If you are right handed, protect your right arm and move your work mouse to your left hand.
If you are left handed, protect your left arm and move your work mouse to your right hand.
I am serious. I did this two years ago, and now at work I use the mouse with my left hand and at home I use the mouse with my right hand. It is so seamless at this point that I don't even think about it. It didn't take long to adjust either, a few days maybe a week at most.
We will be using computers and mice for a long long time, and there aint no better user interface coming any time soon. So don't put all the burden on one of your arms, diversify away your carpal tunnel risks. And that my friends, is better diversification advice than any Jim Cramer has ever given.
Become ambimouseterous.
Brilliant. Did you switch the mouse buttons, too?
Posted by: Cem Sertoglu | December 04, 2008 at 06:20 AM
Intrigued. So, do you have a left-handed mouse at home?
Posted by: Omer | December 04, 2008 at 07:19 AM
I didn't switch the mouse buttons, right-click is still right-click and left-click is still left-click.
The mouse I had at work was a symmetrical Dell mouse, so all I did was move it from one side of the laptop to the other, no special hardware needed.
Posted by: Baris | December 04, 2008 at 07:42 AM
Great advice, Baris. I started following this practice a few years ago. It seemed to help.
But a couple of other changes helped even more.
-I learned how to sit cross-legged on the chair. For whatever reason that keeps my back straighter and reduces the strain on everything.
-I started practicing Calorie Restriction. I don't know if it is correlation or causation, but my pain disappeared instantly when I became skinny.
-ProbodX workouts pretty much took away all daily aches and pains.
BTW...the National Science Foundation has decided to fund ManyWheels. So my new start-up is rolling ahead (sorry for the pun!)
Posted by: Kevin Dewalt | December 05, 2008 at 07:22 AM
Kevin,
Awesome news with the funding. Make it last.
I am still a big fan of probodx
Posted by: Baris | December 05, 2008 at 06:04 PM
ТС: ++
Posted by: IVSergio | December 09, 2008 at 09:21 PM
I've got to try this! Great blog by the way. Love the web 2.0 company list. After seeing 215 tinyurl clones, I had an epiphany and almost started calling venture capitalists -- but then I checked, and gianturl.com is already taken.
Posted by: Aaron | January 31, 2009 at 09:17 PM