Tips To Improve Your Home Workstation Setup

Don’t worry if you can't set up your workstation at home the same way as you do in the office.There’s lots you can do to improve a non-ideal set-up in the home.

Chair Set-Up

If you don’t have an office chair:

• Sit on cushions if needed to raise up your height – your shoulders should be relaxed and not raised to reach your keyboard. A cushion also makes the seat more comfortable for longer periods of sitting

• Add a rolled-up towel or small cushion behind your back to improve the chair's back support if necessary – you should be able to sit back in the chair and use the back support rather than perching upright which can tire your back muscles and contribute to back discomfort or pain.

Working On A Laptop:

• If you are using a laptop the ideal situation is to have a separate keyboard (and/or screen) to be able to place the centre of the screen closer to eye level. A laptop stand is inexpensive and can be a good investment but if this is not available:

• Use a book to raise the back of your laptop to improve the screen height and angle with ideally a separate mouse

Other Tips

It is important that your feet are supported – if they don’t quite touch the floor when you are sitting back supported in your chair at the right height for your desk:

• Try using a box or piece of wood as a footrest

• Keep an eye on your posture especially if you’re using a laptop – avoid leaning in or too much forward head movement. Increasing the ‘screen view size’ on your laptop to over 100% can help with this, move your chair in closer or bring the screen closer to you.

• Have a few different workstations in the home - maybe there’s a kitchen counter or window sill that you can set your laptop on to work as a standing desk for some of the time

Finally Don’t Forget

• The key to any good workstation set-up is to move frequently – this is especially important if the set-up isn’t ideal

•Do some stretches during your breaks – this is one of the great bonuses to working from home!

•Don’t forget to do some strengthening exercises – you have to be strong to sit all day and not leaving the house can play havoc with your muscle strength.

If you have any queries or if you would like a copy of our 'Workstation Self-assessment Sheet' or 'Good Workstation Habits Guide' email us at info@physiosolutions.co.uk

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