Here at The Guildhall Practice, we want to minimise the risk of repetitive strain injury due to desk-based work from home by helping you, and your body work more efficiently at home.
In this article, we aim to improve desk-based posture and set-up by providing you with tips on how to work from home effectively. And to increase movement and fluidity at home, we will also provide exercise routines for you to work with.
Here are the top 5 tips for maintaining your physical and mental health during your desk-based ‘working from home’ period:
- Space – Allocate a set space for you work at home, ideally one that is quiet and a place you can work from daily.
- Device – Ensure your device (laptop, iPad, desktop) is situated on a flat surface, i.e a desk or table. Avoid sitting with the device on your lap as this causes posture to become complacent.
- Breaks – Make sure you take regular breaks from work, just as you would do in the office. Stand up, walk around and maybe do a few exercises so that your body is mobile and active for a few minutes. An easy way to manage this is to set reminders on your phone at intervals of around 30-45 minutes
- Routine – Have a daily routine set up for your working week. For example, start work daily at 8:30am and finish at 5pm. This will help you shut off from work and enjoy some down time at home.
- Comfort – Ensure you have a comfortable and, if possible, an ergonomic chair. This can be adapted in most chairs using cushions to enable optimal comfort and posture. Try to avoid sitting on soft chairs or sofas. Often, people use a swiss ball to sit on to activate core muscles whilst working.
The image below shows how your ‘work from home’ desk setup and posture can be optimal:
For an accurate measurements based upon your own body size follow this link :
https://www.omnicalculator.com/everyday-life/desk-height