Laptops are bad, but we’re stuck with them.

One day we’ll have crazy contact lenses that project virtual screens onto any available surface and let us type and work anywhere, but for now we have to make do with a screen attached to a keyboard and touchpad. And if you’re reading this it’s probably because you’ve realised that they’re not great for posture.

This is a living document, and a first draft at that. It’s not finished, authoritative or comprehensive. It’s just my attempt to explain what I’ve learnt so as to help others on EF. It will change as and when I learn, research, interview and experiment.

This advice is no substitute for seeing a doctor or a physiotherapist. If you have serious problems seek trained medical advice.

Move

Pretty much every possible way of working on a laptop involves some kind of posture compromise, so the most important thing it to regularly get up and change position. The recommendations from physiotherapists ranges from moving every 15 minutes to every hour and a half. I’d suggest 45 minutes as a good compromise.

Stand up, walk around and think about whatever you’re working on. Get a drink of water and chat to someone or just walk to the other end of the workspace. Really, what you do isn’t important so long as you stand up and move.

There are many ways to remind yourself to do this. My favourite is Awareness, a simple reminder app which lets you know whenever you work for too long without taking a break, and is available for Mac and Windows.

Sit

It’s really hard to find a good posture when you’re working on a laptop. There’s an inherent compromise between screen height and keyboard position. However there are simple changes you can make, some of which I’ve outlined below:

Neck

If you’re noticing that the back of your neck and your upper back are aching it’s probably from your head hanging forward. If that’s happening then the muscles on the back of your neck are constantly tense to keep your head from falling further forward. Try to bring your head back until it doesn’t take any effort to support it. To look down, tuck your chin in rather than bringing your head forward.

Shoulders

To avoid hunching over your laptop too much it’s tempting to push it away from you, reaching forward to type. Again the issue is muscles constantly being tense to support you, except this time it’s your shoulder muscles holding your arms in place. You need to let your shoulders relax.

This means either bringing your elbows to your side or making sure your arms are supported by your work environment. To achieve the former you could bring your laptop closer to you or put an external keyboard on your lap. For the latter it’s often enough to rest your elbows on the desk.

Wrists

Like shoulders and neck, it’s important to keep your wrists in a neutral position. This means keeping them as straight as possible. In particular it’s risky to bend your wrists back and rest the underside on a hard surface: there are lots of nerves that pass through that area.

Take a moment to move your wrists around and see where the limits of motion are: if you’re close to any of those limits, you’re stressing the joint and will likely cause ache. For example, I used to keep my hands pointing straight forward on my keyboard but have my elbows out, causing tension and eventually pain on the inner edge of my wrist.

Lower Back

Honestly? I’m not equipped to talk authoritatively about back pain. The causes tend to be more varied and complex than shoulder and neck issues and I don’t want to give advice from a position of ignorance. If it’s bad go see a doctor (seriously: if addressed early it’s much easier to treat) and change position regularly (but you should be doing that anyway).

Relax

There are myriad stretches and exercises you can do that help with your posture. There’s one thing, though, which I’ve found to be very effective and not that widely advocated: lying down.

Lie on your back for 15 minutes and relax.

Keep your arms relaxed with your elbows by your side and resist the temptation to check your phone or read anything. At first you might find it easier to put a book or two under your head, and carpet is more comfortable for obvious reasons. Don’t do this on a bed because the point is to straighten out your spine.

Posture aids

The main draw of a laptop is portability, so suggesting that you carry extra equipment with you is going to be fairly unpopular, hence why I started with suggestions that don’t need any extra stuff taking space in your bag.

What you might notice, though, is that it’s tricky to follow all the advice listed above at the same time. As you pull the laptop closer to keep your elbows by your side it becomes harder to keep your head up and not slouch, and if you try to raise the laptop screen you’ll end up lifting your arms and tensing your shoulders. Like I said at the start, laptops are bad.

So if you’re particularly concerned about your posture the best thing you can do is use an external keyboard, mouse (or touchpad) and laptop stand. Use the stand to lift the screen as high as possible, ideally right up to your eye level, and bring your keyboard close to you or even place it on your lap. Spend the extra money on bluetooth versions

In summary

Improving your posture is about making small changes and forming new habits. The main changes I suggest making are:

• Stand up and move, ideally every 45 minutes. Change position throughout the day.
• Use an external keyboard, mouse and laptop stand
• Lie on your back on a hard surface for 10–15 minutes per day and relax
• If your neck aches, don’t let your head hang forward. To look down tuck your chin in rather than moving your head forwards.
• If your shoulders ache, allow your shoulders to relax by resting your arms on something or bringing your elbows closer to your side.
• If your wrists ache, try to keep them straight as you type.

As I said at the start, this is no substitute for professional medical advice. The hope is only that I can instil some better habits in you so that you can work more effectively, efficiently and comfortably.

Good luck!