Combat Home Office Health Hazards

I'm only 26 years-old. After a day spent hunched over my keyboard straining to read my computer screen, I want to request a spot in the geriatric ward of my local hospital.

My wrists, back, neck and legs cramp constantly and my eye sight is deteriorating rapidly.

I've become a teleaholic, a word I made up to describe my attachment to all of my work from home positions, and my developing ailments sent me on a hunt to find a way to fight occupational hazards.

Sure, I've read articles about desk exercises, and the benefits of pausing to look way from the computer screen every few minutes, but following advice I read in articles has never been one of strong suits. I need someone to tell me to take care of myself.

I went on a search for a program to remind me to take breaks and tried a few. The best I found was Workwave, a free download that schedules breaks complete with pop ups of stretches and ideas to combat the hazards of a day behind a desk. I tested Workwave for a few days and found many features especially useful to my telecommuting lifestyle.

Messages telling me to break for a few seconds and look away from the computer pop up based on intervals I determine. For example, I schedule a six minute rest break every hour, and schedule smaller "micro-pauses" every 10 minutes. I also set the length of my rest break. I liked the flexibility with this software because some days a ten minute break every hour just isn't possible.

Every so often, the breaks offer an example of exercises designed to prevent ailments related to computer use, and since I don't work in an office, I can do them without worrying my boss thinks I've gone crazy.

I also learned to schedule these breaks as a reminder. One night, I used it as an oven timer so I could work while cooking dinner.

The software allows the user to postpone or skip the break so a true teleaholic doesn't have to worry about being pulled away from anything pressing.

The software isn't perfect. I don't like going to the system tray icon to change my preferences, and I'm not sure about the program's implications on my computer processing speed and memory.

I'm still skipping my break time, but at least I can take full advantage of my the time I do take and hopefully avoid developing into a hunchback with coke-bottle glasses.