A five-minute desk set-up for better posture

How your workspace is set up shapes how you sit all day. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) offers practical guidance you can apply in a few minutes.

Try this today: run through this checklist at your desk:

• Feet: flat on the floor or on a footrest. A sturdy box works in a pinch.
• Seat depth: leave a gap about three fingers wide between the backs of your knees and the front of the seat.
• Lower back: sit back so the chair's lumbar support fits into the curve of your lower back.
• Elbows: close to your body and bent at about 90 degrees, with your shoulders low and relaxed.
• Screen: directly in front of you, roughly an arm's length away, with the top of the screen no higher than eye level so you look slightly down.

If you work on a laptop, raising the screen to that height usually means adding a separate keyboard and mouse, so you aren't reaching up to type.

Even the best set-up can't help if you stay frozen in one position. CCOHS recommends changing your position frequently, so pair this with regular movement breaks.

Safety note: If you have ongoing pain, tingling or numbness while you work, talk to a health care provider.

Sources

• CCOHS: Working in a Sitting Position - Good Body Position (opens in a new tab)
• CCOHS: Office Ergonomics - Positioning the Monitor (opens in a new tab)