Stop Typing On Your Laptop

For most of us, working from home has become the new normal. Laptops have replaced desktops and we’re all making do with our make-shift offices. But is typing on a laptop all day bad for our health?

The NHS says that “Laptops allow us to be able to work more flexibly, but have been blamed for causing back, neck and shoulder problems. The features that make laptops very portable, such as a screen attached to the keyboard, are the same features that make it difficult for a person to adopt correct posture when using them.”

Many of us have that niggling thought in the back of our heads that working from just a laptop might cause some damage in the long run. Office specialists like ErgoPlus even believe that “the design of a laptop forces users into a trade-off between poor neck/head posture and poor hand/wrist posture.”

So, what’s the solution?

Easy.

Stop typing on a laptop and start typing on a keyboard.

Using an external keyboard is one of the biggest ergonomic improvements that a laptop user can make. The likes of the NHS and ErgoPlus swear by it. The idea is that external keyboards have a less compact design and offer much more space between keys, which allows our wrists to align in a more natural position, kick-starting a correct posture.

To test out the theory I’ve made the switch. And so far, it’s been pretty good! From the get-go, I’ve noticed that I’m sat at a better distance from my screen. I’ve also paired my keyboard with a laptop riser and found my head has naturally moved up and back. I’m no longer hunched in a ‘downwards’ position.

My arms and wrists also seem to have slipped into a better typing position. My elbows are closer to a 90-degree angle now, which was never possible with a laptop alone. And surprisingly, thanks to the extra keyboard space, I’m making fewer typing errors. There’s less ‘sjkdhsjkaksjhda’ in my first drafts and more actual words, so that’s a real productivity bonus.

Designing your workspace around ergonomics can do wonders for your body. External monitors, a separate mouse, a desk — there’s plenty you can invest in to protect your posture. But ditch using your laptop keyboard first, your body will thank you for it later.