Ergonomics and You

08/20/2026

It is that time of the month for some woman networking. Join us in Brandon on Thursday, August 27th at Just Love Coffee at 11:30 - 1:00. Come get a coffee or tea, pastry or sandwich, and listen to our speaker Linda Ray Cameron, your Appreciation Specialist from Send Out Cards.

You can check out the PowerGals networking group at powergalsnetworking.com or scan the QR code below. There are 20+ meetings you can attend in the Tampa Bay Area.

08/18/2026

Hello all. Are you a teacher? I have your neck, OK, maybe your back. This video talks about Ergonomics and Teachers, specifically while grading papers on the laptop or on paperwork. https://youtu.be/PH5Hello all.

https://youtu.be/PH5

We are talking about what posture teachers might be using when grad...

08/17/2026

Hello all, I am a presenter and a vendor at the Smart Living Health Fair this Saturday, August 22nd. The health fair runs 10:00 - 1:00 and I will be presenting sometime between 11:30 - 12:30. I will be speaking on Ergonomics for Seniors. It is at Five Towns - Magnolia Auditorium in St. Pete. I hope to see you there.

08/04/2026

It is Back to school time. Check out this video.

07/28/2026

It is that time of year, back-to-school for your kids and students. The countdown is 2 1/2 more weeks for most kids.

This week we are looking at Laptops and Tablets. The key takeaway is raise the laptop to their eye height and use an external keyboard and mouse. For the tablets, prop them up instead of having them flat on the desk. This will save their neck and upper back postures. If you have questions about what products would be good for your kids or even yourself, I have some Amazon products that I recommend on my website at www.ergonomicsandyou.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you would like to get an ergonomic evaluation for your students workspace or even yourself, you can schedule on my calendar at https://calendly.com/ergonomicsandyou/office-evaluation.

07/21/2026

Three more weeks of summer break for our students. This post talks about their keyboard and mouse. If you have any questions on what keyboard or mouse is best for your student, let me know, [email protected]. I provide virtual and in-person ergonomic evaluations for your entire workstation for your student and for yourself or your company. Schedule some time at https://calendly.com/ergonomicsandyou/office-evaluation.

07/14/2026

Students are going back to school in 4 weeks, do they have the right chair? Here are some tips on adjusting and fitting a chair for your student. If you have any questions, reach out to me at [email protected] or check out my website for more tips www.ergonomicsandyou.com.

07/07/2026

This might be a bit early but it is good to plan for when your kids at any age go back to school. Let me know if you have any questions.

https://www.ergonomicsandyou.com
[email protected]

06/23/2026

🌞 HELLO SUMMER: M‑E‑R
We’re wrapping up the last three letters of our summer series and focusing on monitor setup. These small adjustments can make a big difference in your comfort throughout the day.

M – Monitor Arms
Monitor arms lift your screens off the desk and help keep your workspace clear. Your main monitor should be directly in front of you, with your secondary monitor beside it. If you use both equally, your eyes should land at the intersection of the two screens.

You can use a single or dual arm, or even a 2×2 setup for four monitors. Humanscale has great multi‑monitor options, and Workrite offers my favorite arms for keeping everything aligned with the back of the work surface.

E – Eye Dominance
Knowing your dominant eye can help you decide where to place your second monitor.
Try the Miles Test:
1️⃣ Create a small triangle with your thumbs and forefingers.
2️⃣ With both eyes open, center it on a distant object.
3️⃣ Close your left eye.
• If the object stays centered → your right eye is dominant.
• If it shifts → your left eye is dominant.
Place your secondary monitor on your dominant‑eye side for easier viewing.

R – Raise Monitor
If you use a laptop, raise the screen to eye height and use an external keyboard and mouse. When working at a coffee shop, take breaks to look up and around — most people drop their chin while using a laptop, which increases neck strain.
Your desktop monitor should also be at eye height, with the top quarter of the screen at your sitting or standing eye level. If you wear bifocals or progressives, adjust the monitor so you don’t have to lift your chin to see the screen.

If you have questions about monitor height or distance, feel free to reach out or visit www.ergonomicsandyou.com for more tips. I offer virtual and in‑person ergonomic evaluations for home and corporate offices.

06/16/2026

🌞 We’re already halfway through June, and we’re continuing our Happy Summer series! This week we’re focusing on S‑U‑M as we talk about desktop and laptop monitor setups.

S – Secondary Monitors 🖥️
Do you use a second desktop monitor, or is your laptop acting as your second screen? A second monitor can make a big difference when referencing documents or working between multiple programs.

Here are a few guidelines:

• If you use both monitors equally, your eyes should land at the intersection of the two screens.
• If one monitor is your primary screen, place it directly in front of you, with the second monitor on your dominant‑eye side (more on that in my next post).
• If your monitors are different sizes and you use them equally, a 60/40 setup works well — one monitor takes up more space, and the second sits right beside it.
• If your laptop is your second monitor and you use it often, raise it to eye height using a riser or books.
• If your laptop sits in front of your desktop monitor for keyboard/mouse use, make sure the laptop screen is pushed back so it doesn’t block the bottom of your main monitor.
• Keep your monitors close together to reduce unnecessary neck rotation.

U – Under the Monitor 📚
If you use monitor arms, you’ll have open space under your monitors for storing paperwork or even your laptop. Monitor risers also create space underneath for books, papers, or a laptop, depending on the size.

The same idea applies to laptops — unless you’re using a laptop riser, which typically doesn’t leave much room underneath.

M – Main Monitor 🎯
Your main monitor is the one you look at the most. If you have two monitors, you may prefer to keep your primary work (like spreadsheets) on the main monitor and your reference material on the second. If you only use one monitor — whether it’s a desktop monitor or your laptop — that’s your main monitor by default.

💬 Your Turn
How many of you use two monitors?
How do you have them positioned?
Anyone using more than two?