Ergonomics 3: Break with routine
(www.myorganizedbiz.com) - I always joke that I have the meanest boss ever: myself. I don’t get breaks. I don’t give myself vacation. I regularly force myself to work until I’m dog tired and then go into overtime.
If I were out in the workforce, I’d either be an engineer or pursuing a lawsuit.
OSHA recommends three simple things related to routine that can help reduce strain on the body. They also happen to be ideal for people who are hyperactive. For the rest of us, they must be learned.
Let’s look at OSHA’s routine recommendations one by one:
Switch back and forth between computer work other tasks
Does anyone do anything NOT on the computer these days? I’ll bet you haven’t left the position you’re in for at least a couple of hours. How does your body feel?
Change it up a little and give you bod a break. What if you did some of that filing you’ve been meaning to do?
Take micro-breaks or recovery pauses while working on a computer
I love that expression - “recovery pauses.” Try it: take a deep, gentle breath that fills your lungs up all the way until your stomach sticks out. Now, repeat this again. - but slowly, so you don’t hyperventilate and pass out. One more time and you’ve just upped your blood oxygen level by a couple of percentage points.
Next, look around to see if you have something attractive on your wall or a photo on your desk that you like? Take a moment to really appreciate it and enjoy the feeling it gives you.
Nice. Welcome to the recovery pause.
Take regular stretching breaks to get up and walk around.
I was on a long flight once over the Atlantic. Groan. About 5 hours in, they featured a video of chair yoga on the monitors. Was it as good as a real Downward Facing Dog? Not so much, but it did crack my joints and stretch the muscles. A wecome reprieve from the tedium.
In the same way, you can fight off atrophy buy simply stretching your arms over your head right there at your desk reading this. Try raising and lowering your shoulders. Arch your back and then curve forward into a C. You might even get a good yawn out of it.
Better yet, go get yourself a glass of water or take a walk outside to drop the outgoing mail into a blue sidewalk box. Ah! Fresh air! You might also find that taking a break to move around can spur ideas and clarity that elude you when you try to force them.
How are you feeling now that you’ve given yourself a mini-break?
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POSTED IN: ADD, Ergonomics, Series
2 opinions for Ergonomics 3: Break with routine
Cherie
Feb 21, 2008 at 10:53 am
I do the same thing as you! I work much harder now that I’m a freelancer than when I was “in the workforce” in an office. Part of it is probably because we love what we do and part is that we just want to get a lot done.
These are awesome tips, so thank you! (I’m taking a recovery pause now…..)
Jennifer Hofmann
Feb 21, 2008 at 11:36 am
“…part of it is probably because we love what we do and part of it is just we want to get a lot done.”
I completely agree, Cherie. I also think that it’s the freeform nature of freelance: no time clock, no co-workers to compare yourself against, and no one enforcing OSHA regs. :) You end up just making it up as you go along.
I love your blog, BTW!
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