You may have heard of ergonomic office design. Maybe your workplace has even done ergonomics and replaced it with a chair and keyboard. In any case, spending money on small office upgrades, you might be wondering: what is ergonomics?
Ergonomics are better for typing than a comfortable chair and soft wrist rest.
In fact, the science of ergonomics goes far beyond office design and workplace efficiency.
Ergonomics focuses on creating tools that are easy for humans to use. When a tool or technology adapts to human behavior (rather than expecting humans to adapt to using it), it is ergonomically designed.
Ergonomics feels a lot like luxury: Have you ever driven any car designed with intuitive controls that allow you to make adjustments without taking your eyes off of it? Those thoughtful designs make you feel like the vehicle is an extension of your body.
It's not
just about seat comfort and carpal tunnel syndrome. It's about creating
technology for human use.
What is ergonomics?
In short, ergonomics looks at understanding how humans work, both physically and mentally, and designing things in a way that works for the people who use them.
This takes into account factors such as joint strain, strength and posture, as well as more complex considerations of cognitive ability, age and emotional stress.
The ergonomic design is certainly comfortable. They are intuitive to use and minimize frustration, tension, fatigue and workload so that a person can complete a task without wasting time learning how to use the tool.
The whole idea behind ergonomics is that objects and technologies created for human use should fit the way humans use them, not that humans should learn how to use the tools it was designed for.
It makes
sense, doesn't it? Users are more important than tools.
Why is ergonomics important?
Of course, it's great when your workplace tools are simple and intuitive to use.
While ease of use is great, it's not the main reason why ergonomics are so important.
An ergonomic office reduces the risk of injury and illness, increases productivity, and makes your company an ideal place to work.
Even low levels of tension or stress, if sustained for a long time, can cause serious harm.
Painful back problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, bursitis, and stress fractures can all be caused by poor ergonomics in the workplace.
On top of that, it's more difficult to produce with hard-to-use tools.
Whether you're cranky because your back hurts, frustrated because your computer programs are hard to navigate, or stressed because your computer monitor is giving you a fatigue headache, you just don't get a poorly designed office to do Get as much good quality of work as possible.
How to improve your ergonomics?
Maybe you're a small business owner and can't upgrade all your office furniture.
Or maybe you work for a large company that doesn't make ergonomics a priority and wants to take your own cost-effective steps to make the job easier.
It can be done.
Here are
some low-cost ergonomic tips to optimize your personal workspace:
1: Keep your frequently used tools within easy reach and put less used items further away.
If your work frequently requires you to answer calls, keep your phone near the keyboard so you don't have to reach for it.
Things like paper clips, whites, and tape that are used occasionally, but not every day, can be put in a drawer to free up desk space and reduce clutter.
Reducing the number of items that are always sitting on the tabletop actually has a calming effect.
The more organized and clean your workspace is, the more you'll be distracted by clutter and clutter.
Prioritize
items that need to arrive on a regular basis, arrange them wisely, and leave
the rest out.
2: Sit well.
An ergonomically designed office chair should help correct posture, but even a regular office chair can sit up straight.
If you're experiencing pressure in the tail, or aching pain at the end of the day, consider purchasing an ergonomic seat cushion from an office supply store.
While the cushion may not be 100% as effective as the new chair, it will be much cheaper and it will help.
Good
posture takes the strain off the back while also helping with proper wrist and
arm position, which minimizes the risk of injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.
3: Increase the height of the computer monitor.
Ideally, your computer monitor should sit at eye level, with a few inches above the screen just above eye level.
This reduces neck strain and eyestrain, and makes sitting easier.
If your
monitor doesn't have a taller monitor itself, you can use a monitor stand as an
organizer, or, you can even put some books on your desk and place your monitor
on top.
4: Put the light behind the computer monitor.
The contrast between a dark environment and a bright screen is more tense than you might realize.
There's an easy fix, though, and you don't have to ask your office to install brighter lights.
You can find bias lighting specifically designed to reduce eye strain—it comes in the form of a tiny LED strip that plugs into your computer's USB port and sticks to the back of the monitor.
While there's no problem if you want to buy a higher quality LED strip, it's recommended that you don't try to replicate this effect with a basic desk lamp.
Without the
right white balance and intensity, putting a light behind a computer monitor
may actually cause more stress than relieve your eyes.
5: Use a real mouse and keyboard instead of your laptop's built-in features.
Raising a laptop screen to ergonomic eye level is extremely difficult if you're typing on the built-in keyboard and using the touchpad as a cursor.
An ergonomic keyboard and mouse aren't the most expensive upgrades you might consider, and even a regular mouse isn't as good as a touchpad.
Some things
are worth investing in, and if you've dealt with wrist pain and tense hands at
the end of a long day at work, you already know that a decent keyboard is one
of them.
6: Take a break.
Give your body and eyes a break.
Even if you can't get up and move around because of work rules, get up and pull at least once an hour.
Move away from the screen and let your eyes focus on other things in the room before returning to work.
When you get a scheduled break, actually get off your desk and move around. Let your loop flow. It's more important than you might think.
A quick break is refreshing, it gives you a little relief from the prolonged tension of mental focus and physical strength.
Just thinking about ergonomics a few times a day will greatly improve your overall health.
Realize
that ergonomics is one of the most important things in modern office design.
Looking to redesign your office space? Get some tips on using design to
increase productivity.