Got the idea for this post from a picture sent to me by my brother… It was a unique desk arrangement he’d set up for his son. Apparently, my precocious nephew would often wake up in the middle of the night with the compulsion to get online and check this, play that, or research the other. So, to make it optimally easy to have that happen, this setup was born…
Now, he literally has to just roll over in bed, and he’s at his keyboard… Hmmm. Gets you thinking, no? Nah, probably not. We sit on our fat butts enough as it is in what we do. To not even have to get out of bed at all and still be able to do our jobs just seems to be giving entropy more of a helping hand than it really requires… Still.
In any case, I got to thinking about all those cool little ideas we’ve all come across to make our commercial freelancing writing lives a little easier, more comfortable, less stressful, etc.
A few months back in the E-PUB, I talked about (and highly recommended) the Nada-Chair, this nifty thingy I’ve used for years, that makes sitting for long stretches far more comfortable than any expensive chair I’ve ever come across. Looks strange, but it works. Here’s me wearing it…
No smart remarks, please… 😉
Then, a few weeks back, a friend of mine sent me an ingenious idea for keeping all your electronics cables in place and from falling on the floor. No explanation necessary as her picture was truly worth a thousands words…
Smart, eh?
Then there was the “Treadmill Desk” idea one reader sent me. This one has real potential. And this guy is turning it into a cottage industry…
Finally, a few years back, I think I shared a very cool Internet radio station through iTunes called Jet City Lounge, which, for me anyway, makes for wonderful background music. Cool, smooth, nice beat, non-intrusive, and I’m one unbelievably productive commercial writer while it’s running – like now, for instance.
From iTunes, go to Radio, then Ambient, then “Groovera Presents Jet City Lounge”. Or just listen on the web. And if JCL doesn’t float your boat, there are countless others in dozens of channels – all free.
Anyway, so let’s have a little fun here. Send me your ideas (and feel free to include links and pictures). And here are the rules: ONLY stuff like the above; only ideas related to ergonomics, aesthetics, functionality, atmosphere, etc. ONLY stuff related to our physical environment.
NO web-based writing/networking/business resources, software, social media platforms (doesn’t it seem like they multiply like rabbits?), books, etc. Also, I welcome any life philosophies you’ve incorporated into your commercial copywriting work life that have made a big difference for you…
What gadgets and gizmos do you swear by?
What things have you put in place in your physical environment that you just can’t live without?
What fun, cool, smart tips for maximizing your physical productivity, comfort, and office atmosphere have you come across?
What work/lifestyle philosophies have you adopted that “frame” how you approach work, and that improve the quality of your life?
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Yes, Matt, very cool thing the AlphaSmart Neo… I love it when things come full circle enough that something as seemingly retro as this gets traction again simply because the number of distractions seem to have risen exponentially.
It’s impossible to calculate how much less productive we are because of the constant distractions of email and the web. I know, we can just turn off our email and browsers, but easier said than done sometimes. And a gizmo like that will force you to focus. I’m pondering it! 😉
PB
PS – If you just want white noise, check out Noise Machine at https://publicspace.net/NoiseMachine/index.html
The price is tiddlywinks even before you consider the productivity boost you’re sure to enjoy.
I have an AlphaSmart Neo as well. In addition to instantaneous startup, almost zero power consumption, and a great-feeling keyboard, the thing is light, built like a tank, and never gets uncomfortably warm on your lap.
Not to mention that it NEVER runs for hours like mud while it updates virus defs, Windows, and other software, the way my Asus laptop does.
I keep Neo near the sofa so if something on the evening news inspires me to pound out a blog post, I just grab Neo and go for it, rather than drafting on paper, which then has to be transcribed. It’s a real timesaver.
Hi everyone –
I’m fairly new to the commercial copywriting industry, so I will value your opinions and advice regarding an issue that is somewhat related to the current topic. Can you provide any suggestions that can assist me in dealing with computer writing burn-out (or perhaps just plain daily writing burn-out)?
I typically begin writing on my Mac at 6 AM and by Noon, I can’t seem to write anything anymore. I can’t even get myself to focus on an incoming e-mail. It’s almost as if I’ll get sick if I type one more word or read one more paragraph on my computer. (By the way, I have a 27″ monitor, so the issue isn’t that the reading is hard on my eyes). Do you have this same issue, and if so, how do you address it? For example, do you change your scenery often, such as write at a Starbucks for a couple of hours then go home to edit? Do you stick with writing on a notepad for the initial drafts, then go back home to type it up on your computer?
