User Manual

13
Take Breaks
Taking breaks can help your body recover from any activity and may help you
avoid MSDs. The length and frequency of breaks that are right for you depend
on the type of work you are doing. Stopping the activity and relaxing is one way
to take a break, but there are other ways, also. For example, just changing tasks -
perhaps from sitting while typing to standing while talking on the phone can help
some muscles relax while others remain productive.
To vary your daily activities and to work productively, try the following:
● Plan your work and play so that you are not doing the same thing for extended
periods of time (such as performing the same activity or using the same part of
your body).
● Use different input devices, such as your mouse and keyboard, to accomplish
the same task. For example, to perform a scrolling task, you can use the wheel
on the mouse and the arrow keys on the keyboard.
● Work more efficiently by using software and hardware features to reduce your
effort and increase your productivity. For example, you can press the Windows
logo key to open the Windows Start menu.
● Learn about software and hardware features by reading the information that
accompanied these products. For example, if you frequently highlight text,
activate the mouse ClickLock feature.
X11xxxxx01mnl_multi.indd 13 11/21/2005 11:05:50 AM