Preserve your Health: Position your Body Properly while Working

Following proper ergonomic principles will ensure your productivity is maximized without sacrificing your health.  Positioning your body properly while working at the computer can help to prevent muscle and joint strain and reduce fatigue.  Here are some key principles:

• Use a back/lumbar support: The curve in the lower part of your back (lumbar curve) is one of the most important structural elements of a good overall posture.  Try to use a chair with a built-in lumbar support at the right position.
• Upper arms at side of body: Your upper arms should be right next to your body, not angled forward as in 'reaching' for the keyboard.  With your arms comfortably at your sides, and elbows resting on arm rests, your hands should naturally reach the keyboard without any forced reaching.
• Forearms parallel to floor: The keyboard should be at the correct height. This means that if your chair and table are the correct height, your elbows will be at 90 degrees and your forearms will be parallel to the floor. With this position, you are not reaching 'upward' to a keyboard that is too high, which could result in straining of the shoulder and upper back muscles.
• Elbows resting on arm rests: If possible, use a chair with arms rests that are high enough for you to rest your elbows on, to take the weight of your arms.
• Elbow 90 degrees: With your hands on the keyboard and wrists or palms resting on a wrist or palm rest, your elbows should be at 90 degrees.
• Wrists straight: Looking at your wrists from the top and from the side, there should be no angles (flexing or extending). Your wrists should be in a 'neutral' position.
• Fingers slightly flexed (curled) to reach each key: Each finger should be bent or flexed just enough to gently rest on the home row keys.

Our Custom Typing Training web site includes a complete section on ergonomics.  To go directly to our ergonomics section, click on the link below:

http://www.customtyping.com/tutorials/erg/ergonomics.htm

Tip of the Week: One-Click Access to your Favorite Programs

The Windows Quick Launch bar is a handy way to launch your favorite programs with a single click.  This is the bar that appears in the task bar at the bottom of the screen, alongside your open windows and the start menu.  However, as you install more and more programs on your system, you may find that the Quick Launch bar gets cluttered, and filled with items that you don't use very often.  You can quickly remove an unwanted program by right-clicking on its icon and choosing "delete".  And don't worry - this will not uninstall the program.  You will still be able to access it via the "Start" menu.

Adding programs to the quick launch bar is also easy.  To do so, right click within the Quick Launch bar, in an area not occupied by a program icon, and choose "Open Folder".  This brings up the Quick Launch folder on your desktop.  You will see that all items shown here map directly to items on the Quick Launch bar.  To add a program to the Quick Launch bar, locate it in the "Start" menu, then right click on it and choose "Copy".  Then, go to the Quick Launch folder, right click and choose "Paste".  The new program will be instantly added to the Quick Launch bar.

You can also add web sites to the Quick Launch bar.  To do so, open the Quick Launch folder as described above.  Then, right click in this folder and choose "New" and then "Shortcut".  Windows will then ask you for the location of the item.  All you have to do is enter the web address, and follow the on-screen instructions for creating the shortcut.
 

Looking for a new job? Prove your typing speed to potential employers by taking our online typing test, and receive an official certificate with your results.  For details, go to: www.ProveMySpeed.com

For further information about our products and services, visit us online at www.customsolutions.us.