Good and Bad Ergonomic Choices for Your Home Office

Do you work a full-time job at home? If the answer is yes, there is a chance that you could suffer from pains and aches after some time. Why? Well, because the chances are that your home office is not suitable for your body and doesn’t provide you comfort during your work hours. Most people working from home do not invest in products necessary to support their physiques. Often, people use their dining room table and chair or work on their couch.

Sure, it will feel comfortable. But it causes long-term issues. Sitting in the same position for several hours can destroy your posture, cause muscle cramps, and create various other health-related problems. Do not get used to staring at your computer screen while remaining seated for eight or nine hours. Of course, you will feel fine for a bit, but after a month or so, the effects will become more noticeable.

Having an ergonomic set-up is critical for your home office. Otherwise, you could end up with pain in your lower, mid, and upper back. Some people also experience pain in their neck and shoulders. It would be best if you avoided these issues and focused on creating an ergonomic set-up in your home office.

If you think that your current workroom choices are harming your health, it would be best to review them and make the necessary alterations to spend your office hours in comfort while improving your well-being. Ask anyone who has been working from home for a long time, and they will tell you that an ergonomically sound office set-up is vital for your health. The expense and trouble you may need to go through will be worth it as it will save you tons of trips to the chiropractor in the years to come.

What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics, which people refer to as "human engineering" or "functional design" is the science associated with altering a workspace to maximize comfort. An ergonomic work set-up will reduce discomfort and significantly improve your efficiency and productivity. Making small adjustments to your home office space, such as replacing your chair with a standing desk, adjusting your monitor's height, and your screen viewing angle, can massively improve your overall health.

Ergonomics pays attention to posture to help reduce the impact caused by numerous repetitive movements and habits.

Good and Bad Ergonomic Choices
Now that you know the meaning of ergonomics, you must start making some changes to your home office. Let us discuss some critical considerations and also discuss a couple of bad advice that you must avoid when redesigning your workspace.

Immediately Get a Standing Desk (Good Advice)
Purchasing a high-quality height adjustable desk should be your priority when making ergonomic changes to your home office. Many companies are replacing their traditional office tables with standing desks, with excellent results. Employees are healthier and are more efficient. Height-adjustable desks will ensure that your posture doesn't deteriorate, and you can stretch your body while working. Find out what height you need and the benefits here.

Sit Close to Your Monitor (Bad Advice)
Never sit too close to your computer screen. Ideally, there should be an arm’s length worth of distance between your eyes and the monitor. Your neck and eyesight will thank you for it. Also, if you’re using a laptop, it would be best to use a separate keyboard to void sitting to close to the screen.

Switch Things up (Good Advice)
Standing while you work is excellent, but there's no harm in sitting a few times. Some ergonomics experts would go as far as claiming that alternating between standing and sitting every hour would be most beneficial for your body. Buy a comfy chair with lumbar support and a high backrest to work comfortably.

Keep the Monitor below Eye Height (Terrible Advice)
Placing your monitor below your eye level is arguably the worst thing you can do for your vision. It will strain your back and your eyesight. Instead, position it in front of you, ensuring you do not have any trouble viewing the screen. The monitor’s top should be a bit above your eye level. Also, make sure that you keep the screen a 5 to 6 inches behind your keyboard.

Keep Some Free Space for Exercising During Short Breaks (Excellent Advice)
Can't go to the gym? No problem! You can exercise while you work. Leave some space in your office to stretch and workout during your mini-breaks. Squats, pushups, and crunches are excellent exercises that do not require equipment – you can do them anywhere as long as you have some space.