Assembling Your Workstation
Assembling Your Workstation
We all know sitting at a computer for extended periods of time isn't ideal, but c'est la vie! It's the life of an editor. There is a tendency to not take workplace injury seriously in an office job; after all, we're sitting at desks and working with computers, it's not like we're in a manufacturing facility, where one false move can mean a life-threatening injury or a lost limb. However, there is still potential here for injury—all the more so because it's not commonly viewed as a dangerous environment.
Sitting at a desk all day can lead to muscle fatigue and discomfort in the back, shoulders, legs, and arms. Awkward postures can cause musculoskeletal injury over time. And an improperly placed monitor and failure to take breaks can cause headaches, eyestrain, and blurred vision. All these things have the potential to seriously impact your quality of life; some side effects of sitting (blood clots) can even be fatal. It's time to start taking this seriously.
Setting up your workspace properly to minimize stress on the body can do wonders for your productivity and health and can help to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Ergonomics is the field that matches the human body with the design of the machines and tools we use, with the goal of minimizing stress on the body. A quick review of the principles of ergonomics as they relate to setting up your workstation could save you a great deal of trouble down the line, and most of the changes are easy to make. Your body will thank you!
The most important thing in workstation ergonomics is setting the height and position of the components (desk, monitor, keyboard, and chair) to correspond to your body. Although the height of most desks is not adjustable, this can be compensated for with an adjustable chair. The shape of the desk can also make a difference: some editors have rectangular desks, but some prefer L-shaped desks so they can spread out their materials and keep them easily visible while working. This decision depends on your work habits.
Overall, the desk is the least customizable, and probably most expensive, part of your work area. If it's in your budget and you need a new desk, choosing one of the proper height is important, but often desks are inherited or simply too expensive to replace easily. So focusing on the setup of your desk is the best thing you can do to improve your efficiency and reduce stress on your body.
Have everything you need within easy swivel distance so you're not twisting or bending unnaturally to get things you use often. A bookshelf within arm's reach or an under-the-desk drawer for reference books, notebooks, pens, and sticky notes can save you the strain of repeatedly reaching and twisting. Also, keeping everything close helps you stay organized.
Keep your desk clean! A cluttered desk can be distracting, especially if your office is in your home. It can be hard to concentrate on editing with electricity bills and kids' report cards piled up in your work area. If possible, have separate inboxes for work and personal items. Have a filing cabinet nearby with separate work and personal drawers, and try to address the items in your inboxes and file them in a timely fashion so they're not taking up space and cluttering your desk. That said, if possible, keep a few nice things on your desk to look at: a picture of your children, a fish tank, or a plant. It's great to have something interesting to look at when you take mini- breaks; looking at something that makes you happy can brighten your spirits when you're working on a tough document or when you need a little extra motivation.
Your chair (if it's a good one, and it should be) is probably the most easily adjustable component of your workstation, and it's the most important. If you don't have a good chair, invest in one. They're not that expensive and are well worth the investment. Your chair should have adjustable components (height, arm rests, tilt, and back support) and a comfortable cushion. You're sitting all day, so make sure your chair is comfortable!
The seat height should be adjusted so your thighs are parallel to the floor, your feet are flat on the floor, and your arms are at desk height. The arm rests should be at a height where your shoulders are relaxed and your arms are at a 90° angle. The chair should have some lumbar support (below the waist); if it doesn't, you can buy a lumbar support pillow. The back rest should be at 100°– 130°. Make sure your chair is on wheels and swivels, so if you have to reach for something behind you, a simple swivel will do the trick, instead of bending and twisting (although you shouldn't have to do this too much if your desk is set up well). A chair with a high back may also be a good idea, as this gives some shoulder support.
As for posture, don't slouch! Make an effort to be mindful of your posture. Keep your elbows close to your body and wrists straight. Make sure your shoulders and back are relaxed. Move your feet around often, and shift slightly in your chair if your muscles are feeling strained.
Even the best chair and posture still involve sitting, which is why it's so important to take breaks. If your muscles are feeling tired, get up and move around. Do a few stretches, run in place, do ten push-ups, or run up and down the stairs a few times.
Make sure your mouse and keyboard are close together and that the "B" on your keyboard is directly in front of you. Your elbows should be at a 90° angle when your hands are on the keyboard and mouse. Your neck should be perpendicular to the floor. Your feet should be flat on the floor or resting on a footrest. Your mouse should be on an arc from your keyboard, so that switching from typing to using the mouse is a natural motion.
Don't use a wrist rest for your mouse, as this puts strain on the wrist. You should be holding your mouse in a relaxed way and not gripping it tightly, as this stresses the muscles in the hand, and you may get muscle cramps or a sore wrist. Also, don't rest your wrists when typing or using keyboard supports, as these actions create unnatural wrist angles. Hold your wrists at a neutral angle. You may even want to invest in an ergonomic keyboard. Although they take a little getting used to, they can reduce strain on the wrists.
Lighting and the placement of your monitor are also important considerations for your workstation setup. Having the monitor incorrectly placed can lead to neck strain, and incorrect lighting puts unnecessary strain on the eyes, leading to decreased productivity and headaches or muscle fatigue. Here are some general tips to follow when setting up your work station and establishing the lighting in which you'll be working.
Make sure your monitor is an arm's length away from where you're sitting and at a height where your eye level is two inches down from the top of the monitor. Keep your neck straight, and place the monitor at a right angle to any light sources to reduce glare on the screen.
Glare is caused by differences in light levels in the visual field. If the sun is shining through a window behind you, you're going to get a glare, which makes it difficult to read what's on the screen and causes unnecessary eyestrain.
Lighting should be medium bright and not shining directly on the screen (overhead works well). It's good to use a mixture of incandescent and fluorescent lighting with some lamps. It's also great, if possible, to use diffuse natural light (which can be achieved using light-colored blinds), but at night, desk lamps are a good idea, unless it's a full moon!
Make sure you're taking mini-breaks to protect your eyes. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, look at something 20 feet away. If you have trouble with this in the beginning, try setting a timer. Changing your focus like this can help prevent headaches, blurred vision, and eyestrain.
Speaking of eyes, make sure you get regular eye exams; if your prescription is out of date, you'll be getting headaches, whether you take mini-breaks or not. If you have bifocals, adjusting your screen is a little trickier. If you find you're tilting your head back to view items on the screen, lower the screen, as this tilting can cause neck strain. You may want to consider getting a pair of single focus lenses for up-close screen work, and save your bifocals for your non-screen-related activities.
Many laptop screens contain a sensor that automatically dims the screen when surrounding lighting decreases. This helps avoid the strain put on a user's eyes by a brightly lit screen in a dim environment. Desktop screens, however, do not typically have this function. If you use a computer in low light and find your screen too bright, you must manually decrease the screen's brightness. There are programs available that automatically dim your monitor according to the type of lighting you use. One of these programs is f.lux, but there are others. You can download f.lux for free at justgetflux.com, or you can search for another program that automatically changes your screen's brightness.
Last Updated: 10/01/2022