Creating a suitable working-from-home space
Our last blog focused on how to ensure your mental health was looked after whilst working from home. We pulled together some top tips on how to make yourself feel normal during the Corona-virus pandemic, which you can find here. However, since so many of us are working from home, it’s important to set up a space that doesn’t cause you pain…
Get a good chair! Or backrest…
Sitting at a desk all day, or indeed, for long periods of time, can affect your posture and start to give you little aches, pains and niggles that can become worse over time. We highly recommend investing in a good ergonomic chair to support your various postures throughout your working day. If your workspace isn’t big enough to fit a chair like this, consider just adapting your workspace to include a suitable backrest.
2. Think about your screen height
If you find yourself with a sore neck at the end of the day, this is probably to do with the height of your screen. A top tip from us is to ensure that the top of your screen is in-line with your eyebrows. This will stop you slouching over to view the screen. Your screen should be at arm’s length distance away from you. If you can reach out and touch the screen with your fingertips, then it’s in the right place.
3. Your laptop is not for your lap
Despite its name, the laptop really isn’t to be used all the time on your lap. It’s certainly convenient to sit on the sofa and work from there, but it’s definitely going to cause you pain in the long run. To ensure safe use of the laptop, we recommend getting a stand and wireless keyboard and following the set up outlined in the tip above.
4. Take regular breaks
Taking breaks is really important, not only for your mental health, but your physical health as well. It is also important to have a clear space - both mentally and physically - for your work. It is quite easy to blur the lines between work and home when working at home. Make sure you take adequate breaks, as well as shutting down at an appropriate time.
