Top 5 Tips for Making Your Workspace ‘Work’ For You

Posted on February 20, 2014 Updated on February 20, 2014

You must admit.  It is wonderful to get a new computer or laptop, new desk, new office chair or even a new keyboard and mouse for your workspace, but getting these items is not enough to help you work more efficiently.  Even if your workspace has everything you need, getting these items to work for you is necessary for you to work better with them.

So how do you get your workspace to work for you? Well, here are a few tips:

Tip #1 – Make sure your workspace includes a chair with a back rest to support your lower back and is adjusted to a height to facilitate an optimum sitting posture.  An optimum sitting posture is one where your torso to thigh angle is roughly 100 degrees, your feet are flat on the floor or on a foot rest, and your knees are bent at a 90 to 100 degree angle.

Tip#2 – Ensure the h.eight of the desk or table of your workspace is roughly 64cm to 75 cm up from the floor to compliment the optimum sitting posture and facilitate an optimum arm angle of 70 to 90 degrees when working with a keyboard or mouse.

Tip #3 – Whether your workspace includes a laptop or desktop computer, make sure the top of line of text on your screen is adjusted to be at your eye level and is roughly 40cm to 76cm away from you.  Also, your keyboard and mouse should be placed beside each other and positioned so that your wrists are relatively straight when using either of them.

Tip #4 – Have proper lighting in your workspace to minimize eye strain.  If necessary, position a desktop lamp opposite your dominate hand to add sufficient lighting and minimize shadowing to your workspace. Also, control glare by either positioning your workspace beside or parallel to a window to minimize glare from windows, or between rows of overhead florescent lights to prevent glare from them.  Otherwise, you can adjust the angle of your screen or add anti-glare screen protectors to help minimize glare.

Tip #5 – If using a phone or mobile, make sure it is within arm’s reach to reduce repetitive over reaching. Alternately, consider using a headset.

Why settle for an insufficient workspace?  Follow all of these tips and your workspace will ‘work’ towards optimizing your comfort, reducing strain on your body and allowing you to function more efficiently.