We live in our chairs, our office chairs. We rush to them, we rush around them, we rush from them. We spend the whole day on it- from drinking coffee, to preparing a report to eating lunch to calling a client. That could mean we spend at least six hours a day sitting on the one chair. You spend all this time at your desk, but have you stopped and made it an enjoyable place? A healthy place? A clean place?
Here are have five simple tips that are designed to help you make your work environment for a much calmer, more productive and healthy you:
1. Make seating comfortable and adjustable. Good posture is important to comfort and well-being. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars on a chair; look for something comfortable that allows you to adjust the height, backrest and armrests to suit your body type. An office chair should support the lower back. Feet should reach the floor. If not, a foot rest will help overcome this.
2. Select a good monitor. Purchase a high-quality computer screen. Make sure the text characters on the screen look sharp, are high in contrast (e.g., black on white), and are a comfortable viewing size. Monitors should be placed at a comfortable height that doesn't make users tilt their heads excessively up or down. When seated comfortably,a user's eyes should be in line with the top of the display (about 2-3 inches below the top of the monitor casing).
3. Use ergonomic keyboards and mice. We spend a good part of the day using our hands on a mouse and keyboard. Ergonomic input devices are designed for comfortable posture, reducing repetition and minimising forces. Consider purchasing a mouse or keyboard that have been designed by ergonomists, such as Microsoft products.
4. Properly position keyboards and mice. Place your keyboard and mouse at the same height, about elbow level. Centre keyboards in front of you with mice as close as possible. Your upper arms should fall relaxed at sides.
5. Improve lighting. In the computerised office, workstation lighting should be lower than in traditional industrial workplaces. Desk lamps can supplement lighting for more visually intensive tasks such as reading paper documents.
Julia Nicholls, is the Product Marketing Manager form Microsoft Australia she spoke to us about creating a healthy desk in your office:
How important is it to have a good computer desk and chair?
Julia Nicholls: Absolutely. It is really really important and it is more important today, due to our working hours. We've found from research that we spend at least six hours of the working day sitting at the computer. With so much time spent sitting at the computer it is important that you have it set up so that you are not causing your body more strain than it needs.
How does ergonomic equipment help with causing less strain?
Julia Nicholls: Absolutely. That is one part of it. There is a number of different things you can do to improve your workplace health. Proper keyboard and mice are absolutely going to help, these are designed to cause less strain on your hands and your posture. So when you are working they are the most comfortable solution for you. Keyboards and mice are only one part of the equation. It is important that you have a good seat, that doesn't necessarily mean an expensive seat, but it is having one that you can adjust the height, backrest and armrest- these can support your own body. Also you need to have a monitor, instead of using one that is maybe tiny or doesn't have good contrast make sure that it is a good quality monitor so you are able to see the character clearly and in good contrast, as well as good size. You also need to have the monitor at an adequate height- so you are not looking down or up too much. The top of the monitor needs to be eye level with your eyes.
What is a good layout for your desk?
Julia Nicholls: The most important thing is that you have your mouse, your keyboard and your monitor positioned properly. With you mouse and keyboard you need to them in front of your monitor and have your mouse as close to the keyboard as possible. You have to have the same height with the mouse and the keyboard- don't have the split desks.
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