If you are a Twitterholic and do much of your updating from your computer, it’s easy to get sucked into sending and reading updates and letting other things slip by the wayside. Your health, believe it or not, can be one of them.
Here are five tips to help you have a more healthful Twitter experience.
1. Take a brief break every hour you are on the service.
While this could be the most generic tip in a list article ever written, if you are not taking breaks over the course of your Twitter use, it can’t be good. 5-10 minutes (or a few tweets worth) of time is enough for most, and you will sit back down at your computer feeling refreshed and ready to read/send tweets again.
2. Keep healthy snacks and foods nearby and always ready.
Many Twitter users can get hungry during the time they are on the platform, so having healthy foods ready to eat and close to your workspace is recommended. Some snack ideas: fresh-cut veggies, whole-grain crackers, fruit, cheese slices—anything that you enjoy eating that you wouldn’t mind bingeing on.
Like television, if you have a tendency to overeat when you use Twitter (some people don’t think about how much they eat when they are distracted by something else), measure out your food portions using plastic baggies. You (and your scale) will thank yourself later.
3. Take a nap!
This is the first tip that actually requires a user to step away from the computer for an extended period of time, but a nap can greatly enhance your Twitter use and experience.
A mere 20-30 minute nap can have tremendous impacts on your health and your well-being, so why not take advantage of it? Plus, when you return, you will be able to tweet alert—meaning that you can digest information more effectively.
While I understand that many have busy workdays, a nap is one of the best things you can do for your overall health anyway—so instead of Twittering, get some brief rest and reap the increased alertness.
4. Make sure that your workspace is ergonomically friendly.
Twittering requires a lot of attention, but it also requires a bunch of typing and clicking. Taking a moment to ensure your desk chair is the right height, the keyboard is at a good angle, etc. will do wonders for your Twitter experience. The last thing that any user wants is to experience pain after a Twitter session.
5. Understand your goals and add/eliminate distractions accordingly.
If you are spending time on Twitter just to pass the time, perhaps leaving your TV on isn’t the worst thing in the world. However, if you are trying to complete a blog post or work on a project, you should consider eliminating distractive elements around you—and yes, that includes Twitter itself.
Twitter is a great platform to use in almost any situation, but if it gets in the way of your work or your goals, then consider taking a break. Twitter will still be here when you get back!
What are your recommendations for a healthful Twitter experience?
(Photo Credit: Flickr)
