Making Your Office Chair and Work Area More Comfortable
If you work in a typical white-collar office job, then you spend a lot of time in an office chair at a desk. There are many detrimental effects of this lifestyle that demand attention from all of us, but at the same time we should also be seeking to make this situation as comfortable as possible. When we are sitting and feeling more comfortable, we invariably feel happier and are more productive.
To that end, start with your office chair and immediate work area. Here are some of the things that you might do to make your chair and workspace more comfortable:
1. Prioritise Proper Support in Your Chair
The first and most important thing to do is to make sure your chair is supportive, stable and comfortable in every way possible. Get a chair that offers proper back support, and especially lumbar support. If you can, a chair with additional neck support should you wish to lean back periodically would also be beneficial, but it’s not critical if you’re busy working all through the day.
Look for chair mats in Brisbane, too, that you can place under wheeled office chairs to first help keep them more stable, but also to protect the floors and carpeting underneath. Adding a cushion to a harder chair seat can also work to make things more comfortable, but look for supportive cushions suitable for those wanting to sit for long periods. Overly soft cushions aren’t as good for that purpose.
2. Ensure that your Feet are Flat
When positioning your chair, you should be able to place your feet flat on the floor. If you can’t, and you end up resting on the balls of your feet, then you will create a lot of discomfort for yourself, not to mention potentially lasting foot pain, numbness, pins and needles and more.
Even dangling feet are no good. They should be planted firmly and flatly on the floor.
3. Look into Blue Light Protection for Your Eyes
Another cause of serious discomfort in the modern office is the computer screen. We spend so much of our lives looking at screens nowadays that even though the technology has been so vastly improved compared to the 1990s, the blue light and glare from the screen can really do a number on our eyes.
Luckily, there are options for people forced to look at screens all day. They can purchase anti-glare glasses that will shield their eyes from the more harmful light elements that emanate from the screen.
4. Raise your Computer Monitor Higher
Speaking of your computer screen, be it a laptop or desktop monitor, it always benefits you to try and raise it closer to eye level. Doing so will help to prevent neck strain because you’ll be able to work essentially while looking straight ahead. When you’re at home, you might not feel the neck strain of looking down at a laptop for 30 minutes or so, but when it’s for the better part of 8 hours in a working day, you quickly start to feel it.
5. Have a Good Supply of Water Nearby
Keeping hydrated while sitting at your desk will ensure that you can remain focused and clear-headed. Ensuring that you have enough water intake can help to prevent headaches from taking hold, and will give you a sense of clarity and good health that other drinks simply can’t match.
Try to avoid overconsumption of sugary soda drinks, as well as fancy and sugar-loaded coffees from franchised chains. While they won’t necessarily dehydrate you as common wisdom dictates, they do have a diuretic effect, which can force you to go to the bathroom more often, which eats into your productivity.
