March 2006

Did you know that March is National Women’s History Month? Of course you did. I’m so proud of my beloved UncommonGoods.com. I showed up on their cyber doorstep yesterday, as I frequently do - smile on face, card in hand - and they had their front page dedicated to acknowledging Women’s History Month.

It always says a lot about a business (or a webiste for that matter) when they know what’s going on around them. I like doing business with people who are on the ball and in touch - and Uncommon Goods has never proven themselves to be anything but exemplary in each of these areas.

I pretty much felt that I needed to reward them for their ultracoolness. Only fair, right?

Here are the goodies me, my smile, and my card found:

SMART WOMEN DESK SET:

The “Smart Women Desk Set” collection includes a “smart women put it in writing” magnetic notepad, two “smart women get to the point” pencils, a “smart women make changes” eraser, a “smart women rule with compassion” ruler and three sets of “smart women keep each other posted” sticky notes. Clever! I loves the sayings on the rulers and erasers.

It all comes in a muslin bag, which is my only real complaint. I’d rather it have been presented in a binder or carry-all case, or at least a flower pot - - something I’d use again. A muslin bag? I’d have to get kind of creative with that.

The ceramic SMART WOMEN COFFEE MUGS have “Smart Women Thirst For Knowledge” printed on the sides and are sold in sets of two. The website also has SMART WOMEN GLASSES but I’m not sure I like the gal who’s pictured on the glasses. We might not get along.

To see the collection for yourself, hustle on over to UncommonGoods.com, then enter Smart Women in the search box to the right. Voila.

If you aren’t a girl, enter something alltogether different in the box - strip chocolate might amuse you, as well as a Smart Woman in your life!

Ergonomics is a pretentious word that basically means this: The practice of creating a workspace that’s safe and comfortable. While reading up on all that the word entails, I found out that it could be worse. I saw words like biotechnology, human engineering, human factors engineering, peppered all over the articles. I’ll stick with Ergonomics.

It all boils down to striving to make your work area as comfortable, healthy and safe as possible. You want the conditions to be conducive to your well-being rather than unconducive, productive rather than counter-productive.

One of the biggest concerns in the workplace today is the crop of nasty repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, that can plague those of us who work from the computer. Personally, I feel it more in my elbow and shoulder, leading me to believe that I have a totally freakish approach.

Here are a few tricks and ideas that should help us out. After all, the tennis courts (or golf courses) will be calling soon, and we have to be in top condition!

• Position the lower portion of your back against your chair’s backrest and adjust the chair so that your torso and thighs make a 90 to 120 degree angle. Both feet should be on the floor. (I already blew it, I actually sit on one leg and my back is nowhere near the back of my chair.)
• When typing, your elbows should be at your side, with your arms at a 90 to 120 degree angle and your shoulders should be relaxed. If you can’t lower your keyboard, raise your chair and use a footrest.
• Arrange everything on your desk so that the things you reach for the most (stapler, mouse, phone, coffee) are nearby.
• Don’t work with your body twisted. Be sure your computer is directly in front of you and keep the keyboard and monitor aligned while typing.
• Position the top of your computer screen level with your line of sight - straight ahead.
• Use a headset or speakerphone instead of cradling a phone between your jaw and shoulder. This will keep you from straining your neck. It’ll also free your hands up to get work done while on hold….or while bored with the person on the other end.

After reading all of those, it’s a wonder I can even move - I pretty much break every rule! I’m literally sitting right now sideways in my chair with my legs folded up “Indian style.” But at 5′3″, the whole sit back with feet on the floor scenario is a stretch - literally. Maybe a pillow behind the back or a footrest would help…..if I don’t straighten up I’ll be asking for a whole world of pain.

How about you - How pretty are you sitting?