Stay Comfortable and Productive While Working at Home
April 16th, 2012
ONE
Tools
Invest in the right tools and use technology for your benefit. Your investment will pay big returns keeping you healthier and more comfortable while you work.
TWO
Workstation
Move away from the kitchen table, couch or bed. Designate a space in your home as your workspace. Use a stable work surface (no bounce).
Can be as small as 24 x 30 or use a separate room that could accommodate an entire workstation
Tip: Make sure your surface is large enough to hold most important work tools.
THREE
Chair
Don’t bring in your patio chair. Using a good chair will protect your back, legs, neck and shoulders.
Select a chair that is right for your body
- 1. Alternate between sitting and standing and take small walking breaks throughout the day.
- 2. Ergonomic chair seats should also have the right depth and width for your size and to accommodate your general build.
- 3. The lower back support should be provided by the lumbar area of the chair back through adjustments to the chair back angle and height
- 4. Adjust the height of your chair so your feet rest flat on floor. If that’s not possible, use a footrest.
Tip: Temporarily, it may be useful to use a rolled towel, lumbar roll or cushion to support the low back
FOUR
Work Surface
Your work surface should have enough workspace. You should also make sure to have space underneath the desk to be able to freely move your legs and not have to sit in a twisted posture.
Time to reorganize Great layout
FIVE
Monitor
Center Your Monitor so that your body and/or neck aren’t twisted when viewing the monitor.
This applies to sitting or standing.
Your eyes should be in line with a point on the screen about 2-3″ below the top of the monitor. Sit back in your chair (i.e. slight recline) and hold your right arm out horizontally, your middle finger should almost touch the center of the screen. From that starting position you can then make minor changes to screen height and angle to suit your preferences and comfort.
Tip: You can use a large book or packaged ream of paper to elevate your monitor.
BIFOCALS AND PROGRESSIVE LENSES- if you wear bifocals or progressive lens, you may want to slightly lower the monitor to counteract bending your neck upward in order to view through the bottom bifocal part on your lens to avoid tilting your head back or craning your neck forward.
SIX
Keyboarding
Align your keyboard with the monitor.
Photo Courtesy of Portland State University
There are many different types of keyboards. Select one that has light-touch keys on the keyboard instead of pounding keys with unnecessary force. Avoid grasping a pen or anything else in your hands while you type or use the mouse. Relax your fingers and hands between sessions of keyboarding or mousing making sure your wrists are straight and not bent in any direction up, down or to either side.
Tip: The letter “B” on your keyboard should be in-line with your belly. If you center the entire keyboard on your body, your right wrist is bent outward much farther than your left.
SEVEN
MOUSING
Make sure that the size and shape of the mouse are comfortable. If the mouse is too large or too small, the hand will have to open or close to grip the mouse. This prevents the hand from relaxing during mouse use and this can lead to discomfort and result in eventual injury.
Photo Courtesy of Portland State University
- Use the mouse with a gentle grip, not a tight grip Mouse Grip – don’t choke your mouse!
- Hold the mouse gently to move it over a mousing surface.
- Operate your mouse by pivoting at the elbow – don’t move or flick the mouse with repetitive wrist bending by keeping your wrist in a straight and neutral posture.
- Optimal Mouse position- sit back in your chair, relax your arms then lift your mousing hand up, pivoting at the elbow, until your hand is at or slightly above elbow level.
- Keep the Mouse free-moving. Anything that impairs free movement of the forearm/hand and mouse will increase injury risks.
- Mouse shape – choose a mouse design that fits your hand but is as flat as possible to reduce wrist extension and encourage arm movement (pivoting at the elbow) rather than wrist movement.
Tip: You can greatly reduce the risks associated with mouse usage if you optimize the mouse speed & efficiency through adjustments in your Control Panel (on PCs) and System Preferences (on Macs) Load sharing -Try alternating between your right and left hands. It’s may seem a little awkward at first but you get familiar quickly with the change and it spreads the demands more evenly between the right and the left.
EIGHT
Lighting: Excessive light increases glare and can cause headaches and eyestrain, and if there is inadequate light it may cause you to lean forward and work in an awkward posture.
Photo Courtesy of Portland State University
- Use indirect lighting where possible and avoid intense or uneven lighting in your field of vision.
- If you are using task lighting, use shades to block direct light away from your line of sight.
- Set up your workstation so that light from open windows enter at right angles with the computer screen. Light from directly behind creates glare as it reflects off your monitor.
Tip: You can replace harsh bulbs with “cool” light bulbs to reduce the harshness and glare that comes from standard bulbs. You can also buy light filter “sleeves” to place over florescent tubes.
NINE
Breaks
Take breaks. Plan time to get up and move around. Consider going for a walk or a run during your lunch break to keep your mind fresh.
TEN
Smile
Smile! You work in the comfort of your own home. Lucky you!!!! You have the power to make whatever changes you want to your workstation so you can continue to work from home smarter, safer and more productively.


















Be spontaneous. You can do it now!! Get in your car and take a trip with your spouse or a friend for the day or weekend. Get to know yourself all over again.













