Body Care for Creators Who Sit for Long Hours: Eyes, Wrists, Back and Sleep

Before you start

This article summarizes commonly known lifestyle habits to fit a working routine and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. If symptoms such as numbness, severe pain or vision problems continue, see a medical professional.

Writing and drawing mean holding the same posture for a long time. Fatigue in your muscles and eyes builds up slowly and then shows up all at once one day. Rather than dealing with symptoms after they appear, the habit of loosening up briefly during work so that fatigue doesn't build is far more effective.

Eyes: look far away every 20 minutes

Looking at a screen for a long time reduces blinking, leaving your eyes dry and tight. The "20-20-20" method is widely known: every 20 minutes, look at something about 6 meters (20 feet) away for 20 seconds. Looking at a distant view out the window is enough.

• Set aside time to blink consciously on purpose
• Match screen brightness so it doesn't differ greatly from the brightness around you
• Place the screen at or slightly below eye level, about an arm's length from your eyes
• If dryness is severe, consider artificial tears or seeing an eye doctor

Wrists and hands: loosen repetitive motions

Typing and gripping a pen put repeated strain on your wrists and fingers. Slowly rolling your wrists before and after work and stretching your fingers out for five seconds each is enough to reduce stiffness.

1. Slowly rotate your wrists clockwise and counterclockwise ten times each.
2. Extend one arm forward and gently pull the fingers toward your body with the other hand, holding for 5 to 10 seconds.
3. Make a fist and then spread your fingers wide, repeating ten times.
4. Check that you're not gripping the pen too hard, and use a thicker pen or a grip if needed.

Neck, shoulders and back: stand up every 50 minutes

Sitting in one place for a long time makes your shoulders roll forward and your neck jut forward. After 50 minutes of work, stand up, walk and stretch. Even a brief change of posture greatly reduces fatigue.

Check your chair and desk height

• Check that the soles of your feet rest comfortably on the floor and your knees are close to 90 degrees
• Adjust the desk or chair so your elbows rest comfortably at about 90 degrees
• Adjust the monitor so its top is at or slightly below eye level
• If you use a pen display, tilt it slightly to reduce how far you bend your neck

Sleep and deadlines

Sleep is the first thing sacrificed at deadline time, but lack of sleep directly reduces concentration and creativity. If you end up rewriting in revision what you produced during a few all-nighters, you come out behind. Secure a minimum sleep time in your schedule first, even during a deadline period.

When you make a work schedule, plan by placing rest, meals and sleep first and fitting work into the remaining time, and you can sustain it for a long time.

Try it yourself: three body-care habits for this week

Habits last longer when you build them one at a time. If pain or numbness continues, see a medical professional before adjusting habits.

1. Choose the easiest one to keep: looking far away every 20 minutes, standing up every 50, or rolling your wrists before work.
2. Link that action to your timer alarm (for example, stand up and walk when a Pomodoro break begins).
3. Mark the days you kept it on a calendar for a week.
4. After a week, write one line on whether your eye and shoulder fatigue has changed, and add one more habit.