One of the appealing aspects of working from home is that you’re free to configure your work environment however you want, especially if you have a dedicated office room in your house. Readers, what are some of your favorite strategies/configurations/products for staying happy and comfortable in your office? I recently gave my office a thorough cleaning and used the occasion to evaluate the ergonomics of my setup. Here are what I think of as some critical elements of feeling good and being productive at home:
- Good light is absolutely essential. I love this about my office: my desk is centered between two north-facing windows and two west-facing windows, so I have lots of natural light without a lot of glare. I use an overhead light but I find that a desk lamp creates too much direct light for my taste.
- I’m addicted to two large monitors. This used to require a second video card in your computer, but most late-model computers will now support two monitors without a lot of reconfiguring. With two 21-inch (or larger) monitors, you can have a pretty good view of four documents at once: for example I often translate with the French and English documents side-by-side on one monitor and an online dictionary and the project glossary side-by-side on the other. The only downside is that I’ve lost the ability to translate using only one monitor!
- For your hands’ sake, invest in a keyboard that you really like. It seems like a small thing, but if your hands are going to be striking this thing 40 hours a week, you want the experience to be pleasant. I cannot speak highly enough of Unicomp keyboards; they are the descendant of the legendary IBM “buckling spring” keyboard which gives you a very audible “click” when you strike the keys. I have the SpaceSaver 104 model ($79) and I love it so much that I clean it with rubbing alcohol on Monday mornings to keep it grime-free (seriously; just don’t tell too many people!).
- What you sit on has a lot to do with your in-office comfort too. I’m not a huge fan of the traditional office chair because I often end up sitting sideways with my legs crossed which is obviously not great from the circulation or posture point of view. I’ve thought about trying a kneeling chair, but my favorite office chair is actually a $20 fitness ball that I’ve had for years. I like fitness balls because it’s physically impossible to sit on one with your legs crossed, and they encourage you to sit in a neutral (non-hunched) position.
- I’m not a neat freak, but I do think that a relatively clutter-free office is key to productivity. I find that if there are piles of stuff around me, I think about cleaning them up rather than what I should be working on. I also like to keep some of my favorite family pictures and pictures of my favorite vacation places where I can see them from my desk.
- Sound is a big contributor to workplace comfort as well. I listen to music only if I’m doing something totally mindless like entering receipts into my accounting program. Once in a while if I’m working very late at night, I’ll listed to disco music on my iPod just to stay awake. At the same time, I don’t like a totally quiet environment when I’m working during the day. I’ll admit this is a weird behavior, but my preferred sound environment is to leave the radio in the kitchen on NPR (news/talk radio) so that I can hear the sound of voices but I can’t make out what they’re saying. For some reason this is just enough background noise for me to focus and not enough noise that it’s distracting.
Any other tips for feeling good in the home office?
Disco music to translate? No comment ;-(
Thanks for bringing this up. Ergonomics has been a big problem since my move several months ago, and lack of time and handiwork skills have kept me from addressing this as I should, to the economic delight of the skilled Thai masseuse who performs routine left shoulder repairs for me.
There are so many relevant factors to consider, going even beyond the major points you cite here, so I am very tempted to bring in a consulting occupational therapist to redesign my working space. My ex-partner is one such, and I was always fascinated by her tales of how home adaptation for seniors or workplace modification for disabled persons was part of their education. So in theory at least, someone with these qualifications might be able to help us efficiently and cost-effectively before we become disabled seniors, or worse yet disabled middle-aged and younger persons!
Kevin, don’t knock disco until you’ve tried it! You won’t believe the translation speeds you can hit when you have Abba on your iPod 🙂 But I do agree that ergonomics are a lot more important than most people think. When you calculate the number of hours that you spend sitting in your “working position,” it definitely makes sense to bring in a consultant to help you design the space. I also heard a physical therapist friend say (anecdotally) that a lot of people incur serious strain injuries (i.e. pulled muscles) after sitting immobile for a number of hours and then performing some seemingly mundane motion like twisting to throw something in the trash can. I agree about the preventive maintenance strategies: my neighborhood yoga studio owner is probably going to retire early off all of the money I spend there, but I feel like it’s a must if one is at the computer for most of the day!
One never knows what little motion will spell doom. I once discovered a former Golden Gloves boxer and fitness freak frozen in pain on his garage floor after trying to pick up a 2 pound weight while cleaning up. My neighbor thinks I’m nuts to want to bring in someone to deal with lighting, table height, etc. in the work space, because “anyone” can hang curtains or sit on a thicker pillow to be better positioned with respect to a keyboard. But really, when I consider how often I am slowed down by the afternoon sun streaming through the window or a sore neck or hands, I think the ROI for expert help is likely to be rather fast here. Even without a disco beat. Give me Enya or a good Jacobin fighting song any day.
