Creating an ergonometric home workspace?

[fire_breeze]

Currently, I work from home, which means hours of researching and typing (and when I mean hours, I mean daily 6-10 hours of solid typing). Now, I do not have a computer desk, and for various reasons, I'm not going to invest in one right now. However, as I conservatively foresee this situation lasting for at least 9 months (I hope shorter, though!), and because every night I climb into bed with arm cramps, finger pain and back aches, I'd like to ergonometricise (is that a word?) my workspace.

My current desk is a gorgeous antique mahogany bureau and I work on a laptop. Beautiful, but I realise not very practical or conducive to office work, so I bought a laptop riser, which is helping, and I use a wireless keyboard (and I think it may be too high on my desk). I've done some research and read many on-line articles, however, they gave contradictory information and before I buy anything, I usually like to make sure it's what I need.

So, I was wondering if any savvy How-Toers have tips or recommendations in outfitting my space that wouldn't be too hard on my body as I beat my poor mind? What works for you?

Thank you in advance

ETA: my current space does not allow for me to buy a new desk, as I'm not willing to throw out the one I have now (it's antique. It has been in my family for generations. It's not going to happen).

 

[pplwatching]

I work from home a lot, and now that I'm a student I spend a lot of time doing homework at my desk as well. I used to suffer from repetitive movement problems (Carpal Tunnel). Things that I have tried :

Ergonomic braces (examples here) to fix my bad arm posture. I use something like the cheap one. I can't say anything about the expensive ones, but consistent use of the inexpensive model made a huge difference.

Ergonomic chair to promote better / good posture (many options). This was a more sizeable investment, but a worthwhile one. I had good success with the kneeling chair, of all things. It forced me to adopt a good posture, without slouching in my chair. Some of my office mates swear by "exercise ball chairs". I eventually found an ergonomic chair that adjusts to a much more compatible height. The office manager at my office got some table-top components that allow her to stand while working instead of sitting. She loves it. I don't think it was expensive, but I am having a hard time finding what I think she has. Here's a picture anyway.

Wrist wrests (many choices) provide support and can be inexpensive.

Track ball. Lots of people hate them, but I found that it really reduces my motion related pain.

Last but certainly not least, take care of your body. Drink lots of water. Eat well. Get up and take breaks. Walk around to restore circulation. Every few minutes try focusing your eyes on things near, then far, then near, etc to work the muscles. I originally started drinking beet juice for reasons found elsewhere on the board here but discovered that it really helps with energy and minor aches and pains.

I'm sure there's more.

Good luck!

 

[NightL]

and... well pplwatching said all and more

right now my upper back is cramped and in constant pain for not taking the obvious breaks and stretching exercises.

Just don't lean forward... I fall into that trap (and now just pulling my monitors forward).

Buy a big clear monitor and place that at eye level - they are much cheaper now than a few years ago.

The other mistake I made was buying office chairs with arm supports. I can't get the chair under the desk so the keyboard sits at the edge of the desk and I have no room for wrist supports which I know people who swear by them. hmmm I could raise the desk or get another chair - bah much too simple.

Try to discipline yourself to a standard working day with all the appropriate breaks - I am so guilty of not doing that and end up working till 3am. Rest and exercise

Ha - at the end of the day you know exactly what you have to do - you just need the prompting so perhaps a break timer would be good.

I am not vouching for this one - have not tried it
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2984...a-break-timer-to-remember-to-move-around.html


I do use a very simple and totally clean program called WatchMe which I just noticed now has an alert feature
http://www.flamebrain.com/

Your phone will have a timer and there will be free timer apps for PC and Macs

 

[pplwatching]

The other mistake I made was buying office chairs with arm supports. I can't get the chair under the desk so the keyboard sits at the edge of the desk and I have no room for wrist supports which I know people who swear by them. hmmm I could raise the desk or get another chair - bah much too simple

This is very true. I had a chair at my office that was "superior", but the arms wouldn't go under the desk. I wound up swapping it with another chair that had recently been vacated by a former employee.

And here's a bonus for you ladies.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

When I worked from home I went and bought one of these. I liked the look and once I had it setup, it was a real dream to sit at. Of course it's all in the chair in combination with the desk. The one I had at the time was perfect and the drop down keyboard/mouse slide-out was excellent

And it's a steal for $132 now. Back when I bought mine it was only $95.

 

[John Blackhawk]

Well the thing to do would be first figure out all you will plan to do in this room and plan accordingly.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I use a vertical mouse, one of these. It's a bit pricey, but it does seem to make a difference re. wrist/hand strain.

