Waking up relatively early to go to work in the office in front of a monitor for an extended period of time is not a new concept to us. Unfortunately, it gets easier and easier to develop a bad posture the longer you sit at your desk, whether it is the workstation at home or the one in the office.
There are a couple of reasons why you should work on your posture.
Why you should focus on fixing your posture at work.
A bad posture can lead to:
- Aches and pains in the body.
- Fatigue.
- Decreased productivity in the workplace.
- Increased stress and irritability
Fortunately, there are some steps you can adopt in your daily life to help fix your posture.
How to fix your posture at work.
Step 1: Improve your awareness.
The first step is awareness. You have got to be aware of your bad posture before you are able to correct it.
Step 2: Take frequent breaks.
The second step is taking frequent breaks. As mentioned before, the longer you stare at the monitor, the more likely you are going to transition into a bad posture. Taking a break from the monitor from time to time would ensure that you maintain good posture.
Step 3: Stretch
Poor posture may be a sign of tense muscles, so stretching will ensure that you maintain good posture.
Step 4: Maintain a healthy distance from the monitor.
Moving your head towards your monitor, otherwise known as “craning”, to see what is on the display can cause neck pain. How to Geek recommends 20 to 30 inches, 50 to 76 centimetres, from the monitor.
Step 5: Increase the text size and brightness.
The text size and brightness can be a contributing factor to poor posture as we attempt to read small texts, or our display isn’t adequately lit. Health Literacy Online recommends a text size of at least 16 pixels.
Closing thoughts
Avoiding poor posture can help you be more productive in the workplace, whether you are in the office all day, have a hybrid work setup, or you work from a home office. The alternative would be that you continue to combat fatigue with coffee which would only give you short term results.