Creating a desk set up to boost wellbeing

Creating a desk set up to boost wellbeing

Some decisions you make when commissioning a bespoke workspace are similar to those made when buying a family home. There is the headline consideration of budget and running costs, the wish list of functional and aesthetic wants, as well as red lines, and then a reality check on where compromises can, or must, be agreed to! Eventually you come to furniture and the realisation that those finishing touches could define the success of the entire project.

In this post we focus solely on the importance of the desk and its’ ergonomic credentials in relation to its’ surroundings and your physical needs. We can break the subject down into utility, posture and wellbeing, and design. 

Utility

Your early ideas for a workspace in the garden will have included time imagining what you want to see and what you want to hear (and not hear!) once the door is closed, but the motivation will have been driven by how that space would enrich your work, your projects or your interests.

The desk is where you will spend most of your time and here is an opportunity to set it up, from the outset, to meet your every need. You get to decide if the functionality and layout should be defined by the need to see multiple monitors, space to layout physical documents, files or books or, as in my case, the ability to face the monitors for calls but seamlessly turn away when it’s time to use pencil and paper – yes folks, at Mybridity we use paper, pencils and, sometimes, rulers!

To help you prioritise your wants and needs from a desk space, here are some prompts to consider as you search through the options.

Surface area – how much room do you need for the tasks you do most? This could be about shape as much as measurements and, of course, should be relative to the space available although may influence thoughts about the proximity and capacity of shelving. Further consideration might also be given to how many people will need space at the desk or if the desk will need to accommodate guests.

Keyboard and mouse – ideally the mouse will be close to the keyboard and within natural reach for your hands. That’s obvious (!), but what else do you need within that same reach? Paper, a book stand, headphones, stationery, mobile phone, chargers or docks should all be considered. Does that change the set up such that an extra shelf might be needed or a mouse/keyboard drawer added beneath the desktop?

Functional space – in addition to the surface area of the desk there is also the question of access to other functional space. Examples include access to power sockets (distance and height), cable management and personal preferences such as a footrest beneath the desk. While these are not likely to be daily considerations I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing I would never again find myself on my knees untangling cables or searching for a free power outlet. Thought at the outset of a project can make a big different to the usability of the space.

Posture and wellbeing

The repetitive and sedentary nature of many desk based jobs can trigger wellbeing issues and the rise of remote working, and the spaces we use, has seen the topic become a mainstream discussion. The good news is that you have the opportunity to ensure the design of the workspace, the layout, furniture and usability create a seamless working environment to host the specific way you want to work.

Commonplace advice suggests you sit with your hips and knees at an angle of ninety degrees or more with the body square to the desk edge. This is particularly relevant if you have more than one monitor which introduces the risk of expedient twisting to combine documents, browsing and video calls across different screens. 

The screens themselves also have a big impact on posture. In any setting the main monitor should be of sufficiently high quality and size for the dominant tasks but also to resist eye and neck strain. Monitors, or screens, should be approximately an arm’s length away with the top of the screen around eye level, to avoid the need to sit and work at an unnatural angle. Decisions need to be made about where and how screens are housed to achieve the desired outcome without consuming desk space.

Many people advocate the use of a standing desk to encourage changes of physical position and setting. This could be a feature of the main desk, a free standing ‘tall’ desk, or a separate workspace designed into the structure of the wall space.

Design aesthetics

Although our early project ideas probably include sofas, upholstered window seats, elaborate borders and a serenity garden, the desk is where you will spend most of your time. As we’ve discussed, the shape, height and layout of the desk will have the biggest ergonomic impact, but the aesthetics should not be ignored. The desk needs to be somewhere you want to be.

Most store bought options tend to be rectangle, constructed using varying grades of wood and wood derivatives, and pretty consistent sizes which work for the majority of people. A little research opens up choices of material, size and shape and, subject to budget, there is also the option to commission your own design. This will cost more money but the opportunity to optimise the available space and support body posture and general wellbeing should be considered an investment.

The wellbeing impact of lighting choices is easy to overlook. Today, most products meet sustainability expectations and there are options for shades of light and dimmable switches. Of greater interest is the relationship between the desk space and natural light and the addition of task based lighting – not just ring lights for video calls (!) but spotlights for desk work, specific reading lights or pendant lighting which will tick the boxes of utility, aesthetics and convenience. Consider where and how any lighting options are installed so they maximise comfort while minimising shadows, glare and reflections.

Margin notes

We are not qualified ‘ergonomists’ but the prompts we’ve brought together are common sense with the key observation that you’ve earned the right to create the space that works best for you as a person and not just as a ‘worker’. 

For a free, initial discussion about your individual workspace, contact Wayne at wayne@mybridity.com.