We live in a digital world where staring at a computer screen for hours has become inevitable not just in the IT industry, but in almost every profession including accounts, academics, stock markets & research.

Even at home, we have laptops & desktops which have become an integral part of our families. With the penetration & affordability of internet, most of us are hooked to addictive online games (Candy Crush, Farmville), social networks (facebook, twitter), streaming videos (YouTube), and even before we realize, we would have spent hours at a stretch on such sites without blinking our eyes.

The root cause for most of our problems (especially health related) is the lack of care & attention to our body. Continuously staring at a computer screen have several health consequences including eye strain, power glasses, headache, stress & fatigue. Also, sitting in improper posture or the same posture for long time can result in Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

So, should we stop using computers altogether in order to safeguard our health? Not necessary to give up computers. In this digital world, it is not feasible because our profession demands it at work, and at home we need it for entertainment, intellectual fulfillment & socialization.

Upon close analysis, we find that the activity of using a PC is not detrimental by itself. The problem is when it is in a continuous stretch without breaks. This applies not only to computer usage but any activity for that matter. For example, driving a vehicle continuously for the whole day can have serious consequences on joints, blood circulation & nervous system.

Coming back to computer usage, one of the ways to avoid RSI, stress, eye-strain & related health problems is to take breaks at regular intervals. In the case of computer users, there are 2 types of breaks:

1) Micro breaks which lasts for 30 seconds to 1 minute and can be taken once every 30 minutes. During such a micro-break the user can rest his eyes & look at some faraway object to change focus (i.e it exercises the eyes). Palming of the eyes (i.e Rubbing palms with each other to generate some heat and placing the palms over eyes) is a popular Yogic method to relax the eye and has great health benefits. Here is a short instruction video of the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhdprDC4Ci8

2) Rest breaks lasting 10 minutes which can be taken once every 90 minutes during which the user can get up & walk around or remain at his desk & stretch muscles to improve blood circulation and feel refreshed.

Although all of us agree to the above advice of taking regular breaks, hardly any of us practice it because it is not a part of our habit and even if we are interested in making it a habit, we tend to be forgetful (we are usually so much engrossed that we might forget about all these breaks).

Recollect from our earlier discussions that a routine needs a cue & a reward to turn it into a sustainable habit. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.smarthabits.in/posts/psychology-sustainable-habits/

Now that we have agreed to incoporate these micro breaks & rest breaks as routines, the next step is to find out if we can setup “cues” to remind us to take these breaks.

One simple solution is to have an alarm clock ringing once every 30 mins, but as most of us would agree, we will just switch off the alarm and continue doing our tasks. i.e Alarm clock is a good technology but not a smart enough cue sustain the habit, especially for computer users.

This is where smart technology comes to the rescue. There are several software programs which can be used to incorporate this as a habit and among them, the most reliable, simple & easy to use software is “Workrave” which is a freeware (legally free) and available for most of the computer platforms:

http://www.workrave.org/

After installing the software, it is programmed to start up automatically whenever the computer boots up. Based on the default time intervals (configurable), it prompts the user to take microbreaks & rest breaks. In a way, it is like a strict coach because it actually freezes the computer (does not allow you to do anything on the computer) during the 30 seconds microbreaks so that you are forced to pull your hands off the keyboard for a while and take care of your eyes. (However, you can temporarily override it if you are working on an critical task where you cannot afford to take such breaks).

During the rest breaks, it guides you on few basic exercises the with the help of animated characters.

Also, going out for a short walk to inhale some fresh air during such rest breaks helps in rejuvenation and help improve concentration for the next phase. If you can set the timings such that the rest breaks coincide with coffee time, it acts as the “Cherish” part of the habit psychology loop which helps to sustain it.



Image source: http://pomodorotechnique.com/pomodoro-technique-short-break/

Apart from the health benefits it results in, the technique helps in user being aware of time as well because every time it prompts the user to take a break, he knows that a certain time has elapsed and hence will not be shocked later that time just flew without him being aware of it. For example, recollect how you spent 4 hours at a stretch watching a series of YouTube videos and each video’s related videos and getting virtually lost for hours. By using such a software, whenever it prompts (and forces the user) to take a break, the brain actually becomes free for a moment and introspects on what it did for the past 30 mins and if it regrets wasting time, it will take appropriate action, thereby avoiding procrastination, hence leading to better time management & awareness.

Apart from “Cherishing” the results, another factor is the “follow up” in the form of tracking the habit which upon self review can improve self-esteem and “Crave” for such results in future, which can help in developing a sustainable habit. This part is taken care by the “statistics” section of the Workrave software which stores all the data of the breaks taken by the user and can be easily accessed for tracking the habit.

Over time, as the user gets used to taking such regular breaks (due to external motivation from the software in the form of cues and boost in self esteem after tracking improvements in statistics resulting in craving), his internal body & mind also begins to align with it (biological clock), and the neural pathways will be etched, thereby turning it into a subconscious activity. After using the software for few months, the biological clock in the body itself will be aware of time intervals & prompt the user to take such regular breaks as a sustainable habit.

Download links:

Workrave:

http://www.workrave.org/

Another popular free software is EyeLeo:

http://eyeleo.com/

Eye Defender:

http://eyedefender.software.informer.com/

