Ergonomics = choose the tools that fit you and the job. The most important thing is to pay attention to what your body tells you — if it hurts, don’t do it. Experiment with different positions and tools. Muscles will typically fatigue in less than a half hour of repetitive activity. Work slowly and steadily, taking breaks and switching tasks often. A rest of as little as five minutes can start to relieve swelling joints.

• Use the proper tools.
• To use shears to maximum advantage, take long strokes the length of the blades. Keep the cutting blades sharp.
• Be sure your craft or cutting table is an appropriate height for you and your tasks
• Keep your wrists in a neutral, relaxed position.
• GOOD
  Oversized "Molded" grips like this, , are easy to grasp and hold, reducing hand fatigue because the wrist remains in a neutral position during use.
• BAD
  Tools with "Form-fitting" grooves, like this , only fit one size hand perfectly. People with larger hands will find that their fingers overlap the ridges, causing pain, soreness, and calluses. Those with smaller hands will have to spread their fingers to match the grooves. Strength testing has shown that this spreading of the fingers significantly reduces grip strength, requiring more pressure to maintain control of the tool.
• GOOD
  Sit or stand up straight. If you have to bend, try to do so at the knees, not at the waist. If you can't stoop, find a way to sit.
• BAD
  Bending over at the waist, rather than stooping.