Take care of your hands

Working with fewer keystrokes became a necessity when I developed problems with my hands. In June 2012, I talked about how I’d changed my daily routine at the computer.

Working with fewer keystrokes and more variety

I’d spent many years typing a lot, including working on my book E-pusher. Now I found I could only work at the computer for short periods at a time.

I tried switching between different ways of working. I used both a phone and a tablet and alternated between a keyboard, mouse and trackpad.

I also talk about standing up some of the time and sitting down at other times. Those were my attempts to arrange my working day differently.

A long reply didn’t have to be written

One change was to record longer replies rather than type them. With a text shortcut, I could send an explanation of how the recipient could listen to the audio file.

That way I could still answer questions and share my thoughts, even though I struggled to type a lot.

My experience from 2012

I shared my experiences to get others thinking about their working habits. At the same time, I stressed that I wasn’t looking for more suggestions for treatment.

The video’s categorical statements about injury and recovery reflect my assumptions at the time. My changes to how I worked don’t demonstrate that particular tools prevent or treat pain. I also mention a course of treatment I wasn’t yet willing to assess publicly.

Working with fewer keystrokes had become necessary

The occasion was a question on Amino from a man who built websites and had painful hands. It prompted me to share my own experiences. I’d had problems for three years, and working with fewer keystrokes had become an important part of my daily life.

But first I wanted to make one thing clear: I wasn’t looking for more suggestions for powders, pills or finger exercises. I was grateful for all the advice I’d already received, but couldn’t face replying to any more. I’d also just started a treatment I wasn’t ready to discuss. If it actually worked, I’d certainly tell people.

It started while I was writing E-pusher

Three years earlier, I’d developed pain while writing a new version of E-pusher. At one point, the pain in my thumb was so severe that moving it felt like someone was hitting it with a hammer. That pain was gone in 2012, but I still had pain through my hands and up into my forearms.

I connected it with putting too much repetitive strain on my hands and arms. I’d sat at my laptop repeating the same movements far too much. When I’d previously mentioned the problems, emails had flooded in from others with similar experiences. It made me talk very bluntly about a nationwide epidemic. That was my impression from the messages.

More and more people worked at computers: designers, graphic designers, copywriters, secretaries, programmers and people like me who answered lots of emails. I used to be able to sit and type for seven or eight, or ten or twelve hours in a day. Now perhaps I could type for half an hour to an hour a day.

For me, there were other options. I could make videos and give talks. In fact, my hands were an important reason I had a video blog. But I thought a lot about how serious it could be for a programmer or graphic designer if using the tools their entire job depended on became difficult.

Phone, tablet and audio replies gave me different movements

My idea was to make the day less repetitive. If I read Twitter in the morning, I could use my phone rather than immediately sit down at the laptop. When reading websites and looking for new knowledge, I could use an iPad. I held it differently and operated it in another way. I tried to alternate between different movements rather than do everything on the same machine.

I could answer long emails with audio. In my reply on Amino, I’d explained the process and the programs I used. I couldn’t remember their names when recording the video, so I referred to my reply in the discussion rather than guessing.

I’d made a text shortcut where I typed LS. That inserted my standard reply explaining the audio response into the email, and in practice I just had to send it. It saved an enormous number of keystrokes. I also found audio replies more personal. I could convey far more nuance with my voice. I could still quickly type little, short replies.

I alternated between tools and working positions

I suggested using a height-adjustable desk and alternating between standing and sitting. I also talked about finding a good keyboard and switching between it and the laptop keyboard. On Mac, I mentioned a Magic Mouse along with a trackpad and the built-in touchpad, so the hand could work in different ways.

In the evening, for instance, I could sit with the laptop on my lap. In my own thinking, the aim was to have six or seven different positions and ways of using my hands throughout a day. I also mentioned the then growing idea of a treadmill at the desk so you could walk while working.

My encouragement was to think about the habits before problems arose. I was frustrated to have developed them already. I said very firmly that I thought they were hard to get rid of completely, but also acknowledged I didn’t know whether a full recovery was possible.

I otherwise felt in good shape

I’d tried the Danish speech recognition programs I knew about at the time. They didn’t work well enough for me compared with the American ones. Perhaps I wasn’t patient enough either, I said. Those were my experiences with the options available back then.

The frustrating thing was that otherwise I’d never felt fitter. I ran four or five kilometres a day, ate healthily and felt strong. The rest of my body felt fantastic, while my hands were completely fucked. So I didn’t just see the problem as a matter of being weak or unfit. I wanted to share it so others would think about how they used their bodies during the working day.

Also read about my earlier experiences with audio replies and video blogging.

Best wishes, Martin