“Any other tips for feeling good in the home office?”
Personally, I feel that the most important equipment in my office is my comfortable sofa, my big screen TV and my stereo system.
When I am sick and tired of the robotic structure of Japanese sentences that are full of rotational speed detectors, tilting levers, potentiometers and limiting switches (that’s what I am translating today), which happens several times a day, I assume a comfortable position on the sofa and watch French or German news, or a movie on one of my movie channels, or an instant movie from Netflix or the like.
The sound effects on my stereo system accentuate my movie experience beautifully. Once I have recuperated from the damage inflicted to my psyche by long and tedious sentences written in incredibly bland patentese, I am ready for another cup of coffee and more work to finish my daily quota of words that must be translated in order to pay the bills.
Am I the only one who feels this way?
Thanks Steve! Personally, I have a hard time feeling like I’m relaxing when I’m in front of a screen (but maybe that’s just me). And my husband used to work as a closed captioner for Turner Networks (imagine watching Gilligan’s Island the Beverly Hillbillies 8 hours a day…) so needless to say we don’t watch much TV around our house! But I do agree that sometimes I just get sick of being in my office, and then I take my netbook on the living room rug!
The exercise ball is a nice idea, though I don’t know whether that’ll work for me.
I have no problem with listening to all kinds of music while working, but up-tempo music like house or disco usually began to grate after two hours, and I have to switch to mid or down-tempo music.
Regarding keyboard, I now swear by my Logitech K350, a wireless keyboard using Logitech’s “Wave” design. It feels much more comfortable to type on than conventional keyboards.
BTW, can anybody review a session on ergonomics from ATA’s 2009 conference? Is it good? If it is, I’m going to order the proceedings. Below is the excerpt of that session.
The Importance of Ergonomics for Translators: How to Avoid Repetitive Strain Injuries
Lisa Sattler
(Friday, 2:30pm-3:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)
The injuries people sustain from sitting long hours at a computer are usually called repetitive strain injuries. A person may receive one of many diagnoses, including tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. This presentation will discuss the signs and symptoms of more common injuries to help you recognize them before they become severe. It will include information about what you can do to heal or prevent injuries, including detailed ergonomic recommendations, posture training, and stretches.
Thanks very much for your comment. Unfortunately I didn’t attend the RSI session at the ATA conference but maybe another reader did?
“KEYBOARD” for me this is the most important thing.. rightly mention if you are working 40 hour a week and using this.. It has to be very good quality or at least the one which you feel comfortable. I have TVS keyboard which is very good indeed
I agree! My husband (an IT guy) had to really talk me into paying $75 for my new keyboard and now I can’t believe I survived for 9 years with a cheapo one. I *love* the Unicomp buckling spring! Plus, one sounds very important when typing on it 🙂
I’d add some additional stuff:
– Some support for your wrists – you eventually get tired of typing. If you can place your wrists on something, that really helps.
– Invest in a good chair. The “traditional” office chair might not do the job. Find a chair that allows you to sit comfortably for hours. Your problem is that you probably do not have the proper chair.
– Some exercise tool. You’re sitting for many hours – do some exercise at the same time. My wife bought me two things – some wooden balls to move with the soles of your feet – great for the circulation. The other things is a small pedaling device – I can pedal while working. Great against obesity!
Fish tank, sleepy dog by my side, soft lighting, “executive” chair, view of the mountains and the monastery in front, Internet radio to change music or words depending on the mood, and they can throw all the flanges and hinges and steam powered chizmos they want at me. And moving around every hour or so is essential if you have a big job on.
Dear Corinne, it’s amazing, like you I’ve been using two monitors for the last couple of years and I think is a wonderful help for translators. At first, my friends think is rather weird, but they all end up getting their second monitor for themselves!
For me, light is very important as well as being able to look out of the window onto my garden. I also have two big screens and would find it very hard to go back to one.
I have a ball under my desk and enjoy the rolling movement, but I need to move every hour or so: just walk around the house, make a cup of tea, do a “physical” chore in the house, phone a friend…
Finding the right music/sound can be difficult because it depends in what mood you are or what text you’re translating. Too much silence can be heavy and music can be too distracting. I may try what you do Corinne, leaving radio on in another room.
Perhaps the most important factor for me is temperature. I hate being cold when I work so my room has to be right.
If you have two monitors you probably have a big desk. I couldn’t work at a small desk. I really like my huge curved desk because it gives me lots of space to spread out all my stuff. Plenty of room underneath for my footrest, and to do leg stretches. I also like my mouse pad with a wrist support.
I’m still looking for the ideal chair though. A translator friend of mine swears by the kneeling chair, but it didn’t really work for me ‘cos I like to sit back and chew my pencil once in a while without having to get up. Plus the cat wouldn’t approve.
