Just because you feel at ease working on the couch or in bed doesn’t mean your body is genuinely relaxed — or well supported. There is a lot more at stake when you ignore proper posture throughout the workday, so ensure your home is outfitted with an ergonomic workstation.
Selecting the environment from which you work is critical to your performance and mental health. As a remote worker, making an effort to choose the correct setup carefully is a worthwhile investment of time and money.
After years of slumping at a desk, I’ve started to suffer the aches that come from having a poor workspace setup. The stiff chair, the desk that’s too tall for my height, and the cramped laptop keyboard have all become a literal pain in the neck (and shoulders, and back, and elsewhere).
After talking with ergonomics experts, I’ve learned that an ergonomic workstation—one that supports your body in a neutral position—can reduce the risk of discomfort or pain that these stressors cause our bodies.
Standing Desk
People needed to adapt their positions around the tools in their workplace because office furniture was meant to be immobile. Ergonomists now understand that people need to move during the day to stay healthy, comfy, and focused at work freely. Furniture should adapt to the professional who uses it, not vice versa.
A decent height-adjustable standing desk should be straightforward, intuitive, and uncomplicated to use. If a person wants to stand or sit while working, elevating or bringing down the desk is a seamless procedure.
A comfortable chair that supports your spine
After years of slumping at a desk, I’ve started to suffer the aches that come from having a poor workspace setup. The stiff chair, the desk that’s too tall for my height, and the cramped laptop keyboard have all become a literal pain in the neck (and shoulders, and back, and elsewhere).
After talking with ergonomics experts, I’ve learned that an ergonomic workstation—one that supports your body in a neutral position—can reduce the risk of discomfort or pain that these stressors cause our bodies.
This means: Your neck isn’t bent back or down or contorted, your arms aren’t lifted or extended out to the side of your body, your wrists and hands aren’t bent up or sideways, and your spine isn’t twisted. An ergonomic workstation will help you sit comfortably at a computer, even over long stints. (But you should still remember to take breaks and move every hour.)
Hand and Wrist Position
Your hands and wrists should be in a neutral posture, similar to your head. Extend your arm and hand forward to lay them flat on the table. The hand, wrist, and forearm are practically flush, which is what you want. What you don’t want is a hinge on the wrist.
Make sure any input devices you’re using, you can use with your hands in what we call a neutral posture for as much of the time as possible. So adjust your workspace accordingly. You might have to change the height of the table or chair if possible or move your keyboard and mouse closer or farther away from you.
Ergonomic keyboard
Here’s another exercise: Place your hands over your keyboard as if you’re going to type. Now move your hands apart so they’re by your sides, shoulder-width apart.
It should feel relieving and more relaxing, with less stress on your shoulders. Unfortunately, most keyboards aren’t designed for this position and instead force your hands inward so your shoulders are hunched.
Good lighting
Ergonomics experts recommend good lighting to reduce eye strain and avoid craning your neck at an unnatural angle.
An abundance of natural lighting in your workspace is ideal because it can boost your sense of well-being and energy while reducing eye strain—daylight and access to outdoor views give your eyes opportunities to relax and recover from the strain of staring at a monitor all day.
Key takeaway
Making ergonomic changes is becoming progressively essential for improving your general health in our increasingly unhealthy lifestyles. With so much time spent sitting every day, it is critical for our overall health to have a suitable setup to minimize pain, aches, and workplace injuries.