I have an ergonomic keyboard (maltron) and a standing table. Both are not exactly portable.
In any case, I highly recommend NOT to work on your laptop's keyboard. It's a sure recipe to screw up your hands.
In any case, I highly recommend NOT to work on your laptop's keyboard. It's a sure recipe to screw up your hands.
I learnt that the hard way and the only thing that helped afterwards was an ergonomic keyboard. For those who don't know, the wrist injury (RSI) is excruciatingly painful and will most likely offset any productivity gains you might have made earlier. Back to the article, I don't quite understand that how "fewer distractions" can immediately be followed by "socializing and meeting new people".
Edit : typo
First, I threw away the mouse and switched to a thumb-operated trackball (Logitech or Microsoft).
Second, I designed and fabricated my own desk. The easiest way to describe it is that this desk has a cavity into which the keyboard and trackball fit. With this design my wrists were fully supported and my hands drooped into the cavity to naturally make contact with the keyboard and trackball.
This worked wonders. I took a two week break from coding while designing and fabricating this desk (MIG welding and woodwork). By the time I was done the inflammation on my wrists was gone. I went back to coding long hours. The pain never came back and neither did the inflammation.
I think you had bigger problems than with your wrists! We've all got to live life first. Work second. Everything in moderation my friend!
The cavity desk sounds like a more extreme version of the genal posture I find most comfortable.
Yes! Absolutely. They are HORRIBLE for your wrists. I don't get them either.
I haven't heard of this happening to anyone else, but in my experience trackballs can do just as much damage as a normal mouse, just to different joints. Now I use a trackball at home (occasional usage) and the nub when I'm working (heavier usage). The real key I've found to avoid repetitive stress injuries is to avoid repetitive movements of any kind. Seems kinda obvious now.
A good quality trackball with super-low friction is fundamental. I've had trackballs that developed pain on my thumb, just like you stated, very quickly. These were usually mechanical. The optical trackballs can be wonderful. Both Logitech and MS make good ones.
You have to keep them clean. Again, it's about super-low friction. You should have almost no resistance to moving the ball.
Don't just move with your thumb. I developed into moving the trackball with elbow, wrist and thumb-centered motions. In general terms, I think I only use the thumb knuckle-originated motion for when accurate positioning is required, for example, while using a CAD program.
Keyboard shortcuts rule. I don't have a metric for how much I use the mouse, but if I am doing anything repetitive I figure out the keyboard shortcuts or write keyboard macros. One example is in repeating operations in Photoshop.
I learned that you need the correct posture and kinematics in order to relax. This is where my "cavity desk" worked wonders. It made me aware of when I was tensing-up almost any part of my arm, all the way up to my shoulders. If you work extended hours there's no escaping the need to learn to be very relaxed. A standard desk absolutely sucks for computer use, no matter who makes it. They are designed for writing with pen and paper and that's it. Your wrists end-up angled upwards on both your keyboard and mouse or trackball. With a cavity and an adjustable chair your forearms are horizontal, your wrist is horizontal and your fingers very naturally droop onto the keyboard or trackball. That, as a combination, is what I think make a huge difference for me and could for others.