I think I’ve gone through my weight in Advil this week. There’s been a lot of computer time and I’ve come to realize that I don’t have any place to write. You’d think I’d have this worked out by now, but…nope.
Obviously we have a desk and chair in the office, but on that desk is a decrepit old PC desktop. Besides the fact I’ve lost my tolerance for PCs since getting the Macbook in January, we’ve had a lot of issues with it and I don’t trust it.
I like working at the kitchen counter, but looking down at the monitor takes its toll after a while. Then there’s the dining room table. I actually bought a second office chair to help keep my wrists up off the sharp edges of the Mac, but I just can’t get the height and angles right.
Mostly I’ve been on the couch with the Macbook, but I’ve developed the bad habit of starting out with the Mac on the coffee table, with me hunched over it and getting lost in what I’m doing. By the time I realize I need to sit back and put my feet up with the Mac on my lap, my neck and back are shot.
There’s also a TV in the living room. Enough said about that.
So what I find myself doing is moving from place to place as my tolerance for each situation’s less than optimal conditions get to me, but it’s very easy to get distracted and do something else during those transitions.
The husband suggested I set the Macbook on the desk and use an external keyboard, but alternating between two keyboards in the keyboard drawer sounds like a pain in the butt.
I think I’m going to have to start lobbying a little harder for an iMac. It’s either that or a chiropractor! 
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As a fellow Mac converter if you get the imac you will also have to get one of those ergonomic keys boards anyway. The keyboard that comes with the imac is not going to cut it for you. Try a wireless keyboard first that way you would still be able to use the couch. Also, have you tried one of those recliner chairs?
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Check out the cool laptop carts that work with your chair or sofa in the living room. Not all that expensive and way cheaper than having to buy a new computer. The coffee table just isn’t going to work for you. I’ll try to send you some links.
I work at the kitchen table but I use my office chair there and it works just fine for me because I can adjust the height perfectly. No ergomonic issues at all. And then I move over to the sofa, but I have a recliner sofa so I can get very comfy there.
Make it work for you and don’t hurt your back & shoulders!
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When I get an iMac I was planning to replace the standard keyboard with the extended one with the number pad, but I think it’s still flat.
Usually, I sit sideways on the couch with my back against the arm and my legs stretched out. I ball the throw blanket up under my knees and put the Macbook on my lap. That’s the most comfortable, but I don’t like having my legs still (and under weight, no matter how light) for that long.
I had a laptop cart but I ended up putting it outside with a “free” sign. The stabilizer legs didn’t fit under my couch, so I could only use it with the desk chair, anyway.
Maybe I need a new couch instead.
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Ibuprofen or any nsaid can really help with pain, but please be careful how much you’re taking. Because they’re non-narcotic and sold over the counter people tend to pop them like M&Ms without realizing that the doses add up pretty quick. Long-term use of nsaids can cause stomach, kidney and liver damage (I speak from experience here.)
My neck often bothers me after writing sessions, and I’ve been using those self-heating thermal wraps. They’re adhesive and thin enough to hide under your clothes and wear all day. While they don’t perform miracles, they do work on pain from muscle tension or stiffness.
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I should try those wraps. I’ve seen them in the stores, but never really paid a lot of attention to them. I don’t like taking any meds and rarely do, but it was pretty bad. Not only were my ergonomics bad, but I carry stress in my neck and I’m very easily stressed, even by good things. Even before I screw up my posture, the muscles are stiffening up.
When my husband’s home, he’s taken to scolding me if he sees me working with the Macbook on the coffee table (and he’s not here right now, but typing that made me realize I’m currently hunched over the coffee table…oops) and he said if he keeps coming home to find me unable to turn my head or use my left arm, he’s taking the coffee table to the dump.
Maybe I should duct tape a metal yardstick down my spine.