Laptop screens are not ideal for extended work. If you do have to use one, the riser is good - you want the top of the screen close to eye level - but if you can buy or borrow a bigger monitor that's better.

Make sure your work space is conducive to taking frequent stretch breaks. (I'm terrible at this, do as I do not as I say).

edit: of course that should've been "do as I say, not as I do".

 

[LWulf]

oh, there's a book of information I could tell you...

Basically, you don't want your arms and legs all curled up. you dont want your feet under you but out ahead of you. You want to maximize blood flow. You want your limbs at a "neutral" stance. Some people suggest a foot rest that adjusts to your stance, but honestly, you just want your feet to rest in a position that doesn't restrict blood flow.

you want an extremely soft cushion to sit on, but not too thick, because that might reverse the desired affects. you don't want to feel a "pinch" from the front edge of the chair seat. Your arms should be supported, so they are not constantly just hanging from your shoulders, because you dont want your body to be constantly working, you want to maximize blood flow.

What would probably be great is if you could sit like you're in a recliner; all parts of the body supported.

believe it or not, scents/odors/smells can cause tension. it stops you from relaxing, and tension is bad.


Exercises
turn your head and look at your right shoulder. then imagine the sun rising up, up over your head, follow it slowly and then the sun sets on your left shoulder. reverse. this helps shoulder and neck strain.

fanning your fingers like your a woman ( ) drying your nail polish, bending your wrist alone. slow gentle motions. you're not late for a function. relax. breathe. this helps carpal tunnel.

Drink plenty of water, NOT coffee. Coffee (or more exactly caffeine) is a diuretic which reduces water levels in the body.

 

[NightL]

Exercises
turn your head and look at your right shoulder. then imagine the sun rising up, up over your head, follow it slowly and then the sun sets on your left shoulder. reverse. this helps shoulder and neck strain.

OUCH!!! - Good reminder to set that stretching exercise timer. I wrote my last reply six hours ago and have been working since without a break.

 

[oggbashan]

I have an L-shaped desk with a gas-lift wheeled chair (no arms). I can move the chair backwards and forwards on a hard-wearing mat so I don't damage the floor.

I have a full size keyboard at the right angle for me. My desktop tower is ON the desk so I can easily load a CD/DVD or plug in to a USB port. My monitor is raised to comfortable eyelevel, sitting on two large redundant dictionaries.

I have two printers - a black and white lazer to my right and a all-in-one scanner/copier/printer to my left. The paper stock is to my right and lower. I can load paper and retrieve output easily.

I can adjust my chair's height and position easily.

I have an overhead light slightly ahead of the monitor. It illuminates the keyboard but doesn't cause reflections on the screen.

It took weeks of trial and error and small adjustments to get everything just right but I can alter anything in seconds if my back or neck are painful.

The essentials - a good full size keyboard in the right place and the monitor at the right height.

 

[Bramblethorn]

The essentials - a good full size keyboard in the right place and the monitor at the right height.

At least, full size for the bits of the keyboard that you use. My work ergo guy recommended I get a keyboard without the num pad on the right, because that means my mouse hand can stay closer in, instead of being pushed out to the right.

 

[LWulf]

I won't contest anything that anybody has stated so far. When I said "there's a book of information I could tell you" I wasn't kidding. ergonomic design was developed (some would say "directly copied") from a US Army reference book (a non-secret 120 page book) titled "human engineering" which was developed back in the mid-1930's by the army corps of engineers.

It was developed to design human interaction with military systems that personnel would need to maintain for 8+ hours per day with the least amount of strain.

Key things to do is not wear constrictive clothing, nor tight belts, watch straps, etc. As long as sufficient blood flow is maintained, the body can heal and maintain itself.

You shouldn't sit too close to a screen, the screen should be lit only enough to read by it, too bright and the glare will tire the eyes. As well, ambient light in the room should likewise equal the screen light. Imbalance in either way again causes eyes strain.

 

[NightL]

Key things to do is not wear constrictive clothing...

I wholeheartedly concur - a nude fire_breeze for home office

 

[bull4cuckolds]

Have you considered a voice recognition software that will do the typing for you? As a disclaimer, I have never used one of these before (apart from the one that is built into my smart phone for voice texting), but it might be something to look into. I don't think they are super pricey nowadays.

I'm sure there will be a period of trial and error. And you will always need to go back and spell check/proofread your work. Granted, that will add time to your work day - but hopefully that is offset by voice typing speed and better health.

Good luck.

 

[fire_breeze]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies! They are incredibly useful

I work from home a lot, and now that I'm a student I spend a lot of time doing homework at my desk as well. I used to suffer from repetitive movement problems (Carpal Tunnel). Things that I have tried :

Ergonomic braces (examples here) to fix my bad arm posture. I use something like the cheap one. I can't say anything about the expensive ones, but consistent use of the inexpensive model made a huge difference.

