5 tips for working ergonomically at home

If you don't work from home often, you're probably not sure what the right way to do this is. These 5 tips help you to work from home as healthy and correctly as possible:

• Tip 1. Get an ergonomic desk.
• Tip 2. Buy an adjustable chair.
• Tip 3. Position your monitor correctly.
• Tip 4. Alternate your working posture enough.
• Tip 5. Ensure a fixed daily routine.

Just like with dining chairs, a dinner table often isn't suitable for working on for hours back to back. A correct working posture also means the correct placement of your arms on the desk. Adjustable desks come in various models, like manually adjustable, adjustable with a hand crank, or electrically adjustable, and even sit-stand desks.

Your dining chair isn't ideal in terms of ergonomics. It's important to have a desk chair that you can adjust. The adjustment options with chairs are very diverse and vary from armrests to tiltable seats, and mechanisms that keep your seating posture active. It's especially important that you adjust the base, so your posture is correct in relation to the desk. Think about the height of the seat and the position of the armrests for this.

If your screen isn't set to the correct height, you'll start to get physical complaints in your neck, for example. Your laptop or separate monitor needs to be positioned correctly, so you can view your screen with the correct viewing angle. To do this, make sure you place your laptop on a laptop stand. Thanks to this, you won't have to bend over while working. There are monitors with a fixed monitor arm that you can mount on your desk. You can adjust and swivel the screen easily. That way, you'll always have the perfect viewing height and angle.

No matter how good your work environment is, it's important to alternate your posture to reduce the strain on your body. Standing up and walking around is important. Think about grabbing a drink or going outside during your break. Make sure you at least do something else than sitting down. Distancing yourself from your work will increase your productivity in the end and allows you to focus on something else for a moment. Another option is a desk riser. A desk riser or sit-stand workstation allows you to work both while standing up or sitting down.

Working from home has its benefits, but can also be difficult. Work and personal life suddenly become very close, which means you're more likely to get distracted. It helps to have a daily routine. What you do, depends per person. A number of examples are to choose a start and end time, set your alarm for break(s), and to choose a standard workplace.