Optimize Your Ergonomics for Remote Work: Easy Home Office Setup Tips

Have you set up your gear and gadgets for your home office, and now you're wondering how to adjust them? Don't worry, this video will walk you through how to optimize your ergonomics for remote work, and afterwards you'll be unstoppable in your remote tasks. At the end of the video there is a little tip for those who don't have a desk with memory settings, and everyone else can surely benefit from these home office tips too.

Let's start with the chair. The general rule of thumb is to have your knees at a 90-degree angle - after this you shouldn't feel localized pressure under your thighs. Adjust the seat tilt and the backrest height accordingly, and after that, if you need to make a minor adjustment to the backrest tilt, go ahead. Some people like to use armrests while others don't - when your forearm is relaxed by your side, take a measuring tape, place it under the elbow, and take note of the measurement. Adjust the desk height to match, then either rest your forearms on the desk or adjust the armrest to the same height to provide good support for your arms.

Now what about the monitor? If you're wearing reading glasses, the lower part of the lens is designed to be sharp at a depth of about 70 cm, so adjust the monitor close to the tabletop surface so you don't have to bend your neck backwards. Without glasses, or with regular glasses, close your eyes, find a comfortable neck position, then open your eyes and consider: do you need to lower your chin to see the bottom of the screen? If so, raise the monitor. However, the top line of text shouldn't be above eye level, otherwise the eye-controlling muscles will tire quickly. A good distance to the screen is the width of the hand, or a maximum of 10 cm from the tip of the fingers.

How about using a saddle chair? Raise it to a height where your feet lightly touch the ground when you're sitting on it. If the saddle chair top adjusts, set it so the weight distribution is comfortable. Again use the measuring tape, set it to the right height, replace it onto your desk, and there you go.

If your legs can endure standing all day, that's impressive; however, if you're just starting to explore standing work, consider using padded shoes or an anti-fatigue mat - make sure it's easy to clean in your workplace, and get the shoe fit right. While standing with a 50/50 weight distribution on your feet, use the measuring tape - and that is your convenient height for standing work.

Again, if you don't have a memory setting or want an easy way to remember it, make a mark on the adjustment leg so it's easily visible when making height adjustments - then you won't have to guess once you've figured out the right height, and it's easy to replicate. In addition to this, plug the cables into a suitable-length extension cord from the wall underneath the table and route all necessary cables to that extension cord. If you have wheels under your workstation, you have an easily movable and manageable workspace. ---