Ergonomic chair to promote better / good posture (many options). This was a more sizeable investment, but a worthwhile one. I had good success with the kneeling chair, of all things. It forced me to adopt a good posture, without slouching in my chair. Some of my office mates swear by "exercise ball chairs". I eventually found an ergonomic chair that adjusts to a much more compatible height. The office manager at my office got some table-top components that allow her to stand while working instead of sitting. She loves it. I don't think it was expensive, but I am having a hard time finding what I think she has. Here's a picture anyway.

Wrist wrests (many choices) provide support and can be inexpensive.

Track ball. Lots of people hate them, but I found that it really reduces my motion related pain.

Last but certainly not least, take care of your body. Drink lots of water. Eat well. Get up and take breaks. Walk around to restore circulation. Every few minutes try focusing your eyes on things near, then far, then near, etc to work the muscles. I originally started drinking beet juice for reasons found elsewhere on the board here but discovered that it really helps with energy and minor aches and pains.

I'm sure there's more.

Good luck!

While I'm not sure if I have carpal tunnel, or it will develop as one, I will definitely try a brace. I am feeling a cramp in my forearm, and that can't be normal. If the brace helps, so be it!

I just bought a chair a few months ago, which claimed to be ergonometric. It's definitely comfortable, but has arms I might try to see if I can't swap it with someone with one sans arms, or at least give a test run.

And the break... yeah... that tends to be a problem. When I'm in the zone, I'm really in the zone. I just either research or type for hours and don't realise that a day has passed. Plus, I don't like anything disrupting my flow of thought... I may have to reevaluate the way I work. Thank you

and... well pplwatching said all and more

right now my upper back is cramped and in constant pain for not taking the obvious breaks and stretching exercises.

Just don't lean forward... I fall into that trap (and now just pulling my monitors forward).

Buy a big clear monitor and place that at eye level - they are much cheaper now than a few years ago.

The other mistake I made was buying office chairs with arm supports. I can't get the chair under the desk so the keyboard sits at the edge of the desk and I have no room for wrist supports which I know people who swear by them. hmmm I could raise the desk or get another chair - bah much too simple.

Try to discipline yourself to a standard working day with all the appropriate breaks - I am so guilty of not doing that and end up working till 3am. Rest and exercise

Ha - at the end of the day you know exactly what you have to do - you just need the prompting so perhaps a break timer would be good.

I am not vouching for this one - have not tried it
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2984...a-break-timer-to-remember-to-move-around.html


I do use a very simple and totally clean program called WatchMe which I just noticed now has an alert feature
http://www.flamebrain.com/

Your phone will have a timer and there will be free timer apps for PC and Macs

I usually turn my phones and notifications off, often even wifi, because I get too tempted to procrastinate. I have a limited time to get this done, and I want this done, hence the working at all hours. Plus, I'm a little obsessed right now

I'm having the same problem with the wrists. I have a feeling that this is something I will have to figure out. Does a keyboard tray help?

This is very true. I had a chair at my office that was "superior", but the arms wouldn't go under the desk. I wound up swapping it with another chair that had recently been vacated by a former employee.

And here's a bonus for you ladies.

Ha! I'll see if my bounce ball is big enough to do this

When I worked from home I went and bought one of these. I liked the look and once I had it setup, it was a real dream to sit at. Of course it's all in the chair in combination with the desk. The one I had at the time was perfect and the drop down keyboard/mouse slide-out was excellent

And it's a steal for $132 now. Back when I bought mine it was only $95.

It IS beautiful, and I have a feeling it's what I need; space, unfortunately, does not allow for it. There's just literally no room. But I will keep this in mind! Thank you

Well the thing to do would be first figure out all you will plan to do in this room and plan accordingly.

It's a bit difficult, as I already have a space dedicated to work. But as right now, I will be focusing on all that and not having to go in, I will be working at home.

 

[fire_breeze]

I use a vertical mouse, one of these. It's a bit pricey, but it does seem to make a difference re. wrist/hand strain.

Laptop screens are not ideal for extended work. If you do have to use one, the riser is good - you want the top of the screen close to eye level - but if you can buy or borrow a bigger monitor that's better.

Make sure your work space is conducive to taking frequent stretch breaks. (I'm terrible at this, do as I do not as I say).

At this moment, I'm mostly typing, however, there will be coming a time when I have to incorporate the schematics and maps and diagrams, so the vertical mouse is definitely on my wishlist!

I'm noticing that laptops are not too great. The height of the desk is pretty high, I'm long so even with the riser, it's not exactly at eye-level. I will take your advice and see if I can't invest in a monitor that I can use.

oh, there's a book of information I could tell you...

Basically, you don't want your arms and legs all curled up. you dont want your feet under you but out ahead of you. You want to maximize blood flow. You want your limbs at a "neutral" stance. Some people suggest a foot rest that adjusts to your stance, but honestly, you just want your feet to rest in a position that doesn't restrict blood flow.

you want an extremely soft cushion to sit on, but not too thick, because that might reverse the desired affects. you don't want to feel a "pinch" from the front edge of the chair seat. Your arms should be supported, so they are not constantly just hanging from your shoulders, because you dont want your body to be constantly working, you want to maximize blood flow.

What would probably be great is if you could sit like you're in a recliner; all parts of the body supported.

believe it or not, scents/odors/smells can cause tension. it stops you from relaxing, and tension is bad.


Exercises
turn your head and look at your right shoulder. then imagine the sun rising up, up over your head, follow it slowly and then the sun sets on your left shoulder. reverse. this helps shoulder and neck strain.

fanning your fingers like your a woman ( ) drying your nail polish, bending your wrist alone. slow gentle motions. you're not late for a function. relax. breathe. this helps carpal tunnel.

Drink plenty of water, NOT coffee. Coffee (or more exactly caffeine) is a diuretic which reduces water levels in the body.

In other words: Breezy, stop sitting on your feet and uncross your damn legs, right? However, these tips are wonderful. I tried the nail-polish fanning, and my fingers started to tingle, indicating a return of blood flow.

Or I could find someone to give me a massage

The coffee and remember to drink is a big one (and to eat) - as I said, when I'm in my zone, I'm really in my zone. I'm beginning to feel its effects. But, Wulfie, my friend, it's better if I do not stop drinking coffee. For the benefit of humanity. Trust me

In all seriousness, thank you so much for the exercise tips. I will have to come up with a better way to work that includes breaks

OUCH!!! - Good reminder to set that stretching exercise timer. I wrote my last reply six hours ago and have been working since without a break.

This was me two nights ago. And last night.

I have an L-shaped desk with a gas-lift wheeled chair (no arms). I can move the chair backwards and forwards on a hard-wearing mat so I don't damage the floor.

I have a full size keyboard at the right angle for me. My desktop tower is ON the desk so I can easily load a CD/DVD or plug in to a USB port. My monitor is raised to comfortable eyelevel, sitting on two large redundant dictionaries.

I have two printers - a black and white lazer to my right and a all-in-one scanner/copier/printer to my left. The paper stock is to my right and lower. I can load paper and retrieve output easily.

I can adjust my chair's height and position easily.

I have an overhead light slightly ahead of the monitor. It illuminates the keyboard but doesn't cause reflections on the screen.

It took weeks of trial and error and small adjustments to get everything just right but I can alter anything in seconds if my back or neck are painful.

The essentials - a good full size keyboard in the right place and the monitor at the right height.

Thank you You have mentioned the little details, and I've noticed that if I move something even by a couple of centimetres, it changes everything. I am becoming more and more aware of these details. I think I will have to invest in another chair, this one without arms. It's great for research and reading, not so great in typing.

At least, full size for the bits of the keyboard that you use. My work ergo guy recommended I get a keyboard without the num pad on the right, because that means my mouse hand can stay closer in, instead of being pushed out to the right.

My keyboard is not full-size, and after reading all your suggestions, it makes me wonder if it's not one of the causes of my finger cramps. IF I buy another one, I will definitely check the one without a number pad. Thank you

I won't contest anything that anybody has stated so far. When I said "there's a book of information I could tell you" I wasn't kidding. ergonomic design was developed (some would say "directly copied") from a US Army reference book (a non-secret 120 page book) titled "human engineering" which was developed back in the mid-1930's by the army corps of engineers.

It was developed to design human interaction with military systems that personnel would need to maintain for 8+ hours per day with the least amount of strain.

Key things to do is not wear constrictive clothing, nor tight belts, watch straps, etc. As long as sufficient blood flow is maintained, the body can heal and maintain itself.

You shouldn't sit too close to a screen, the screen should be lit only enough to read by it, too bright and the glare will tire the eyes. As well, ambient light in the room should likewise equal the screen light. Imbalance in either way again causes eyes strain.

I'll hunt for the book; I'm due for some non work-related intelligent reading anyway.

And the lighting!! Thank you! That is something I will have to fix; oddly enough, I haven't even thought about lighting.

I wholeheartedly concur - a nude fire_breeze for home office

Damn, so no yoga pants and comfortable jeans?

Have you considered a voice recognition software that will do the typing for you? As a disclaimer, I have never used one of these before (apart from the one that is built into my smart phone for voice texting), but it might be something to look into. I don't think they are super pricey nowadays.

I'm sure there will be a period of trial and error. And you will always need to go back and spell check/proofread your work. Granted, that will add time to your work day - but hopefully that is offset by voice typing speed and better health.

Good luck.

Thank you for the tip. I do sometimes record my work, more like working through some thoughts out loud. However, I work in a very obscure field, with a very foreign - literally - jargon, and I need to include my footnotes. The language of my field is ridiculously out there. I find writing is better and more conductive to allow my thoughts translate onto the screen. However, for sections where I don't engage with terminology too much, and where I focus mostly on theory, it might be worth the while.

Thank you all again

 

[Bottomlover]

I exclusively work from home. it took a bit of time to get my workstation right for 8-12 hours of work at a time. a lot of this has been covered by others, but this is my total solution.

First, your chair has to allow you to get it under your desk. Second, your chair has to allow height and backrest adjustments. Despite the cushy look of nice executive type chairs, I've found the a decent quality "peon" chair is more properly engineered for actually working. You need a decent monitor, which does not cost that much these days. Your comfort depends upon the heights of the mouse/ keyboard and the monitor above your ass. Adjust your ass height relative the keyboard with your chair, and then use other adjustments to get the monitor to where you need it. You need to have your back supported in a pretty upright position, and "secretary" chairs are best for this.

If you're not looking to work from home for an extended period, spend $100 on a chair. A comfortable work station is also good for surfing the net for hours at a time.

 

[Gotham_Central]

Look into the work surfaces by Uplift. I recently scored one at the office and I'll never be happy with anything else.

http://www.thehumansolution.com/hei...nd-desk.html?gclid=CMWBys6_7dICFYNGXgodtUUIyw

 

[Primalex]

Post or send a picture where you sit at the desk, then I can give reasonable advice. I'm sitting 10 hours+ in my home office.

Just buying random things and hoping that it will improve the issues is not really a scientific approach to tackle a problem.

 

[LWulf]

In other words: Breezy, stop sitting on your feet and uncross your damn legs, right? However, these tips are wonderful. I tried the nail-polish fanning, and my fingers started to tingle, indicating a return of blood flow.

Or I could find someone to give me a massage

The coffee and remember to drink is a big one (and to eat) - as I said, when I'm in my zone, I'm really in my zone. I'm beginning to feel its effects. But, Wulfie, my friend, it's better if I do not stop drinking coffee. For the benefit of humanity. Trust me

In all seriousness, thank you so much for the exercise tips. I will have to come up with a better way to work that includes breaks

C-o-f-f-e-e, coffee is not for me,
It's a drink some people wake up with,
That it makes them nervous is no myth,
Slaves to a coffee cup, they can't give coffee up.

I'll hunt for the book; I'm due for some non work-related intelligent reading anyway.

And the lighting!! Thank you! That is something I will have to fix; oddly enough, I haven't even thought about lighting.

This might be a little more easy and at the same time harder to do. It was a federal issued "document," so you would have to ask for a copy from the federal government. The good news is, they might simply send you a copy for free ...if you can convince them you need it for work

One thing I will contest what folks here have been saying, regarding arm rests.

There's a trick to arm rests... they need to be at a certain height that doesn't make your hunch your shoulders (too high causes back pain). At the same time, if they are too low, then you might as well not have them. Arm rests that are set to YOUR specific height comply with ergonomic functions.
The trouble is, most chair companies don't want to go to the expense of making adjustable arm rests.

 

[yukonnights]

Just one quick thought to all who have arms on their chairs; Some of these are bolt on at the time of assembly. Take a peak under the chair and see if they can be easily removed. (didn't see this mentioned above, but if it was - duh )

 

[NightL]

Just one quick thought to all who have arms on their chairs; Some of these are bolt on at the time of assembly. Take a peak under the chair and see if they can be easily removed. (didn't see this mentioned above, but if it was - duh )

almost a great idea "So obvious - why didn't I think of that before" until I remembered in my case the chair arms are the only structural support for the back of the chair. Damn.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Oh, if you're reading a lot of dead-tree material, a document holder can also be useful. I have one that folds up when I'm not using it, basic and cheap but it does the job.

 

[babydoll235]

And here's a bonus for you ladies.

Sorry to be crude, but I wonder if the OP would get more enjoyment out of this one:

http://icanlickit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/pink-diamond-bouncing-ball-dildo.png

You know, just to take the edge off when necessary..