law, you are entitled to 15 minutes' break in the morning and 15 minutes' break in the afternoon.
Take them. That's already a start.
The next step will be to educate your boss into letting you take the 15 minutes in seven 2-minute chunks.
Two minutes is enough time to:–
- Go and lie down
- Stay there for 60 seconds
- Get back to your desk.
Not enough time to go and get back?
Then cut the 60 seconds down to 30.
“People will worry”
No doubt they will at first. They will soon get used to it.
If you feel up to it, lying down will also be a great opportunity to educate your colleagues about taking care of themselves too.
(The best way to learn — and teach — is by example).
“Colleagues will think I'm slacking”
True, some probably will.
As they begin to see the benefits, who knows, you might even start a new trend in your office!
Even if they don't join you, they'll soon get used to you doing it and stop bothering you.
Telling them about EnduringResults.com will help too.
“There's no room available where I can do it”
There are two ways you can deal with this one:–
- Take a tour of your office looking out for places where you just might be able to do it. Under tables, or on top of tables, are two possibilities. A rarely-used bit of corridor is another.
You might want to invest in a light roll-up mat to lie on. - The second way to deal with this problem is by educating your boss to the need to provide somewhere workable.
My next newsletter will help with this.
Make sure you give a copy to your boss.
“Doing so will break health and safety regulations”
Not allowing you to look after yourself is a far more telling breach of health and safety regulations.
Time for a little boss-education. Enlist my help.
“People will trip over me”
Where there's a will there's a way. If the above solutions didn't solve your problem, tell me your particular problem and I'll help.
“It's embarrassing”
Do you want to work more comfortably AND impress your boss with your improved work?
Would you like to be even more pleasant to work with than you already are?
Then, don't let being embarrassed stop you.
Get over it!
So, now you can look forward to:–
- looking after yourself
- working with increasingly less and less pain
- impressing your boss
Just start lying down often.
The articles are here.
“When should I do it?”
If you know what to do, do it now.
If you don't, send me an email.
Right now.
And when you've done, sell your £200 keyboard
… and throw away that whatever-you-like-rest.
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