Right now I’ve got birdsong for background music, but on long winter days I put on a little easy listening, like fusion music by Prem Joshua.
Got this in my inbox a little while ago and as I was reading your intro, I was thinking, “light, light, light”! And there you had it as your very first point.
So yes, absolutely. Light has got to be one of my most important considerations in home office ‘job satisfaction’. As we’re heading into winter here in the South, I’m really starting to feel the pain of less light and frozen fingers. I try and make up for it with spicey hot chocolate…
Next on my list would be Clutterless Living. Funnily enough, I tend to let things pile up a little, but then have to wave my magic wand in order to feel sane again. There’s nothing like a clean work area to get that Anything’s Possible feeling.
Great post, thanks!
It took me some while to get things worked out in my office, but I’m very happy with the setup now. The window faces north. My computer desk is beside the window, facing west, so when I look to my right, I see out into the garden (big yard shared by I guess about 100 apartments).
My two 22″ Eizo screens (absolutely back the 2 screens setup; bu these ones have a matt surface, unlike Apple’s own; they’re also cheaper) don’t get any glare, though sometimes on very bright days I have to shade part of the window.
My work table is behind me, where it gets the best natural light, for working on paper. It’s set up for standing or sitting on a highish stool. At the other end is the table for my printers and scanner, so I have to stand up to use them.
The whole layout depends on having worked out the dimensions carefully and gotten non-standard desktops cut to size. My computer desk, for example, is quite small: 1,25m by 850 cm deep. That means there just isn’t much space for clutter to build up 😉
I’m not a very tidy person by nature, but cleaning up makes one feel businesslike, and that’s a good mode to be in when, for example, speaking to clients on the phone.
I find that I have to give myself regular breaks otherwise my concentration goes the way of the pear, so I have to online stopwatches running side by side, on for work, the other for breaks, kind of like a chess clockworks. It stops me wasting too much time, and spurs me on to get more done before I take a break. Perhaps this tip will help readers of a similar easily distracted mindset (think puppies chasing butterflies!)
Great idea with the chess clock, I thought about it and just ordered a real one 😉 Thanks!
No problem! I like that idea too; let me know how it works!
Not really office setup, but since others have already mentioned the other most important things (monitors, chairs and keyboard).
For anybody who needs them (and even if one is too young now, everybody eventually will): good prescription glasses are essential.
For work I use glasses with a different focal length than what I use for reading – so all in all I have reading glasses for close work and reading, computer glasses for working at the computer, and my regular prescription for driving and other activities.
As regards the computer glasses, get the absolute best you can afford: coated inside and outside to avoid glare and UV, and the most transparent and thinnest material. The frame should be as light and comfortable as possible, but it is of course less important than the lenses.
I have so far avoided getting multivision glasses: there is undoubtedly a great convenience in having just one pair instead of two or three, but I am afraid they would restrict my field of vision, as only part of each lens is suitable for a certain focal length.
Also: for each pair of glasses, get a second pair with the same prescription, just in case you lose or damage your regular pair.
Thanks Riccardo, that is such a great comment! You are so right about the glasses thing; I never wore glasses in my life and had to take the plunge into computer glasses about a year ago. What a difference; it’s so great not to be squinting at the screen all day. And I agree, even if I needed multifocals I think I would probably get multiple pairs of glasses because the limited field of vision seems like it could be very annoying. Thanks for the comment.
I used to keep NPR on in the kitchen as well – too funny! I lived alone at the time and the noise helped bring a little life into my apartment. Be carefuly trying this with music. I find that if I can make out the song and I know it I’ll start singing along in my head and then can’t concentrate.
Oh my gosh, Matt Baird is alive! Fantastic! That is really funny that you used to leave NPR on in the kitchen too. I agree about music that has words; something about it really disrupts my concentration. In a truly scientific experiment, I tried listening to both English and French music and had the same issue with both! Good to hear from you.
A couple of things that no one seems to have mentioned:
1) Dragon! It’s often vaunted as a time saver, but for me the real benefit of DNS is ergonomic. The less I’m typing, the less chance I have of developing RSI some time down the line.
2) Trackball mouse: A couple of years ago I developed tendonitis in my mouse shoulder, and my physiotherapist recommended changing to a trackball mouse (as well as swapping mouse hand regularly). There are various models available. I use this one: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/trackballs/devices/4680 and can’t recommend it highly enough. My shoulder pain cleared up within a couple of weeks and has never come back.
Other people did mention in passing the benefits of getting up and moving round every hour or so. My way of doing this is a game of tennis (or sword fighting) on Wii. It gets me moving and has the added advantage of taking my mind off my translation for a few minutes, thus giving my brain a rest as well as burning off a few calories.