My Ergonomic Work From Home Office Setup

Written by Sophia on December 12, 2020.

shrimp in a curled up position sitting in chair

Back pain? Sore wrists? Sitting like a shrimp?

Since I now spend a lot of time working from home, I invested in setting up an ergonomic work space. I also try not to sit like a shrimp to prevent back pain and sore wrists!

According to stuff I found on the internet, these are features of an ideal ergonomic setup:

  • Back / lumbar support
  • Wrists straight and arms close to your body at 90 degrees (parallel to the ground)
  • Feet flat and fully on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees while sitting
  • Eyes level to the monitor

Here’s my attempt at an ergonomic home office setup:

  • Herman Miller Aeron chair - This chair lets me raise and lower the height of my chair so my arms can be at 90 degrees (parallel to the ground) while I'm on typing or writing. I also got the lumbar support feature. I scored a great deal for a used one that's like new on Craigslist.
  • Yoga blocks - I use yoga blocks as footrests so my feet can reach the “ground”.
  • MacBook with a laptop stand - I always place my laptop on a laptop stand to be at eye level with my screen. Using a laptop stand has made a noticeable difference in reducing how often I sit like a shrimp.
  • Dell UltraSharp 27 USB-C Hub Monitor - This monitor gives me more real estate and allows me to be at eye level with my screen.
  • Magic Trackpad 2 - Since my laptop is on a laptop stand, the separate trackpad helps keep my arms parallel to the ground and wrists straight. I also like the feel and functionality of the trackpad over a mouse.
  • Magic Keyboard - Since my laptop is on a laptop stand, the separate keyboard to helps keep my arms parallel to the ground and wrists straight.
  • Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk - A standing desk lets me occasionally stand while I work. I got the memory controls so I don't have to press the buttons forever to get the right height.
  • Lastly, even with an ergonomic setup, I make sure to take frequent stretch breaks!

Conclusion

I hope this blog helps you with setting up an ergonomic work setup or at least prompted you to instinctively sit up straight.

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