Good Chair, Don’t Care
It’s easy to take your chair at work for granted, but a good ergonomic office chair is one of the most important tools for being able to do your job effectively. Sitting at a kitchen table or on a couch for eight hours a day will eventually have a negative impact on your back and, in fact, chiropractors have reported a surge in these types of injuries. Buying a good office chair for your home office is an investment in your physical health. And since you’re working from home, they’re likely tax deductible.
Lap Stop
Similarly, a lot of WFH is being done on laptops, which isn’t great either. Our desktop computers allow for a monitor to be at eye level with your keyboard at your elbow height. Laptops pull these two things towards one another, so we’re craning our head down, raising our hands up to type, or a combination of both. This can lead to repetitive strain injuries of the wrist and neck. Placing your laptop atop a stack of books and using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can replicate some of the ergonomics best practices that office spaces have been practicing for years.
Gotta Get Up
Without commuting we’re missing out on a lot of walking. Just like when you’re working in an office, it’s good to get up and move around every 30 minutes or so. Rather than letting WFH make you more sedentary, the privacy of your own space is a good opportunity to mix in standing work, if you don’t already. With your new Bluetooth keyboard and mouse on a countertop, place your laptop at eye-level to ensure you’re standing up straight. Rather than sitting all day, adding standing into your routine has a myriad of health benefits, especially for back pain.
Following these simple tips could help you avoid discomfort or even injury and help you stay productive throughout the day.
