What’s the first thing you do when you get into your car? You adjust the seat to make it comfy and easy to reach the pedals and see the road. You adjust the mirrors so that you have a direct line of sight to both sides and behind you. In most cars, you can also adjust the headrest’s position and the shoulder belt’s height. Driving is safer and more comfortable thanks to these modifications.
With this thought in mind, it’s crucial to make comparable modifications when working from home. You may set up your workspace to be safe and comfortable with a few ergonomic adjustments if you’re new to working from home. By doing this, your risk of injury is lower, and you’ll feel more relaxed which will keep you alert and productive.
So, What Basic Equipment Do You Need?
What tools are required for you to perform your job? Do you own a computer, a laptop, or a tablet? How many monitors do you need? Do you frequently read printed material like documents and daily reports? Do you require any other accessories, such as a microphone or touchpad?
What kind of work do you undertake with that equipment, furthermore? The way someone is seated mainly relies on what they are doing with their hands. Therefore, think about how you spend most of your working hours before making any modifications to your existing home or work office.
4 Areas of Focus for an Ergonomic Office
- Head and Neck
Your head should be vertical to your neck to prevent injuries. The best position is to place your head in its most neutral position. Unfortunately, if you’re working with a laptop computer on a kitchen table, that screen is going to be way too low. You’re going to forward-flex your neck which could affect your vagus nerve and cause discomfort, pain and bad posture. For short periods, it’s probably harmless.
Think about using an external keyboard and mouse together with mounting your laptop on a flexible laptop tray for a convenient long-term configuration. This kind of purchase is important if you want to prevent yourself from slouching while reading text or typing on the keyboard from 9 to 5. On the plus side, a tray like this is also designed to lessen eye strain, make for comfortable typing, and even increase your workspace.
- Wrist and Hand Position
Like your head, your hands and wrists should be in a neutral position. Lay your hands and arms flat on the table by extending them forwards. What you want is for the hand, wrist, and forearm to be nearly flush. A wrist hinge is something you should avoid, especially in the long term.
Make sure that any input devices you use most of the time are used with your hands in what’s known as a neutral posture. Therefore, modify your workspace as necessary. If at all possible, adjust the height of the table or chair, as well as the distance between you and your keyboard and mouse. Maintain perfect arm and wrist straightness. The arms must not lean to the side.
- Seated Posture and Back Support
Find a seating position that supports your lower back while allowing you to see the screen. It might remind you of slightly leaning back in the driver’s seat of an automobile. Try placing a cushion, pillow, or towel behind your lower back if your office chair isn’t one of those fancy ones that rock back. That will be beneficial, in addition to buying a handy laptop tray. Cheap chair cushions with lumbar support are readily available.
For elderly people or people with a back injury it is advised the use orthopaedic seats. These items, which resemble saddles, tilt your pelvis into a more ergonomic position and work with any chair. A footrest may also be useful for those who are shorter in order to maintain proper posture.
- A Change of Daily Habits
The final area of emphasis is behaviour and your daily habits. For your own well-being, remember to take brief, frequent breaks. According to research, the optimum habit is to take a brief break every 20 minutes during which you should stand up and possibly stretch for a minute or two.
Alternately, take a stroll while preparing a cup of tea or coffee. Circulation, comfort, and performance all benefit from movement. Additionally, it lessens the chance of injury. There are other adjustments you can make to shorten the time your body spends doing a single repetitive activity.
For instance, if your profession requires a lot of typing, you might want to use dictation software or a voice-to-text app. You can reduce the overall amount of time your fingers are on the keyboard in this way. Remember that you won’t achieve your desired outcome if all you do is raise the computer screen to a comfortable height with the suitable laptop stand without ever adjusting your posture, your keyboard, or your mouse.
The overall impact is considerably bigger than the impact of any single alteration in terms of getting you into a neutral posture and keeping you active throughout the day. P.S. If you’re using a sit-stand desk, the ideal cycle is 20 minutes of sitting, 8 minutes of standing, and 2 minutes of moving around. Do this for the next couple of weeks or so, and see how your day to day life improves!
