It's been a busy Fall so far, so unfortunately the frequency of my posts were fewer and farther between. I'm only getting busier these days, so I must endeavor to ensure this does not affect my communications on social media. October will be light as well since we are planning to move out of our apartment. It's an unfortunate consequence of living in Silicon Valley--our one year old building was bought by a company that will convert all units to furnished corporate housing, so no lease renewals. Still, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now. We love the weather, the people, and the excitement of the Bay Area.
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Shame on me. I totally underestimated how much work writing a book would be, and despite working pretty regularly on it the last two years, I found the last twelve months required many days sitting at the computer for hours on end.
One day, I went to disconnect my phone from its charger and BAM! The muscles in my neck seized up with a massive cramp I couldn’t get out. I desperately searched for a chiropractor to see me right away. He stabilized it, but the damage had been done. It would take weeks to recover. Despite the pain, stiffness, and lack of mobility, I decided to attend an event at a “unicorn” company I was invited to by a new and important network contact. I’m usually pretty transparent, but instinct kicked in that night and suddenly I felt like an injured animal in the Serengeti. If I showed any weakness, there was this irrational fear that somehow I would be devoured. So I told no one and pretended nothing was amiss, but boy did I suffer. In retrospect, I realize that this ergonomic injury was completely preventable. In a way, I kind of deserved it. After all, I hunched over this small laptop and let my muscles slowly weaken over time. How could I be so stupid? This was probably an issue years in the making, only delayed by the fact that I previously worked in offices where I had a ton of meetings that required walking and time away from my computer. Let my pain be a lesson. I beseech you to raise your monitor to eye level, sit up in your chair (or better yet, get a standing desk), minimize any stress on your muscles, and take frequent breaks. Listen to your body—it will send signals if you are paying attention. My friend posted this on Facebook this morning: “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.” That screaming--a.k.a. pain--is not just for old folks, people. Ergonomic injuries could happen to you. It’s just a matter of time. Companies—if you care about work environment, help your employees practice work safely. Prevent work-related injuries from your warehouses to your offices. It will go a long way in creating a healthy and productive workforce, I promise. |
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A place to share interesting concepts that will inspire, spread, and/or apply new ideas. This page is dedicated to sharing my twitter feed, announcements, and blog posts. Archives
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