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As others mentioned, ergonomic keyboard helps with this. I'm using Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic wireless keyboard (haven't tried Kinesis) which is IMO a good comp

As others mentioned, ergonomic keyboard helps with this. I'm using Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic wireless keyboard (haven't tried Kinesis) which is IMO a good compromise between price, quality and size. One thing to be aware of though is that for security, the USB dongle is paired with the keyboard at the factory via a unique encryption key, so if the dongle breaks, you can basically throw the keyboard to the bin (contrary to other vendors which offer universal dongles that can be paired with existing keyboards). Another RSI tip concerning mouse usage: try to learn using the mouse with your secondary hand. Initially it's very hard, but after few weeks you can do all but the most precise things with the secondary hand. Changing hands can significantly reduce the pain. I have two mice (that may look weird but I find it useful): an ergonomic one for the right hand, and a symmetric trackball for the left hand.

Stratoscope 7y ago
Great tips, thanks! I recommend your "secondary mouse hand" trick in particular for right-handers who use desktop keyboards with the typical cursor keys on the right. I did this before I switched to ThinkPads, and it was great being able to seamlessly work the mouse with my left hand and the cursor keys with my right. Putting the mouse on the left also made a much shorter reach to get to it. For Windows users with desktop keyboards that have numeric pads, I also suggest turning on the Mouse Keys feature. One thing I always found most stressful with a mouse was dragging with the button down and trying to make precise movements. I felt like I was cramping my hand every time I did that. Mouse Keys makes precise mouse movements easy: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14204/windows-7-use-mouse-keys-to-move-mouse-pointer https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14204/windows-7-use... Or on a laptop keyboard - particularly on a ThinkPad - use my JKLmouse program (an AutoHotkey script) that does much the same thing without a number pad. Whenever you hold any mouse (TrackPoint) button or the Caps Lock key down, various keyboard keys turn into mouse movement keys. It works on any keyboard but is especially nice on a ThinkPad where you can press a TrackPoint button, use the TrackPoint to get the cursor about where you want it, and then - with your hand still on the home row! - move pixel by pixel with the keyboard. https://www.jklmouse.com/ https://www.jklmouse.com/ I don't know of macOS or Linux equivalents for these, but would be interested in hearing about them if anyone is familiar.

Stratoscope 7y ago

Great tips, thanks! I recommend your "secondary mouse hand" trick in particular for right-handers who use desktop keyboards with the typical cursor keys on the right. I did this before I switched to ThinkPads, and it was great being able to seamlessly work the mouse with my left hand and the cursor keys with my right. Putting the mouse on the left also made a much shorter reach to get to it. For Windows users with desktop keyboards that have numeric pads, I also suggest turning on the Mouse Keys feature. One thing I always found most stressful with a mouse was dragging with the button down and trying to make precise movements. I felt like I was cramping my hand every time I did that. Mouse Keys makes precise mouse movements easy: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14204/windows-7-use-mouse-keys-to-move-mouse-pointer https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14204/windows-7-use... Or on a laptop keyboard - particularly on a ThinkPad - use my JKLmouse program (an AutoHotkey script) that does much the same thing without a number pad. Whenever you hold any mouse (TrackPoint) button or the Caps Lock key down, various keyboard keys turn into mouse movement keys. It works on any keyboard but is especially nice on a ThinkPad where you can press a TrackPoint button, use the TrackPoint to get the cursor about where you want it, and then - with your hand still on the home row! - move pixel by pixel with the keyboard. https://www.jklmouse.com/ https://www.jklmouse.com/ I don't know of macOS or Linux equivalents for these, but would be interested in hearing about them if anyone is familiar.