Many moms who work at home to raise a family while providing a second income for the household find that the internet provides myriad opportunities to earn from the comfort of a home, says carefulcents.com. Such jobs allow mothers to tend to the needs of their children and a household while retaining the ability to earn a living. Unfortunately, The Muse points out sitting at a keyboard for any length of time can lead to all kinds of body aches and other issues, thanks to poor posture and a computer setup that simply isn’t ergonomically sound.
However, there are ways that you can design your home office so as to limit the potential for sore shoulders, an aching back, swollen ankles, and even disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome. Here are some ergonomic tips that will make your home office as comfortable and healthy as possible.
Here are some ergonomic tips that will make your home office as comfortable and healthy as possible.
Keyboard.
The place to start if you spend a lot of time tapping the keys is with an ergonomic keyboard.
It may take some getting used to since the keys are neither in a straight line nor situated on a flat panel, but you’ll find soon enough that these keyboards are designed to fit the natural curve of your hands and arms.
The long and short of it is that they are specifically engineered to conform to your body, rather than making your limbs contort to fit them.
Chair.
You will no doubt be surprised by the benefits you’ll gain from using an ergonomic chair in your home office.
It may look just like any other office chair, say the experts at ergonimictrends.com, but it will support your body in ways that the standard furnishings cannot.
For example, it offers several points of adjustment that will help you find the perfect fit for your body to be comfortable and supported while working.
It also helps correct your posture and set you in the optimum seated position so that you can avoid leaning forward or otherwise stressing your body in unnatural ways while you work.
While you might normally catch yourself rubbing sore shoulders or stretching an aching back after a long session at the computer, an ergonomic chair, when used correctly, will leave you feeling pleasantly relaxed.
Work station.
There are actually desks designed to work with other ergonomic equipment in order to provide you with the best possible chance of attaining perfect posture while seated.
They offer plenty of options for adjustments (to height, for example) as well as trays and shelving meant to help you set up your equipment properly.
The environment in your home.
You’ll need to pick a good location within your home so you can focus on your work.
Or create a separate place for creative thinking when you aren’t alone with the children.
An isolated space such as a loft conversion can be an ideal home office because it’s excluded from the house right on the top level, so not will it generally be quieter. Still, it’s also more difficult for people to come and disturb you; check out some home office loft ideas here from Visionary Lofts!
You could actually make extra money from it by renting it out as bed and breakfast, especially if you live in a major international city like Chicago or London, where rents are high.
Ergonomic office equipment can only do so much for your body, and then you need to take care of yourself.
This entails getting up and moving around frequently.
So leave some open space in your office if at all possible so that you can stand up and stretch at regular intervals.