Workrave Typing-break Reminder
Workrave is a free (GPL) app for Linux and Windows that reminds you to take typing breaks (with configurable timing, of course).
I found out about it from the Gnome-announce mailing list, of all places. Obviously, their focus was on the Gnome/Linux version, though I’ve used just the Windows version so far. Unsurprisingly, because the Windows version is based on the GTK toolkit, it’s still very… Linux-looking ;).
If you care about preventing RSI, it couldn’t hurt to give Workrave a try. By default, it comes configured to suggest a 30 second “micro-pause” break every 3 minutes, and a 10 minute rest break every 45 minutes (those numbers are from memory, but I think those are about right).
I’m not expert on typing-injury prevention, but that seemed awfully frequent to me (?). If anyone can speak to what kind of numbers are suggested in the scientific community, let me know (for all I know, perhaps that’s how Workrave derived its defaults, but I’m not sure). In the meantime, I’ve configured to the micro-break interval for 10 minutes, which seems a bit less intrusive.
The main problem here is that there are no “right” defaults. The settings that are required are different from person to person.
For example, I use workrave with a 25 second micropause every two and a half minute, and a 10 minute restbreak every 20 minutes. I need these frequent breaks, because I’m recovering from RSI. And as I recover, I change the settings to fewer breaks.
If you have never had any problem at all (using the computer, that is), then you may want much fewer breaks, say 10 seconds micropause every 10 minutes, and a 5 minute restbreak every hour.
It is very hard to give proper guidelines here. My best advice is to play around and see what works for you. Which settings “feel right”. Basically, that’s how Workrave’s defaults evolve.
Any pointers to more scientifically founded advice are of course very welcome :-)
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The whole point of taking typing breaks is, of course, to prevent repetitive stress injuries (RSI) such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, recent evidence seems to point to an entirely different cause for the syndrome, and it has nothing to do with typing or any other work-related activity. According to Roy Meals, MD, clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, one of the most frequent triggers of mild CTS is when people sleep in the fetal position, flexing their wrist and curling up with the back of the hand under the chin, which puts hours of stress on the median nerve. You should suspect CTS if you find yourself shaking your hands most mornings to get rid of numbness and tingling. If patients answer in the affirmative on at least two questions on a simple seven-question screening test, doctors can predict CTS with 97% accuracy. Weird, huh? (Daily Health News, May 7, 2009)