How to turn your home office into the perfect place to work

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An improperly organized workspace is bad for posture and vision, lowers productivity, and can lead to fatigue and stress. Here are some tips on how to make your workplace more ergonomic and healthy.

How the workplace affects you

How your workplace is organized determines your well-being and, as a result, your productivity. In a well-appointed, ergonomic home office, you can do more and feel better about it.

Research shows that people who work in a well-planned office perform tasks more efficiently. For example, a study from the University of Minnesota School of Management found that workers who replaced their chairs with a treadmill significantly increased their productivity.

Initially, due to the unusual way of working, there was a drop in productivity, but when the participants in the experiment adjusted, their performance improved. Productivity has increased, the quality of work and communication with colleagues has improved.

This also works the other way around: a poorly organized workspace can be harmful to health and reduce work efficiency. Here are a few problems that can arise from a poorly thought-out workplace:

• occupational diseases of muscles and bones;
• diseases of the cervical spine;
• shoulder pain;
• pain in the wrists;
• back pain;
• tunnel syndrome;
• elbow pain;
• eye strain due to insufficient lighting;
• stress caused by noise or confusion;
• weight gain due to sedentary work.

Unfortunately, many freelancers don't pay enough attention to their home offices. And given the fact that a freelancer is paid for the work done, he loses not only his health, but also his money in an uncomfortable workplace. After all, the less its productivity, the less and income.

How your workplace works

Newbie freelancers often buy used or cheap furniture for their home office. And when their business goes uphill, they are simply too busy to change furniture or somehow improve their office. So their workplaces are not very comfortable.

There are several ways to improve your home office right now. Look at your desk, at the technique you are using, at the chair. It is worth placing these items correctly, and the degree of comfort will increase significantly.

Desktop

If you are using a regular table, it should be high enough so that you do not have to bend over it. At the same time, it should not be so high that you have to wring your wrists while writing or working at the computer. The correct table height depends on your height.

Experts from one of the largest medical centers in the world, the Mayo Clinic, gave several recommendations for creating an ergonomic workspace. According to their advice, the table should be no higher than 86 cm.

In general, the standard table height is considered to be 75 cm, but this is a general value for a person of average height - 175 cm. How to calculate the ideal table height for yourself? Multiply your height in centimeters by 75 and divide by 175. For example, my height is 163 cm, which means that the ideal table height for me will be about 70 cm.

It is quite easy to check how this height suits you. When you sit at such a table, your elbows should rest freely on the table top, while your shoulders should not rise. In my case, the height of 70 cm turned out to be ideal for this parameter.

And do not forget to free up space under your desk: nothing should get in the way of your legs.

Technique for work

A computer, laptop, tablet and smartphone are a very common set of modern freelancers. If you are using more than one device, it is worth considering their location. When a home office is designed to accommodate only one device, ergonomics can suffer.

The location of the work equipment affects your comfort, even if you don't notice it. If the screen is too low, such as when using a tablet, you work in a bent position, which over time can cause shoulder and back pain. If the screen is too high, your neck will suffer.

Here are a few steps to help you use the technique more comfortably.

1. Select the main device

Adjust your workspace to the device you use most often, but think about how to use the rest of the devices more comfortably. For example, next to the main desktop, you can place another table for mobile gadgets.

If you have a chair with wheels, you can easily move from one table to another when you need to use something from your mobile devices. And to make it easier to work with them, use special stand-holders, desktop or floor. They are easily adjustable and position the screen at a comfortable working height.

2. Check screen height

When you sit with your back straight, the screen should be at your line of sight. You must not lower your eyes or look up. To adjust the height of the screen, you can use special stands.

Well, if you prefer to work on a laptop, you can use an additional monitor so that you do not have to keep your head tilted all the time.

3. Set the correct distance

Keep your computer close enough so that you don't have to lean forward while working. If, while sitting with your back straight, you can touch the monitor with your fingertips, the distance is correct. If you have to reach, the monitor is too far away, but if you can put your palm on it, it is too close.

Chair or armchair

If you have a sedentary job, it is very important to find a comfortable chair that provides good back support.

There are office furniture brands that focus on comfort in the workplace. For example, the Herman Miller brand, which produces the famous ergonomic chair Aeron, as well as Haworth and Humanscale, which focus on environmental friendliness and ergonomics of furniture.

Yes, these chairs are not cheap. The cost of a new ergonomic chair can exceed 100 thousand rubles. However, it is not at all necessary to buy a new chair, you can take it from your hands or pick up cheaper analogs.

The main thing is that the chair supports your back well - the angle of the backrest should be slightly more than 90 degrees so that you can relax your back muscles.

