Take Comfort in Your Home Office
Seven ways to soothe the aches and pains of life in a digital world.Contributing Editor Steve Bass is the author of PC Annoyances (O'Reilly Press). Contact him at homeoffice@pcworld.com, and visit this link to read more Home Office columns.
Illustration by Marc Rosenthal
My phone used to top the list of pain-inducers in my office. If you still cradle a handset between your shoulder and ear as you type, save on chiropractic adjustments with a telephone headset. Labtec's $40 Dialog-301 wired headset lets you switch between your PC's audio and your telephone at the push of a button. I use Plantronics' $87 CT-10 wireless model, which lets me enjoy the cool breeze on my back porch while my editor blows hot air over the phone. Of course there are many other headset options.
You may not realize it, but a correctly adjusted monitor can reduce eye fatigue. I know because staring at my display all day used to induce headaches--until I raised the refresh rate. (My hair loss may be related; my attorney's investigating.)
Displays often arrive with their refresh rates set too low--say, at a flickering 60 Hz, or 60 screen refreshes per second. A higher rate--for example, 72 or 85 Hz--reduces flickering and the eyestrain that can result. I use RefreshForce, a free tool that lets me set my monitor's refresh rate in a blink. For more on fine-tuning your monitor settings, read Kirk Steers's June Hardware Tips column, "Simple Tweaks for Peak PC Graphics Performance."
Staring at a computer monitor, even one that has a healthful refresh rate, can tucker out your peepers. That's why the experts recommend that you look away from your monitor at least once every 15 minutes. I found a more intriguing solution: multiple monitors. They save me mouse clicks and keystrokes because--instead of jumping between screens on a single monitor--I just move my gaze from the open app on one screen to the open app on the other. Even this slight change of focus keeps my eye muscles from cramping up. PC World Senior Associate Editor Richard Baguley explains the process in "How to Set Up Multiple Monitors," one of our slick video tutorials.
If you use an LCD monitor on a Windows XP machine, turn on ClearType to see a remarkable improvement in your display's font resolution. ClearType is switched off by default, but to turn it on, simply right-click the desktop, choose Properties, Appearance, Effects, check Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts, and select ClearType from the drop-down list. Click OK twice.
Healthy Keyboards, Mice
I recently visited an office and saw people using keyboards with their elbows and hands out of the correct position (think 90-degree angles). They needed keyboard drawers like my Adjustable Underdesk Shelf ($90) from Kensington. One knob lets me adjust the shelf so the keyboard's at the proper height--with my arms bent at right angles. The adjustable mouse tray attaches on the right or left side of the shelf. Fair warning: The shelf took me a good 45 minutes to install.
Finding a mouse that fits my hand comfortably was tough, but I like Logitech's MX700, an oversize mouse that costs $59. Still, I'm tempted to replace it with Contour Design's Perfit Mouse Optical, which resembles a steam iron and comes in sizes from small through extra large. The Perfit mouse fits my hand extraordinarily well, and southpaws will love the left-hand models. The downside? Perfit prices range from $90 to $140.
Hands (or derrieres) down, the best chairs I've tried are Neutral Posture's 5000 and 9000 series, which cost from $600 to $1000. They let you adjust backrest angle, height, and depth, as well as seat height, tilt, and tension. And their highly contoured seats distributed my body weight over more surface area.
Excuse me, but it's time for my afternoon office-chair nap.