Taking breaks can go a long way in helping your body recover from any activity and may help you avoid MSDs.  The length and frequency of breaks that are right for you depend on the type of work you are doing.  Stopping the activity and relaxing is one way to take a break, but there are other ways, also.  For instance, just changing tasks-perhaps from sitting while typing to standing while talking on the phone-can help some muscles relax while others remain productive.

To vary your daily activities and to work productively, consider the following:

• Plan your work and play so that one activity is not performed for extended periods of time.

• Use different input devices, such as your mouse and keyboard, to accomplish the same task.  For example, to perform a scrolling task, you can use the wheel on the mouse or the arrow keys on the keyboard.  

• Work more efficiently by using software and hardware features to reduce your effort and increase your productivity.  For example, you can press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu.

• Learn about software and hardware features by reading the information that came with your software programs and hardware products.