Comments on: How dangerous is the life of a technical writer?

By: Dian Kjærgaard

Dian Kjærgaard — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:47:26 +0000

Glad to hear you have a height-adjustable desk. It should be an inalienable right! I’ve been using them for many years – and would probably be crippled without them! There are also some really neat devices for sitting on that can keep the blood going when you’re not standing and rocking – but I haven’t played with them yet (except for a large exercise ball used as a chair).

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:04:37 +0000

Thanks for stopping by, Dian, and thanks for the RSIGuard tip.

I have a desk that can be raised or lowered with the push of a button. I sit in an open office space where others have the same thing, so when I see another desk raised, it reminds me to raise my desk. When I stand, I don’t stand still for the most part. I rock back and forth a bit or stretch my legs. For some reason, I find it really great for when I have to proofread. Maybe it’s because I get the blood flowing to my brain again?

By: Dian Kjærgaard

Dian Kjærgaard — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:06:54 +0000

Thanks very much for the link to the article. Nothing I didn’t know really, but it is all pulled together in a very handy way.

I have found a tool – RSIGuard – to help to implement the advice about getting away from the computer about every hour and doing something physical. You can configure it entirely to your liking. At the moment, I get “forced” to take a stretch break about every hour – and take 6-second micro-breaks every half hour or so. The product includes video demonstrations of interesting stretches. I’ve been using RSIGuard for about a month and my body thanks me every day. RSIGuard costs $65 for the deluxe “stretch” edition – $40 without the stretch videos. RSIGuard website

I tend to “obsess” when writing and fear losing insights if I take a break. Taking my stretch breaks also forces me to take mental breaks and start trusting myself to pick up the train(s) of thought after the break. That’s an extra bonus!

PS – About newsletters: Yes, they are a great backup for those of us who get “behind”.

By: Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:47:15 +0000

I agree that newsletters can be useful to remind readers of your latest posts. I guess I shouldn’t have dismissed them altogether. I am still getting around to implementing a newsletter system for stc-suncoast.org, which badly needs one. Few visit the blog, and I want to send out a weekly update of all the latest posts. Unfortunately Feedblitz charges if you want to send out weekly (rather than daily) updates. And Feedburner only offers daily updates. The Shift This newsletter plugin looks powerful, but costs $10 or something.