How to Have an Ergonomic Home Office:
The Basics you can do for Free
Take breaks and move around
Take a break a minimum of every 30 minutes to straighten up and walk around your home office.
Desks
Your work space should have two heights: seated and standing. One great option for a standing position is an ironing board or large books on the kitchen counter. You can also purchase an adjustable height desk. After having worked seated for a while, taking a half an hour standing work session might greatly increase the comfort in your body at work.
Chairs
There are a wide variety of chairs and price points for chairs. You want to be comfortable and at a height where your feet can lay flat on the ground in socks. If you have the luxury, using more than one chair during the day is a way to keep yourself from wearing out a position in your body. Your knees should be level with hips. If you can, use a head rest.
Monitor Height
Adjust your monitor height to keep your chin up and look straight in front of you whenever possible.
Sit up straight
Each time you return to your work station after a break, make sure your back is straight, your feel are flat on the ground, and your eyes are looking straight ahead. You should use your muscles not your skeleton to hold yourself up.
Close your eyes
Close your eyes regularly. Take visual breaks. If you need to use eye drops, do so.
If you need to think about your response to an email or how to solve a problem, close your eyes to contemplate it.
Make sure your screen, window light, and artificial lighting aren’t so bright or so dark that they strain your eyes.
Keyboards
While typing keep your arms close to your body. Avoid stretching to type or use a mouse. Your wrists should be straight ahead. Keyboard rests and mouse rests can be helpful.
Headphones
Most smart phones warn against putting the device next to your head for any length of time. As a result you should always use headphones. Similarly if you are using a computer, headphones are a great way to participate in a meeting without subjecting fellow video conference members to your background noise.
To avoid doing permanent and irreversible damage to your hearing, always keep the volume as low as you can to comfortably hear the sound.
Handheld Devices
It’s nearly impossible to maintain a good body position while using a small device such as a phone. As a result limit time on these devices to a maximum of 10-15 minute sessions. Less is more.
Tell us what has worked for you when telecommuting at info@exeservicecorps.org.
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