The location of your work and the conditions you work in play a great role in determining the quality of your work. If your work area always feels uncomfortable, ultimately, your productivity will likely worsen as a result. Furthermore, uncomfortable workplaces end up affecting your physical and mental health, as well as your overall well-being. Since you spend a large portion of your time at your workplace, you must ensure the area is as comfortable and hospitable as possible.
So, what are the easiest and most convenient ways to make your work area more comfortable? Here are some useful ideas that you can use to achieve this.
Footrest
Where do you place your feet while sitting at your office desk? Do you normally get lower back pain, swollen feet, and varicose? If these complications have become your daily struggle, then you need to get a footrest for your office desk. This tool helps your lower body to move in at least four different ways while you are seated: forward, backward, side to side, and in circles. With the right footrest, you will be able to improve your circulation and blood flow. This tool is meant to reduce pressure on your legs when you are sitting down for too long, thus preventing blood clots, relieving lower backpressure, and protecting against swelling of the feet.
Air Purifier
It can be really stressful to work in a stuffy workplace. This can even bring about some respiratory-related complications and lower your overall productivity at work. That’s why an air purifier is an essential fixture to have in your office. Aside from, as its name implies, purifying the air, this device offers a host of other amazing benefits.
For instance, it stops bacteria and other harmful germs from proliferating in your office by keeping the air fresh. It also prevents mold and mildew growth, and it relieves allergy-related complications. With fresh air, problems such as colds and flu are easily deterred. Ultimately, your work ethic and overall well-being improve when the air in your office is fresh.
Right Chair
No amount of decorations and space will make your work area comfortable if you do not have the right chair. You can even try to add cushions to the chair or adjust positions to see if the chair can be more comfortable but if it doesn’t have the right design, you can rest assured it won’t give you any comfort. Studies have shown that slouching postures can cause serious problems, such as headaches, back pain, fatigue and lack of concentration. These complications will consequently affect your productivity at work and your overall health.
However, a good office chair will provide you with the right lumbar and pelvic support, thus reducing stress on your back muscles and improving your posture, breathing, and work output. The best office chair should have a full back, waterfall seat, and breathable upholstery. It should also allow your joints to rest at a 90-degree angle and be easily adjustable.
Desk Lamp
Unless you are visually impaired, you always need proper lighting in your place of work, especially at your desk. That’s why a desk lamp is such an important tool for office workers, particularly those who work at night. Working in a poorly lit area will force you to strain your eyes, which can, in turn, cause serious damage.
The good thing about using a desk lamp for your desk illumination is that it is small in size and can rotate effortlessly. Also, you can easily raise or lower this light to your personal preference. However, ensure the lamp you get has a lampshade so that it can direct the light downward without affecting your eyes.
Wrist Rest
When you are typing, your wrists are left to lean heavily on the sharp edges of your desk, which can cause injuries if this is left to go on for a prolonged period of time. To avoid this risk, you should use a wrist rest.
A good wrist rest should be made of foam or gel and should be able to align the wrist and forearm so that they remain in a neutral position. It should also be smooth and flat to allow your hands to move freely when typing. A wrist rest also helps to reduce tension in your neck and shoulders because you won’t be holding your hands up all the time.
Enough Space
Although workspaces are increasingly becoming smaller, you have to find ways to create enough space for your work area if you want your productivity to remain high. Studies have shown that about half of working Americans spend over 40 hours a week at their workplaces. These statistics bring home the importance of ensuring your workspace is as comfortable as possible.
Regardless of how beautifully decorated your office is, you will always feel uncomfortable to work in it if your desk is confined in a small space where you can’t even stretch your legs. A good office desk should be at least 1.2 meters wide and have enough legroom for you to stretch and move your legs around freely. The top should be spacious enough to accommodate all your tools.
Well Organized
By all means possible, keep your office desk tidy and well organized. You can have the largest and most decorated workstation, but if it is untidy, you will always have hectic days trying to sort things out. A tidy workstation not only improves your organizational skills, but it makes your work easier because you know where everything is. Make use of drawer dividers to separate different items in your desk. This will save you a great deal of time since everything you need is within reach.
Making your work area more comfortable shouldn’t be a hectic task; you just need to come up with just a few practical solutions like finding the right chair, creating enough space for yourself, tidying up your desk a little bit and performing several other simple improvements. When you are comfortable, both physically and emotionally, at your workplace, even your productivity and well-being improve. The idea here is to make your work area feel like home.Resources – ID Products, Medium, Creative Bloq