We all know by now that Remote working is here to stay; and of course, Hybrid working is becoming a big trend for businesses – either way, it means that many of us will be continuing to work from home moving forward. We’ve seen a huge increase IT Support for Small Business Owners in the past year because of this. This means that if you haven’t already, you’ll need to start thinking about fine tuning your workspace – optimizing for focus, productivity and, most importantly, your wellbeing.
Working from home can have a toll on both your physical and mental health, but that doesn’t mean that, with the right equipment, it can’t be as good an arrangement as the traditional office setting.
Finding the right Desk and Chair
To start with, it’s important that you are sitting comfortably at a desk with plenty of space. This could be a dedicated office desk, or it could simply be the kitchen table – we’ll get to how you can optimize this space a bit later.
If you are looking to get a dedicated desk, first you must consider the space you have, and the space you need. If you have a dedicated office for working, you can be more liberal with the size and shape of your desk; however, if you are going to be placing your desk in your living room, you should try to balance the space so that it doesn’t impose on the living space, but that you’re not cramped at work. You can find a number of desks of different sizes, and for a reasonable price range, at places like IKEA.
If you own your home (or have an understanding landlord) you could consider IKEA’s drop-leaf desk, which is mounted to the wall and can be folded down when you are not using it. This could be the perfect solution for those of you with space limitations.
Secondly, it is important to have the right type of chair for work. Any IT company will tell you that, when sitting at a desk all day, it is vitally important to have a chair that supports your back and encourages good posture – if you are not sitting correctly or comfortably, you may develop serious injuries. A standard high-backed table chair can work perfectly well with a few adjustments; ensuring you have a comfortable pillow to sit on – preferably fixed in place so you don’t slide about in your chair – is a must, and you may also consider getting a pillow to cushion and support your lumbar. There also plenty of affordable options for proper office chairs, which are definitely worth considering.
Avoid Injuries with the Right Computer Equipment
You should also ensure that you are using the right computer equipment at your desk. In certain offices, having the right equipment is crucial – we’ve seen how IT Support for Solicitors takes this into consideration when choosing PC’s and laptops to use. If you are using a laptop, it is definitely worth investing in a stand – this are useful in two ways: can provide more adequate cooling by exposing the bottom of your laptop to the air; and of course, it raises your laptop scree to eye level, thus making sure you have correct posture when sitting, and further reducing risk of injury.
Whether you are using a laptop with a stand, or a full desktop, it is well worth getting a wireless keyboard and mouse – they provide much more flexibility as to how you want to arrange them on your desk, and having fewer wires can only contribute to a clearer mind.
Something else that many might not think about, but can be life-changing, is a very simple piece of equipment: A lamp. Particularly in the winter months, the darkness can creep up on you throughout the workday, and it’s easy to simply get used to it, but the strain it can have on your eyes will still be happening.
De-cluttering your workspace
Wireless keyboards and mouses are just the first step in de-cluttering your workspace. This is something that people in IT love, take a SharePoint Consultant for example, they need to remain tidy and organized at all times. There are even some wireless keyboards that can switch between multiple connected devices (such as your laptop, phone, and tablet) at the press of a button, and they even have attachments that enable you to stand up your phone or tablet, so that you can effortlessly multi-task across devices.
There are all kinds of tips to decluttering your workspace – for example, if you use peripheral items such as external hard drives, or a USB hub that you don’t like to have lying around on your desk, you could buy some Velcro tape to put on the devices, so that you can stick them to the back of your laptop, out of sight – some people may not like the idea of attaching Velcro to their devices, but it can’t be denied that it’s a tidy solution.
If you have a desktop and a dedicated desk, getting a cable tidying solution can mitigate a lot of frustration – kicking cables under your desk can be annoying, but if you gather them up in a simple pipe, they become much easier to keep out of the way.