How to Reduce Computer Eye Strain

Written by John A. Manley


How to Reduce Computer Eye Strain and Improve Your Vision

by John A. Manley

The first sign Peter Parker had become Spiderman was improved vision. After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter reached for his glasses and put them on his nose. Everything appeared blurred. His prescription was useless with his now perfect vision. He also had some other interesting lifestyle changes, such as climbing walls and shooting webs. Yet whenever he becomes stressed these powers diminish and he invariably reaches for his spectacles.

Don't we all go through these types of visual fluctuations? When work requires reading, writing or design, eyestrain is a hindrance both to speed and efficiency. And that translates into poorer results and less pay. A 1999 Occupational Safety and Health Administration study showed 90% of those who use computers for more than three hours a day suffer from vision problems. Do you know any copywriters or graphic designers who use their computers for more than three hours a day? And as we get older and continue to strain our eyes,repparttar result ofrepparttar 108005 eyestrain becomes impossible to ignore.

Yet you can avoid and even reverse these problems. Mortals can share Spiderman's power over his vision. Look atrepparttar 108006 work of Dr. William Bates, a New York ophthalmologist fromrepparttar 108007 late nineteenth century. He observedrepparttar 108008 visual behaviour of countless eyes, both human and animal. He discovered that people with poor sight daily achieve 20/20 vision for brief periods without noticing it. Eagles and cats have specific ways of seeing. He developed these findings intorepparttar 108009 Bates Method, which teaches how to mimic optimal visual behaviour.

Though Dr. Bates views were shunned in his time, they have become popular in our holistic century. Combined with modern ergonomics (the science of ones work environment) there exist powerful steps you can take to remove eyestrain and improve vision. It doesn't cost anything and takes almost no time. In fact you will save time because you'll work faster and better.

Your eyes are among your most important tools. Studies have shown eyestrain directly affects productivity, with fatigued vision causing misread research and proofreading mistakes. Your mind responds with grogginess and your body with weariness.

Experiment withrepparttar 108010 following tips and after a single day you'll notice a reduction in eyestrain. Byrepparttar 108011 end ofrepparttar 108012 week most people noticed their workdays ran smoother. After a month you'll probably find your vision is sharper.

Maximize Your Work Space for Greater Efficiency and Productivity

•Clean Your Screen - Monitors need more than weekly cleaning, as their static nature attracts dust to their surfaces.

•Arms Length Viewing - Sit straight in front of your computer and stretch your arms out in front of you. Your screen should just touchrepparttar 108013 tip of your middle finger. Sitting closer or farther away will cause problems. The screen is composed of pixels; being too close makes it difficult to blur these points into letters. If you find you can't see properly at arm's length increaserepparttar 108014 font size.

•Eye Level - Leaning back at a slight angle,repparttar 108015 top of your monitor should be at eye level. You may have to proprepparttar 108016 monitor on some old telephone books or purchase a monitor stand (which can double as a shelf underneath).

•Glare - Make sure there is absolutely no glare in your range of vision, either on your monitor or around it. Position your screen so it is free from reflections. If necessary tape a file folder to its side to use as a sunscreen. Do not, however, makerepparttar 108017 room dark because it is damaging torepparttar 108018 eyes.

•Empty Space - We are naturally far-sighted creatures. It is best not to place your monitor against a wall. It can be placed in front of a window only ifrepparttar 108019 sun does not glare through. The best position is probably perpendicular to one ofrepparttar 108020 walls inrepparttar 108021 center of your workspace, leaving a few feet behind your workstation. This allows your eyes to frequently relax in their natural distant seeing state.

How to Negotiate Rates with a Freelance Copywriting Expert

Written by Dina Giolitto


Lots of people who seek out my copywriting services are concerned about money. Rightfully so. I’m a small business owner too, and I know what it is to have that do-it-yourself mindset. (It’s exhausting!) But entrepreneurs like you and I often overlookrepparttar very reason to contract a job out inrepparttar 108004 first place. Which is: the terms ofrepparttar 108005 contract andrepparttar 108006 amount of money spent are totally controlled by you!

The contracted project affords a win-win situation. This is not You vs. a Corporation; this is just an individual with a need, and a single service provider who can answer that need. Who wouldn’t jump atrepparttar 108007 chance to negotiate a terrific deal on a job that’s done to their exact specifications?

My guess is,repparttar 108008 biggest reason people shy away from contracted jobs isrepparttar 108009 same reason people don’t do a lot of things: Fear ofrepparttar 108010 Unfamiliar. Allow me to familiarize you withrepparttar 108011 ways ofrepparttar 108012 freelance writing world. Here’s how to curb copywriting costs while gettingrepparttar 108013 most bang for your buck!

Thoroughly research prospective candidates forrepparttar 108014 job. Seek out four or five different writers, carefully examine their work and ask about their qualifications. Request samples from each writer. Check for accuracy, language mastery and appropriate use of tone. Compare rates. You may discover, to your delight, that there are some really talented “newish writers” who will offer you a much better deal than some old veterans out there!

Consider hiring someone who has never written for your field before. Yes, you heard right. So many people shy away from a writer who hasn’t done exactly what they’re looking for. Unless you’re in a really specialized area, there is no reason why a well-rounded writer can’t easily adopt to your tone and style of communication. Let’s say you were looking for someone to write a manual on "how to get through your first year as a corporate professional." You find a writer who’s written a slew of great articles and a smattering of e-books, but never an exact match of your project. Here are three reasons to hire her: 1. She’s an excellent writer, 2. It’s likely she’s worked for a corporation at one time or another, and 2. She’s probably willing to offer a reduced rate because she’d love to add this project to her repetoire.

Fill in allrepparttar 108015 details beforehand. Giverepparttar 108016 copywriter a project overview, some background information on your business, and examples of past projects or a competitor’s work that you’d like to emulate. Make sure you thoroughly describerepparttar 108017 habits and attitudes of your target audience. Why do this? It’srepparttar 108018 quickest way to help her understand what you need... andrepparttar 108019 quicker she grasps what you’d like to have her create,repparttar 108020 fasterrepparttar 108021 job will get done to your satisfaction. The fasterrepparttar 108022 job gets done,repparttar 108023 sooner you’re on your way to making big money with your advertising effort!

Expect to haggle. I'm astonished that so many people just turn away from a potentially great working relationship because they’re afraid to make their budgetary needs known. Here’s a little secret about independent contractors: we’re always going to try forrepparttar 108024 highest going rate we can get. Why? We expect YOU to haggle! Shopping for freelance services is a little like going to a peddler’s market. There’s no big scary corporation to callrepparttar 108025 shots and setrepparttar 108026 prices in stone. It’s just you and me playing Let’s Make a Deal. So don’t be intimidated by a freelancer’s “advertised rates.” You’re always welcome to come back with a counter-offer. That’s what we expect you to do!

If you’re not sure of a copywriter’s abilities, give him a few small jobs to start. This is one ofrepparttar 108027 greatest advantages of hiring a contractor. You can test him out with a few projects, and if you like his style, hire him back to do more work. If you don’t care forrepparttar 108028 way he handles your projects, you’re free to seek help elsewhere. What are some small jobs you can offer as a trial-run? A press release, a company tagline, a corporate mission statement, a newspaper ad, some headlines for your website.

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