As a new business owner and operator, I’m concerned about this issue, because I can’t afford to be done for the day after 5 hours of work, so any recommendations you have will be very much appreciated. I have a laptop and an iPad, so the ability to work remotely is not an issue.
Perhaps I should note I left a 16 year career as a real estate executive to do this, so I’m not entirely used to the sedentary, solitude of the writing career.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Heather, it took me a bit to learn my “biorythms” when I first started. I find that I do well early in the day until about noon or a bit after. Then it’s best for me to get lunch, make phone calls and go to any business related appointment I may have. By 3:30 I can sit down again and if needed, write until as late as 7 PM. Along the way you have to break up your seat time and get up and simply stretch.
You’re right – as a former real estate person you’ve made a huge lifestyle change, so use it to your advantage. Schedule client and business development appointments after your morning write-a-thon.
…Matt
My AlphaSmart is an old AlphaSmart Pro: a generation older than the Neo. Love it. Bought it off e-bay.
I also like the Pandora Ambient music channel. Background music that doesn’t have words.
Oh and yes, I’ve learned that I need to work early as well. It’s easier for me to get up super early in the morning (3 4 or 5) and write than it is to try and write later in the day. After 3:30 in the afternoon, I’m baked and nothing I write or program is worth anything anyway.
Molly,
Most monitors do the portrait…at least from what I’ve noticed. And your keyboard is the same as mine..
And my cat sleeps on my printer..
Since I’m super short (5’2″) I’ve learned that desk height is absolutely CRUCIAL to comfort. I bought a table top from IKEA with adjustable legs. My desk is only 24 and 3/4 inches high.
No. Raising up my chair for a regular desk doesn’t work. It just doesn’t.
I sit in an old office chair from 1906 since people were smaller back then and the chair actually fits me.
*rants about chairs*
The most comfortable chairs built for me are, in fact, chairs that are put in coach class of airplanes. Why? Because the seat is shorter from front to back than all other chairs.
See, with most chairs, I have a choice: sit all the way back in the chair and have back support (but then my feet fall asleep because the front of the seat digs into my legs and cuts off circulation)
OR
have my feet touch the ground and not have back support.
Airplane seats actually allow me to sit with my feet on the ground AND have back support at the same time. But only the ones in coach. The first class seats suck like all other chairs.
With most office chairs, I get the ones without side arms and sit cross legged. (Like children do on the floor.)
Anyone have a Chromebook? (https://google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features.html)
I’m thinking it might make a good replacement for my laptop. The “instant on” feature is particularly attractive.
Great info here. Here are 3 things that have helped me:
1. Split keyboard. Before I became a full-time FLCW I spent several years in a cubicle at an insurance company where I would spend many long hours at my desk. I tried different keyboards (one time I even popped off and rearranged my keys in order to transform my qwerty keyboard into a more ergonomic setup…that lasted about an hour since I realized typing took 3 times as long) but settled on the split keyboard. I no longer get cramps in my wrists.
2. Exercise ball. I started getting pain in my lower back so I switched to sitting on one of those bouncy exercise balls. I no longer get back pain like I used to. And when my wife brings my 2 month old daughter to visit daddy “at work” I get to hold her and bounce up and down which she loves!
3. Wrist pad. I bought this little gel pad from Best Buy that supports my wrist as I use my mouse. I feel like it helps, at least it’s comfortable.
(Posting a comment from Tom Bentley, who’s been having trouble getting his comments to “stick.” Tom, got my web guy working on it, in case it happens with others…).
Hi Peter: I used a Nada chair for a while too, but I couldn’t get used to it; probably the arthritis I have in my back resisting. Interestingly, there’s a movement of sorts from people and health practitioners encouraging people to stand up for long stretches of work, and my girlfriend, who also suffers from some back/hip difficulties, took them up on it.
She bought an adjustable “standing” desk from Ergo Desktop and has been using it for the last six weeks, and she loves it. It’s easy to adjust it to a sitting desk when you want to. I’m not altogether sold, but she is.
I wrote a safe computing book a long ways back that had a big ergonomics section. I updated some of it recently (and tuned it a bit toward a writer’s direction) and am giving it away as a free PDF on my site, if that’s of any use to anyone.
Thanks, Tom
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