3 changes to reduce repetitive strain

I suffer from chronic repetitive strain injury. What does that mean? Ever-persistent tension over a lifetime of typing ferociously, sport and hyperactivity.

Consequently, I’ve had to teach myself to dramatically reduce strain from excessive typing/writing. Here, I’ll share a few additional tips to take the load off your hands and arms from daily digital tasks (get it 😜)

Firstly, if you are dealing with pain, I am sorry. It truly sucks - and the experience is worsened by the embarrassment that the pain is self-inflicted.   But, as you will learn, in my content, we have no room for shame here!

Addressing a repetitive stress issue requires a series of subtle (yet profound) habit changes. Below are some 

I’d like to shout out my occupational therapist, Dr. Marissa Marchioni at Lifestyle Redesign at USC Occupational Therapy.  When I arrived, I was an inflamed mess, and she walked me step by step as I tearfully addressed my biggest challenge to date

Below I offer (i) the tactic (ii) problem addressed, (iii) how to get started, and (iv) why this matters 

#1: Three Word Notes

Tactic: Challenge yourself to communicate your thought in three words.

Problem Addressed: Chronic note-taking - written or typed. Where my over-writers at? 🙋🏽‍♀️

How to Get Started: Utilize stickies for these notes.

Why This Matters: Reduces words, and forces you to explicitly synthesize your thoughts. 

One realization I had for as long as I could remember is taking lots of notes for two reasons: don’t trust own memory/not processing in the moment and don’t know what is going to be important, particularly heightened when learning something new. One effective tactic to navigate this process is the use of 3-word notes. Key learning was my reflection on how many notes I took.

Examples: Jenny, budget, Friday;
Caveat: More challenging in a new field

#2: Text Replacement

Tactic:  Smartphones come with an underutilized feature—text replacement.

Problem Addressed: Repetitive stress caused by answering frequently asked questions.

How to Get Started:  Look up “ text replacement” in settings of your phone.  Create standard responses for common things you type or inquiries you receive (examples below).  Update accordingly.  post-surgery, relocation).

Why This Matters: Efficient response to common queries, standardized communication. Sometimes editing; in these situations, dictation may be more useful. 

One-liners are important to save our emotional energy. Seek to connect, but we stay away because we don't want to emotionally engage. It's a mountain you have to get over before the real connection can happen.

Examples: Answer frequently received questions

#3: Password Saver

Tactic: Use a password saver like 1Password to keep you sanity and reduce your clicks.

Problem Addressed: Remembering complex passwords can be challenging and stressful - and messing up, means more motion, means more stress. 

How to Get Started: Research and choose a trusted password saver.

Why This Matters:Enhance d security with complex passwords, reduced mental load. 

So, the importance of reducing friction, especially for individuals with ADHD, who find it hard to do tasks they don’t already want to do. As we struggle with the task, we engage in a "no reward without risk" mentality.

Examples: 1Password
Caveat: Avoid the risk of forgetting complex passwords