If you’re wanting to work with better ergonomics on the go, these three simple tools may be all you need. They each may look a little funny, and could take some getting used to, but they’ve done wonders for my mobile work posture over the years, and each come highly recommended.

Portable Laptop Stands

Generally, when working on the go, I don’t like carying an external keyboard. However, the angle of a laptop keyboard on a desk is quite bad for the wrists. The easy solution here is a portable laptop stand. I am very surprised these have’t become more popular as they do quite a few very useful things.

Benefits:

• Adjusts the angle of your laptop keyboard so you can type with your wrists oin a natural line
• Raises the screen so you don’t have to look down so much
• Puts your laptop in more vertical position that makes better use of the limited space in an airplane seat
• Allows cool air to flow under your laptop (where the fans usually are), keeping your keyboard cooler – which is better for you and your computer.

My favorite is called The Aviator. Three sturdy pieces of plastic snap together in a couple seconds and store by themselves in a thin shape that could fit in an envelope.

Trackball mouse

In a very limited space, such as an airplane or car seat, you might not have enough room to move a mouse around, but a trackball mouse can be set on the laptop itself, or any surface and used quite effectively.

Also, a trackball mouse reduces the repetitive movements of traditional mouses that can lead to RSIs and other problems.

Bonus option: For an equally or even funnier ergonomic mouse, you can test out the Piano Pedal Mouse, which takes the hand out of the clicking equation all together. For anyone with a repetitive stress injury, this could be a God-send.

Better back

Ergonomics are a lot about posture, and posture starts with your chair. While it’s quite easy to take a laptop stand and trackball mouse, you can’t really bring a chair with you, that is, unless you bring a Better Back. This ingenious little tool will turn any chair into a posture chair.

To use it, simply align the pad on your lower back, and put the straps around your knees. Then, adjust the straps until the chair gently props you up into a nice vertical alignment.

I generally don’t like to pull it so tight that it’s squeezing me, and holding so much of my weight, as it starts to hurt my knees. However, if you set it to give you a little support, I find I can sit up straight and comfortably for quite a while without strain.