Laptop Ergonomics

By Debby Giusti

When a virus zapped my old laptop, I planned to replace it with a desktop computer. Instead, I went shopping and came home with another laptop.

Seems everyone is working on-the-go these days, and the portability of laptops makes them the perfect choice for many people who work outside the office place. I didn’t want to be chained to my desk on pretty days when working from the deck would be much more pleasant nor did I want to give up the option of traveling with my computer. Yet, knowing the long hours I spend on the keyboard, I was concerned about the strain to my body. After all, laptops aren’t always user-friendly.

Needing professional help, when my daughter--who’s also my favorite physical therapist--came to visit for Easter, I asked her to share a few ergonomic tips for writers who use laptops.

Here’s the advice Liz gave me:

(Notice the old reading glasses, which are good to see the ENTIRE computer screen, and my messy office. I should have tidied up before I invited Seekerville to visit.)

A level surface is always the best to work on and is the most ergonomically correct. Keep your elbows at a ninety degree angle and your hands in a neutral position on the keyboard—don’t have your wrists cocked up or bent under.

Place your feet flat on the floor and ensure your knees are at a ninety degree angle. Hips should be at the same level or slightly higher than your knees. Never sit in a “hole” with your hips lower than you knees--a problem when reclining on a couch or a heavily cushioned chair.

The main drawback to using a laptop is the position of the monitor. Ideally, the monitor should be at eye level. If adjustments aren’t made, writers end up hunched over their laptops—a bad position for the spine—which can lead to back and neck pain.


Liz suggested I prop up my laptop to raise the monitor to the right height. We grabbed some file folders as a temporary fix. I attached a keyboard and placed it on my desk at the correct level for my wrists and elbows.

All of us need to take frequent breaks from the computer so stand and stretch at regular intervals. Walk around your desk or, as I do, head for the refrigerator to get something to eat or drink.

Liz showed me a simple stretch that helps. With my hands placed on my hips, she told me to lean back.


“Don’t overdo,” Liz cautioned. “Lean back to a comfortable pain-free position and then return to an upright standing position.” Repeat five to ten times.

Another problem for writers is carpel tunnel syndrome. Take breaks from the keyboard and do the following hand stretch Liz suggested: Gently pull back on your fingers until you feel a slight stretch on your wrist. Hold for twenty seconds. Repeat three times on each hand.


My right hand, which operates my mouse, often becomes fatigued when I’m doing a repetitive motion, such as scrolling through an entire manuscript or doing rewrites. Liz said the gentle hand stretch would help and suggested I keep my “mouse” arm close to my body and well supported.

When reading, don’t bend your neck over the book. Instead, bring the reading material up to you. The bent forward position puts more pressure on the neck and can cause pain and stiffness.

(Here I am--above--reading my military suspense, MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA. Can you tell when I hit the scary part? Notice how I brought the book up to eye level.)


Liz is a mommy with two little ones and another baby on the way so she’ll stop in today when her busy schedule permits and answer any questions you might have.

If you’ve got an ergonomic tip you use when working at your computer, please share it with us. Include your email to be entered into a drawing for a copy of KILLER HEADLINE, my latest suspense from Steeple Hill.

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/
http://www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com/

Fix your writing space

Camy here, and I’m going to sound weird here (nothing new), but the next time you have writer’s block, ask yourself, “Have I checked my writing space?”

I’m serious. Many times when I’m just staring at the blinking cursor (whom I have named Evangeline), I can’t move forward on the story because I’m simply uncomfortable, and it’s nagging at my unconscious.

I have battled ergonomics for most of my adult life (when I was a teen, I was stupid and am paying the price now). I can’t seem to get the right chair, the right height for my chair, the right back angle, and let’s not even start on my desk height and my monitor height.

My solution was to have a stand-and-sit situation at my desk, where my monitor, external keyboard, and external trackball are elevated on cardboard boxes at just the right height. No chair to mess with.

When my legs get tired, I simply move my monitor, keyboard, and trackball off the cardboard boxes (those get tossed on the floor) and sit at my desk for a few hours. This system has done wonders for my back (I have an old work-related injury).

Anyway, my point is that sometimes you can’t write because you’re ergonomically uncomfortable. There are several things you can do:

1) Get a new chair (this option is pricey)

2) Get an ergonomic keyboard and/or different mouse/trackball (not as pricey as #1, but not cheap, either)

3) Move to a different room with a different chair. My friends often talk about how they sit in a recliner with their laptops or Alphasmarts and write. Others sit at the kitchen table or on the couch.

4) Use an exercise ball as a chair. This is an ergonomically good and less pricey option, but be careful to get the right size ball—size depends on your height.

5) Stand at your desk like me. Cardboard boxes are cheap.

6) Go for a walk. Friends of mine who suffer from back problems say that no matter how expensive their chair, they have to go for a 10 minute walk every hour to loosen up their back. Then they can go back to work. This keeps them pain and tension free.

Another thing to think about your writing space is:

a) Is it too cluttered? I am one of many people who have a hard time writing if my desk is too messy or my office too cluttered. A few minutes cleaning could help you break past a writer’s block.

b) Are you too cold/hot? Often I won’t even realize I’m too cold and that’s why my brain has frozen, too. For summertime, I have a small fan that I turn on in my room to keep me from sweating into my keyboard (oh, is that TMI? Sorry)

c) Is your workspace too dark or too bright? Artists are often sensitive to light, and a dark room can often send your creativity into hibernation, or an overly bright room can fry your brain.

d) Is there too much or too little noise? Or maybe the wrong kind of noise? Some writers like music, some don’t. Some like music without words, some like music with words. If you don’t know your preference, figure it out—it might help boost your creativity and get you out of a writing slump.

Also, if you need silence, it might be worth it to invest in some sound-canceling headphones. Compare the price of the headphones with the counseling bills for your sanity and/or the nice advance you’ll get for the brilliant novel you crafted in perfect silence.

Any other ideas?

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novel Single Sashimi is out now, and she runs the Story Sensei critique service. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveaways!