Crooked and somewhat short-sighted Peter stands up to leave his computer desk. Peter spends abound 25 hours a day in front of his computer, he eats, drinks and sometimes sleeps at his desk. In his drawer, Peter has two bags of tea, seventy-five pellets of ibuprofen, five jars of Golden Star Balm, half a pack of suppositories and a whole galaxy of sedatives and pain-relievers.
Not that he needs all that to increase productivity, but once you get locked into a serious malady collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. A familiar situation, isn’t it?
Sitting in front of your computer for a long time may have its repercussions. In particular, it can lead to:
- Myopia
- Dry eye syndrome (DES)
- Оsteochondrosis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (the main symptoms include pain and tingling sensations in the hand)
- Scoliosis
- Hemorrhoids
We are going to discuss how to make a truly effective and comfortable workplace from what you call your desk.
Step 1. Throw away that ancient stool of yours
And buy yourself a cool comfortable computer chair.
Services provided by massage therapists who can straighten your hooked up back and relieve you from pain are rather costly, while making an appointment with such specialists is a quest of its own.
What can you do to save yourself the trouble? Sit properly:
- Keep your thighs and hips parallel to the chair with the knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor bent at 90 degrees (parallel to your thighs).
- The best position for your back is somewhat reclined, so be sure to sit at a 135-degree angle.
- Relax your head and shoulders.
- Keep your monitor at arm’s length.
Then, you’re going to need a good chair (after all, you are running green campaigns and generate huge profits, so set some money aside to buy such a useful appliance). You’ll have to adjust the chair so that your feet are flat on the floor and you’re not having any spinal constrictions. For instance, here’s an ergonomic office chair manufactured by Herman Miller. Looks much better than that thing you have to sit on day after day, right?
If you’re looking for something more effective, then you’ll need an orthopedic chair. Orthopedic chairs vary in shapes and sizes: for instance, there are saddle chairs or the so-called kneeling chairs.
You can also get an ergonomic keyboard, mouse and mousepad if you wish. Take a look at Microsoft Sculpt (no wonder they have come up with this after so many years in the market).
Currently, we are witnessing a growing trend towards the so-called standing desks. Working in a standing position reduces spinal load. This is how these desks look like:
The UPLIFT company manufactures height-adjustable desks, which means that customizing your workplace will become very simple, and there’re lots of monitor and notebook stand manufactures, as well as those who produce similar accessories. Such desks allow you to work both in a standing position and reclining on the so-called standing chair such as Sitmatic Pogo.
Step 2. Raise your monitor to the eye level
We spend all day staring at glowing screens. And, of course, we’d like to have a big monitor that renders the colors accurately and is comfortable to work on.
First of all, you should take into account the size of a monitor. As we’re looking for a monitor to work on, we should cast aside small-size options such as netbooks. Here’s an example of a decent monitor: Dell U2715H. WQHD, 27 inches, flexible height adjustment. It is considered one of the best monitors for programmers today.
Apart from standard flat and rectangular monitors, some people use curved screens that provide for a truly immersive experience. Moreover, many programmers prefer to use vertical monitors.
When choosing a screen, bear in mind that it must have a FHD or higher resolution. In this case, you won’t have to strain your eyes peering into the screen.
As regards the screen surface, it can be either matte or glossy. If you prefer a glossy screen, bear in mind that it reflects the light, and so you’d better not put a lamp behind you.
And one more thing: remember that two monitors are better than one.
Step 3. Protect your eyes from your computer’s deadly rays
Eyesight is very important. If you are after money, we doubt that you would enjoy spending it on medical care. Pay particular attention to these eyesight deterioration symptoms:
- light sensitivity
- dry or watery eyes
- eye pain and soreness
- red eyes
- gritty sensation
- decreased visual acuity
If you’re experiencing one of those symptoms, you’d better visit an eye doctor. And we mean it! A doctor will prescribe you the eye drops and help you choose corrective lenses if necessary.
If you don’t need prescription glasses but are looking for eyewear to protect your eyes from the negative impact of the computer screen, pay attention to Gunnar glasses. Gunnar lens tints block harmful blue light emitted from digital screens (being exposed to blue light rays for a prolonged period of time damages your eyesight).
To reduce eye strain, you can install f.lux. This software regulates the intensity of blue light rays by making the color of your computer’s screen adapt to the time of day, it will certainly make you sleep better.
Remember that natural lighting is the best kind of lighting.
Step 4. Clean up that mess
A mess on a desk means a mess in your head. Nothing should distract you from work. Otherwise, you will get nervous and annoyed before you know it. Be sure to clean up your desk and organize your workplace to have everything you need at hand.
By the way, if you have a pet, make sure your furry friend has a place of its own by your side so that it doesn’t have to assault your keyboard craving for attention.
Get all your cables in order. If one of your devices fails to function, you will be able to fix it without having to untie that Gordian knot under your desk. This is not that difficult: you can use everything ranging from cable organizers produced by Chinese companies that sell for a few bucks apiece to good old adhesive tape.
We hope that you will make a mental note of these tips and make your workplace as ergonomic and safe for your health as possible. While you’re thinking about how to organize your workplace, have a look at how other people managed to tackle this task:
If you want to reach new GEOs and audiences, maybe it is all waiting for you on Telegram? We’ve prepared some material about Telegram audiences. What are the messenger’s users like this year? How old they are, what they do, and what they are interested in!
