Buying the Right Furniture
By: Azlan
Selecting the correct computer desk for use in your home office is a more important decision than a lot of people who work from home understand. This is especially true for those of us who operate online businesses from home. Why? Because we tend to spend more hours at our deskss than those who are self-employed in offline ventures. Any business personwho relies heavily on computers must select a desk (and desk chair) cautiously.
Ergonomics is one component of the equation. What is ergonomics? The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language describes it as: “the applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.” The objective is to select office furniture that lets your torso be in the appropriate postures as you do your work. This reduces negative physical effects, such as sitting without the proper back and leg reinforcement, typing in an awkward position because your desk is not at the correct distance or height, and other circumstances.
Beyond simply being bothersome, an uncomfortable desk and desk chair combination might just be inducing you to get a lesser amount of work finished. After all, who wishes to work in such a setting? Even when you know the work needs doing, a lot of people find suitable alibis to do other things when their bodies are being stressed by ill-designed furniture. The end result of all of this is, of course, minimal efficiency.
The other major factor involving your choice of a computer desk and your work efficiency is organization. Now, I’m not exactly the world’s most organized person in my home office, but one thing I’ve discovered is that an unsound desk selection makes it a lot tougher to keep organized.
There’s more to this conclusion than you may imagine. Possibly the greatest concern is surface area. Smaller desktops are generally a ‘no-no,’ since they either entice you to stack up vital documents in an unorganized fashion, or to put them somewhere out of the way (and thus, simply forgotten). Unless you are severely limited in terms of office space, investing in a desk with a big desktop will compensate for itself several times over in the following years.
There’s one more excellent reason to go with a bigger desk: your computer. Small office desks just don’t give ample room for the monitor, keyboard, mouse pad, etc. Add a printer, a fax machine, and a phone, and you’ll find that there isn’t room for anything else. That just isn’t practical. Skip the small desks that look nice and match your other furniture. Go with a bigger one, even if it isn’t as pleasing to the eyes. Your home office, although it is within your home and you would like it to look good, is ultimately about you making money.
If you look hard enough, you can find a computer desk that fits both criteria: ergonomically designed and large enough to help you organize the important stuff. At the end of the day, you require your furniture to be an assistant in your home office, not the adversary.
About the Author
Warren Murphy is a researcher and writer working for www.arrowofficesupplies.com, where you can get office furniture at great prices. Visit us for all your office supply needs.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment