As developers, we sit in front of our computers almost all day at work. To make matters worse, when we get home, we probably spend a large amount of our time in front of our TVs or our computers.
Our bodies and our mind are our most valuable assets and we should take steps to care for them.
There are a lot of ergonomic tips out there, but these are the 3 simplest ones I found helped me the most in preventing injuries and refreshing the mind.
- 90 degrees. Your elbows and knees should be bent at 90 degree angles. This means your chair and keyboard/mouse need to be at the right levels.
- Monitor height. Adjust your monitor so that the line that marks the top third of your monitor is at eye level when sitting up straight.
- Stand up. Staying in any position for an extended period of time is damaging. Every 30 minutes, stand up, look away, and move around. All it takes is 30 seconds.
If you follow (1) and (2), you will naturally sit with good posture. When moving around in (3), you allow blood flow to areas that were cut off when sitting in a single position. This helps your body heal. Also, it helps refresh your mind as you think about other things.
I find that following these 3 simple tips, I can last a whole work day without feeling tired in my body and mind.
Lastly, if you find that you need more help with good posture, sit so that your bum is right up against the back of your chair.
And for getting up every 30 minutes, here’s a nifty Chrome extension to remind you.
Got any other tips that work for you? Post them in the comments below.