When you finish a day of work in your home office, do you feel like your shoulders are strained, your lower back is sore and your neck is stiff? Do you find yourself aching after sitting at the computer for a long period of time? Perhaps it is time to redesign your home office in a more comfortable and ergonomic way.
Sitting in an uncomfortable position while working at the table over the long term can result in a stiff neck, a bad back, or even repetitive strain industry. When you set up your office in an ergonomic way, you will be less likely to have problems such as eye strain and headaches and you will prevent bursitis and tendon problems.
So are you ready to give your home office an ergonomic makeover? Here are some tips that you can use to make your home office more ergonomic.
First – Choose the Right Desk
Your desk is a very important piece of furniture, so take the time to find the right option for you. Think about your height in comparison to the height of the desk. If you are exceptionally tall, you might find that a standard desk still means that you have to slouch over to use your keyboard. Also, a standard desk can be too high up for you if you are much shorter than average. In these cases, it is always possible to have custom furniture designed for you.
Please Be Seated
The next step is to find the ideal chair for your home office. Companies like John Lewis specialize in office furniture, so you could go shopping for your office chair online. What should you be looking for? The best chair will be one that swivels and is on casters so that you can roll it around. It should also be adjustable so that you can raise or lower it depending on your needs.
In order for the chair to be the right height, you should be able to touch your feet flat to the floor and have your knees at a 90-degree angle. The chair should also be able to support your back so that you can sit up straight while you are working. The choice of upholstery depends on your preference. A comfortable leather chair will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but you might prefer a fabric chair which will be easier on your budget.
Using a Separate Keyboard
One of the problems with working on a laptop is that you will constantly be looking down to see the screen, which can really cause neck strain over time. In order to make your work set-up more ergonomic, you can place your laptop on an elevated platform so that it is at eye level- which is a much more comfortable working position.
Of course, when your laptop is lifted up higher you won’t be able to type on it. In this case, you should invest in a separate wireless keyboard. You can invest in wrist support for the keyboard as well as an ergonomically shaped mouse.
Also, in this position your face will be further away from the computer screen – so make sure that you know the keyboard shortcuts for zooming in and enlarging the text so that you can sit back farther from the screen to read.
Of course, it takes a while to get used to a new keyboard, but after a couple of days of typing, you won’t even notice the difference anymore.
Having an ergonomic home office is very important to ensure that you are comfortable while working and that you avoid the pain of neck strain, back problems, and repetitive strain injury. It takes a little bit of time, effort, and investment to set up the perfect office – but once you have established it you will be able to work in comfort for many years to come.