Practice Typing Checklist and your  Health

The Perfect Workspace:

A 5-Minute Ergonomic Checklist

The Ideal Rule:

  Your workspace should adjust to your body, not the other way around.  Take your time and read through these five quick position areas to reduce physical strain and resolve maximum typing proficiency.

Area 1: 
The Chair & Lower Body

Your chair handles your initial support.  If your base is uneven, your neck and wrists will feel pain.

·            Back support:  Your lower back is pushed firmly against the back of your chair, using the built-in lumbar curve.

·             The 90 degrees Position:  Your knees and hips are bent at a clean 90 degrees to 100 degrees, with your thighs corresponding to the ground.

·            Feet Flat:  Both feet are resting completely flat on the floor (or on a stable footstool if your desk is high).       

Area 2:
Desk Height and Elbow Position

 This setting directly controls your typing stamina and shoulder comfort.

·            Relaxed Shoulders:  Your shoulders are dropped and completely relaxed-not curved, tense, or shrugged upward.

·            The Elbow L-Shape:  Your elbows form a comfortable, open L-shape (90 degrees to 110 degrees angle) when your fingers are resting on the Home Row.

·           No Arm-Stretching:  Your keyboard and mouse are pulled close enough to you     that you don’t have to lean forward or stretch your arms outward to type.

Area 3:
Monitor & Screen Placement

Protect your neck muscles from fatigue and your eyes from severe strain.

·         Perfect Eye Level:  The complete top line of text on your screen sits exactly at, or slightly below, your normal eye level.  You should never have to angle your chin up or down to read.

·         Anti-Glare Outlook:  Your screen is tilted slightly backward (like a laptop screen) to prevent overhead light fixtures from reflecting sparkle into your eyes.

·         The Arm’s Length Rule:  Your screen is located directly in front of you, roughly an arm’s length away from your face (20 to 30 inches).

Area 4:
Hand & Wrist Angles

This is the most serious checkpoint for preventing long-term repetitive strain injuries (RSI).

·         No Wrist Planting:  Do not rest your wrists heavily against hard desk edges or laptop rims while typing (this pinches tendons and cuts off the flow of blood circulation.

·         The Floating Wrist:  Your wrists are completely straight, floating, and hovering gently above the desk or laptop frame while you are actively moving your fingers.

·         Wrist Rest Rules:  If you use a padded wrist rest, use it to rest the palms of your hands between sentences, not while moving your fingers.

Area 5:
Mobile & Tablet Settings
(If Using an iPad/Tablet)

Typing directly onto a flat tablet screen on top of a table forces severe, dangerous neck positions.

·         The Parting Rule:  Your tablet screen is placed up on a dedicated stand at eye level, completely separate from your hands.

·         External Hardware Devices:  You are using an external, physical Bluetooth or wired keyboard resting flat on the desk surface instead of typing on the glass screen.

Day-to-day Care: 
The 20-20-20 Rule

Every 20 minutes, I will turn away from screen at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to completely retune and relax my eye muscles.

Student Download Note:

Print this checklist, place it on your desk, and read through first day of the week to keep your body healthy, aligned, and ready for high-speed mastery!