After years of negotiating with a manager to provide you with a comfortable seat, mouse, keyboard, or lift desk, you’ve finally succeeded. Then Covid-19 arrived and you had to say goodbye to your new comfy desk.
I replaced it with a home office, which for the vast majority didn’t exist. Only a few of them had a designated area of the house before the crown, and everyone was in a hurry to set up a temporary office. Some simply sat down at a dining table or kitchen counter, put a laptop on it, and got to work. Still others are finally able to realize their dreams and lie on the sofa or bed and participate in meetings from the comfort of memory foam and their favorite comforter. Working from home was supposed to be a temporary solution at the start of the pandemic until things calmed down. Months have passed and we are now entering our second year, and as working from home shows, it has become a new norm. For some, that means a full day in the home office, and for others, a day or two a week.
But – yes, there is always one problem but – with the rapid transition to working from home, a problem has arisen that has been actively and successfully addressed in business offices in recent years. Of course we are talking about ergonomics. You hear that word in every advertisement for office equipment, but what does it even mean? Simply put, ergonomics means adapting the workplace to the employee. how? There are several ways. We have prepared some of the most advanced “analog” solutions for home office transformation.
Comfortable and simple solutions that can save you pain
Before we focus on the more advanced convenient solutions, which are of course more efficient, but in return require lower financial taxes, let’s first look at some simpler solutions with everyday items and tips.
If you have back or lower back pain, check your posture first. If you are leaning forward, have a tense posture, first align yourself in the correct body position. Do this every time you notice that you have a closed posture. It is a long process, as everyone subconsciously leans forward, but persevere until it becomes a habit. For pain in the lumbar region, you can also put a folded towel between the chair and the back, which will relieve pressure on the spine and push you to a more correct position.
The position of the feet is also important in the work environment. Find something like a stick to raise your legs a bit and put them in a better position. The dormant back muscles can also be activated with a medicine ball, which is a relatively small investment compared to other ergonomic equipment. Don’t underestimate the power of exercise or stretching while working out. Try getting up a few times a day and walking around the apartment for a few minutes, while you can do some other housework or listen to a podcast.
Also, make sure you have good lighting. Don’t work in the dark, as this only puts extra pressure on the eyes. It also doesn’t hurt to wear goggles with built-in blue light protection. Finally, we left out the most important tip: Always have a cup of tea, coffee, water, or something else with you that calms you down and de-stresses your body, at least for a moment. The more stressed we are, the more susceptible we are to comforting everyday mistakes.
These are just a few healthy habits and a cheap solution that can make working long hours at home a little easier. But if you want to take ergonomics seriously, it’s time to take a look at the most advanced ergonomic solutions together.
The most effective ergonomic solutions
If you have the space and budget for just one ergonomic solution, it has to be a lift table. There are lift tables that can be operated with a remote control or manually, but in any case they allow you to adjust them according to your height. Suddenly, you have a choice of several options for how you should go about your business. You can do this (as you used to) sitting or standing, but the best way is to change your position regularly. With regular use, you will eventually wake up and also strengthen your muscles, improving blood flow and thus your metabolism. If your space is limited, you can use some of the more diverse alternatives, such as a laptop stand or a desktop adapter that you can move and place in different places in your home.
Active sitting = healthy living
Right behind the lift table, the ergonomic office chair has been included in our list of the best ergonomic solutions. Sitting in an uncomfortable and unsuitable chair literally destroys your body. The same goes for those who like to do their work lying on the sofa or bed. A good ergonomic office chair tracks your body movements and helps you maintain proper posture. It may take a while to get used to the new way of sitting, and some people will feel some discomfort in the first few days, but once you get past it, you won’t want to change your comfortable seat.
Neck pain?
If you feel tension in the muscles in your neck and shoulders at the end of the day, your work planning is wrong. Your computer screen, whether it’s a desktop or laptop computer, should be at eye level so that you are sitting with your neck straight. We recommend a laptop stand that can be height-adjusted, but it usually also has some special compartments for phone, paper documents, and the like. With the laptop stand, a wireless mouse and keyboard is recommended, as your forearms can rest on the table at a 90 degree angle. This will also relax your shoulders and prevent the formation of a so-called mouse arm.
For more tips and convenient solutions, visit the website kataloska-prodaja.si.