We all know that a healthy lifestyle could enable us to work much more efficiently and keep being creative. For machine learning researchers, good health management could be even more important because many of us often have to sit quite a long time on the chair. The major motivation of this post is to collect a few useful tips to maintain a good health status.
Keep in mind that all infrastructure should aim to fit the people, not the other way around.
Monitors — a good setup of monitors can help to reduce the risks of neck injury or even cervical spondylosis:
- Dual monitors: 1 horizontal (browsing) + 1 vertical (coding)
- Positioning: one arm distance (45–70 cm); a good height at which the neck stays straight and relaxed with neutral posture (e.g. extra height with A4 paper bundles); the touching edge of the two monitors aligned with the nose, forming a semi-circle angle
No sedentary time — stand up for a break every 20 minutes; relax the eye muscles by focusing somewhere far away with green space.
Be addicted to the whiteboard — sketching ideas and equation-related work should happen on a whiteboard as much as possible; it is good for your neck and health in general.
Use reading holders — keep your vertebrae and neck straight up during reading, not bent downward.
- Thick textbooks: disassemble into chapters and rebind them, like small leaflets.
Use an ergonomic keyboard — open elbows at 90°, forearms on the table, shoulders relaxed.
Use an ergonomic chair — curvature to support the back; relaxed shoulders; place hips as close to the back of the chair as possible; adjust the height so feet and legs are relaxed.