Here are the hallmarks of an ergonomic chair:

• adjustable height;
• back support, especially lumbar support;
• armrests flush with the keyboard;
• the back can bend, spring under the weight of the body.

Body position

Even the most ergonomic workstation will not help you stay healthy and productive if you work in the wrong position, such as slouching.

Here are some tips for correct posture:

• Adjust the height of your chair and the position of your arms. Sit with both feet on the floor and a 90-degree angle between your thigh and lower leg.
• Check back support. If your chair does not provide good support, use a pillow to relieve tension in your lumbar region.
• Place the chair in the center of your work area. You should be clearly in front of your main work screen.
• Sit up straight. Do not slouch or lean on the table.
• Take regular breaks. Even if your desk posture is perfect, there is nothing good about sitting all day.

Alternative workstations

If you find yourself uncomfortable or worried that your job is too sedentary, consider installing an alternative workstation.

There are many workplace options, and not all include a table and chair. Here are some examples of alternatives:

• table for standing work;
• a fitness ball as a chair;
• table with a treadmill;
• orthopedic knee chair.

Most freelancers choose desks where they can work while standing.

Freelance journalist Samantha Gluck explained why she chose a standing position:

I spent a lot of time sitting. And all this time I was looking for a way to improve my health. I thought: I will try, and if I don’t like it, then I will work as before. Since then, I have never worked as before.

Samantha has been using a standing desk for about two and a half years. Her usual working sessions at this table last about three hours and can go up to five hours.

Freelance writer Jennifer Mattern, who has been using a stand-up workstation since 2010, spends three to four hours a day at it, alternating with other places to work:

I love jumping from place to place. I move from my chair to a chair, and then to a desk to work while standing, and then back.

Finding the right alternative

Everyone initially has trouble finding the perfect alternative to the regular table. Most often, the problems relate to the high price of special workstations. If you cannot afford expensive furniture or do not want to invest in the arrangement of the workplace, you can make your own desk for standing work.

For example, put a large book under the monitor to raise it to the desired level, and put the keyboard and mouse on a separate, slightly higher table.

Or do it like Jennifer Mattern, who also assembled her workstation from ordinary furniture. She put a modular shelf unit with legs on top of the cabinet, not it - a small box, on top - her laptop.

Well, if you can make a table yourself, a lot of room for imagination opens up. On a homemade workstation, you can place all the necessary equipment.

The main thing is that the monitor is at the same level as your eyes or slightly lower so that you do not have to bend your head.

And of course, you should take care of the convenient placement of the keyboard, for example, on a separate table. You can buy a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and use it with a laptop or tablet without any problems.

In addition, you need to take care of the floor covering, for example, put a mat so that your feet do not get tired.

Benefits of an alternative workplace

Freelancers who choose a desk for standing work note a positive effect on health: back problems disappear, fatigue from sedentary work is relieved. In addition, concentration and clarity of mind increases, and the amount of useless surfing on the Internet decreases.

Jennifer Mattern noted that such a workplace is also suitable for the lazy: the sooner you finish work, the faster you can sit down, which means you stop distracted and concentrate on work.

In addition, you can rotate jobs depending on the type of activity. For example, if the task requires concentration, work while sitting, and if you need to do research or fluently study some materials - while standing.

However, your desk and body position are not the only things to consider. The environment also plays an important role.

Work environment

Your home office isn't just a chair, desk, and monitor. To create a healthy work environment in your home, you also need to take care of your surroundings. Factors such as lighting or noise can greatly affect how you feel.

Lighting

Vivian Giang of the University of North Carolina researched the effects of light on worker productivity. According to research, light directly affects productivity. An article published on a business school blog argues that both the type and amount of light in an office space are important.

"Cool" light with a color temperature of 3,000 K helps to increase productivity, but real daylight has the best effect on humans. If a person does not have access to daylight and works in a windowless room, they become more irritable and get tired faster.

Workers who have access to real daylight during their work hours are more healthy, happier, more alert, energetic and productive, according to a Northwestern University study.

So choose a room with windows to enjoy real daylight during your working day.

Noise

Noise can not only distract from work, but also negatively affect health. For example, if your living or work room is near a noisy street, it can cause stress, cardiovascular disorders, irritability and sleep problems.

Noise-related health problems are common. Traffic noise is harmful to the health of almost one in three people in Europe, according to a report by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

If your home office is quite noisy, it's worth taking action. Modern soundproofing panels can be easily assembled by hand. Moreover, they also look original and refresh the interior.

For additional soundproofing of the room, you can use carpets, curtains and upholstery, install new high-quality double-glazed windows and thicker solid wood doors.

Most importantly, remember that an ergonomic workspace helps you feel better and be more productive. So all the costs of organizing it can be considered a long-term investment in your business.