Making Your Workspace Work For You

The last few years have brought about many changes to people who work at a desk every day. Many people have gone from working in an office building to working at home at their dining room table, on their couch, or in a makeshift home office. No matter where you find yourself working, these are some tips to help you create a workspace that works for you. Meaning, it allows you to improve your posture, reduce your pain and maximize your productivity. 

Keep your elbows relaxed at your side with the mouse and keyboard directly in front of you. The further you have to reach your arms forward to use the mouse or keyboard, the more strain you put on your neck and upper back. Utilizing a wireless keyboard can be especially helpful if using a laptop so you don’t have to reach as far forward. You want to make sure the mouse fits your hand because if it is too small you may find yourself squeezing the mouse, which can cause cramping in the hand. This can put strain on your wrist and in particular your median nerve, which travels out of your neck, down your arm, and into your hand. Compression or strain on the median nerve can lead to numbness, pain, or weakness in the first three digits of your hand, commonly known as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Adjusting the speed of the cursor is also important. Just like if the mouse is too small, if it moves too quickly you will grip the mouse tighter in an attempt to control it. However, if it moves too slow you will try and grasp the mouse to pick it up in order to reposition it. Both of these can lead to cramping and strain in the hand, wrist, and neck.

Adjusting your Monitor

If you use only one monitor, the center of your screen should be directly in front of you. If you use two monitors, place them so that when you’re seated at your workstation the screens meet in the middle directly in front of you so that you can look at both screens equally. 

Minimizing Eye Strain

Eye strain occurs when your eyes have to focus on something in particular for a long period of time. There are tiny muscles that control the muscles of your eyes, and they can get tired just like other muscles in your body. Eye strain can lead to headaches, neck pain, trouble focusing, and even difficulty sleeping at night. In order to reduce eye strain, adjust the brightness and contrast controls on your electronic device so that the screen is no brighter or darker than your surroundings.

Sit properly

It is ideal to sit in a chair that is adjustable, rather than a sofa or a stationary chair, like the one you might find at your dining room table. If you notice when you are sitting that you have neck or shoulder discomfort raise the armrests of your chair to support your forearms; however, don’t raise them so high that it pushes your shoulders towards your ears. In the seat itself, make sure your hips are as far back into the chair as possible, with your hips and legs at a 90-degree angle and both feet flat on the floor. If you have low back discomfort, try adding a lumbar support pillow to the back of the chair to help encourage proper posture without straining the low back. Here is an example of a lumbar support pillow that can be used to support the low back in an office chair.

Take Breaks

In order to prevent your muscles from getting sore and tense, it is important to take breaks throughout the day. If you stay in one position all day long, lactic acid and other waste builds up because the body has a hard time delivering oxygen to these tissues. Moving around throughout the day, even small movements can help to prevent overuse injuries and damage to your muscles by getting the blood flowing and getting oxygen back to your muscles. If you are wary of taking long breaks throughout the day, take a short 15-second break each hour. Use this time to shake out your arms, stretch your wrists and your neck. If you look at a computer screen for most of your day, you should frequently focus on something about 20 feet away which will give your eyes a break and allow the muscles in your upper neck, and the muscles that control your eyes to relax. You can also make your breaks productive. Use your time away from your computer to go fill up your water, walk to your printer, etc. Your breaks don’t have to be long to be effective, but they should be taken hourly throughout the day. 

There are many fancy products and things you can buy to “help” your work environment. But the things that will help you most are using your mouse correctly, keeping your keyboard and screen(s) in the correct position, supporting your neck and back in your chair, and taking frequent breaks even if they’re short breaks. No matter where you are currently working from, try adding these tips in order to feel better throughout your workday.