Work from home, the right way

Working from home now? So am I.

In my opinion, it’s got some hella good perks. Right now, it’s business on the top (for those Zoom meetings with the boss) and a party on the bottom – hello PJs all day.

I’ve positioned myself a good five paces from the fridge, I’m not sure if that’ll be a good thing or a bad thing… we’ll see tonight.

Now that we’re both settling into our new workspaces, let’s make sure we’re doing it right, ‘cos that’s a thing.

Coffee on hand (even if it’s instant): Check!

Good tunes: Check

Sitting the right way: hmm, am I?

It’s important to be set up comfortably at your desk, that’ll prevent back pain along with some other problems down the track.

Here’s a few quickies to remember:

• Keep your chair close to your desk.
• Adjust the height of your chair – make sure those feet are fully on the floor.
• Level up that computer screen, you want the top of it inline with your eyes and about an arms-length away from you.

Perfect your pose

There’s a right way to sit in a chair and it turns out, I’ve not been close at all. Here’s how you should be sitting in your chair:

• Your hips should be above your knees.
• Back it up – sit right back in your seat, so your whole back is supported.
• The natural curve of your lower back should fit against the curve of the backrest.
• The backrest should be slightly reclined (10 to 15 degrees if you want to get technical).
• Relax your shoulders and keep those funny bones (elbows) at 90 degrees, just above the desk.

Keep things within reach

This might sound silly, but many of us forget to do it: arrange your desk so that things you use often are easy to grab. For me, that’s coffee to my left, doggo to my right.

If you need to lean across your desk a lot to grab things, you won’t get the same back support from your chair.

Take a break, have a wiggle

For every five minutes of intense work at your computer, have a short pause. Stretch your hands, wrists, and fingers. Roll your shoulders and rotate your neck. Go on, give it a go now.

I challenge you to a stare off – give your eyes a break every 20 minutes or so by looking into the distance for 20 seconds.

Every half an hour or so, stand up, stretch and move for about 20 to 30 seconds. That’s the chorus to T-swizzle’s ‘Shake it off’ if you were wondering

Finally, keep alert by doing gentle exercises every two hours.

Stay healthy, Friends!