Ways for Writers to be More Ergonomic

Ways for Writers to be More Ergonomic, Guest post by Melissa Chan, creator of Literary Book Gifts.


Guest post by Melissa Chan, creator of Literary Book Gifts.

Ways for Writers to be More Ergonomic


Writing is a skill that mostly takes place in your mind. When I write, it’s more important to think about the ideas than the actual method of getting the words onto the paper. But however much you design, plan, and sketch out your ideas, these days you will eventually need to type them up on a computer.

I’ll give you just a few ways that I try too be more ergonomic while I write everyday. Hopefully it will give you some ideas to make your own writing a  little easier so you can focus on the most important thing, writing better for longer hours.

Monitor vs. laptop

Laptops are great for on-the-go. Coffee shops, meetings, and out-of-office coordination are all places and times for laptops. But when it really gets time to concentrate and work you will want to be looking at getting a monitor. If you look at the way you or other people sit with a laptop you can tell it doesn’t bode well for their neck, arms, and back. I know I’ve thought I would just send a couple of quick emails on my laptop and ended up surfing the web for an hour until my neck was sore.

Monitors might look like big electronic purchases, but in general they are not that expensive. A monitor such as this one will do just fine. Computers are so advanced these days that some monitors that look like nothing more than the screen actually have entire computers in them. These tend to cost a lot more and are not what is needed if you are just looking for a good cost-benefit ratio in terms of ergonomics alone. Most monitors will allow you to hook up and directly display the contents of your laptop on the bigger screen. This way you get both the benefits of a monitor and a laptop in one.

Ergonomic set up

Ergonomics extend far beyond getting a monitor. I’ve seen people exhibit very poor posture despite having a good monitor. The desk, chair, mouse and keyboard should all be taken into account when setting up your work station for long hours of writing. The desk tends to cost the most, so if it is a reasonable height and doesn’t move around too much when you type it is probably fine and doesn’t need to be replaced.

However, people vary a lot in height and stature. Investing in a good adjustable computer chair can make a big difference. Be on the lookout for one that has the general look an appearance of this one. All computer chairs tend to have adjustable height, some even have adjustable back and arms.

Make sure that your mouse and keyboard are also good as well. I find that keyboards tend to vary based on personal preference but for mouses I always like going for lightweight options. I’ve tried wireless mouses before in the past but because they have batteries they tend to be much heavier than ones with wires that you plug directly into the computer. This is ultimately for the best more me because I find them to be cheaper, less maintenance, and they avoid connectivity issues. This mouse is a great inexpensive and lightweight option.

I hope that these tips to make your set up more ergonomic have given you a few ideas. Do you try to be more ergonomic while you write? Let me know below in the comments.

Guest post by Melissa Chan, creator of Literary Book Gifts. Ways for Writers to be More Ergonomic



Ways for Writers to be More Ergonomic, Guest post by Melissa Chan, creator of Literary Book Gifts.
Melissa Chan is the creator of Literary Book Gifts (https://literarybookgifts.com), gift shop for book lovers. She spends long hours designing and writing and tries to be as ergonomic as possible.

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