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Apr 26, 2018

From Strains & Pains to a Laptop Lifesaver


I am currently on an assignment out of state for my company and working at a Co-Working Space (Workbar) in Boston. These places are great, you can pick from a variety of areas and set-up your "work station" for the day. The majority of people are using their laptops and possibly an extra monitor.

I think that I am finally getting the hang of my new temporary "office" but definitely had a week or two of major discomfort. Within an hour or two of working, the back of my neck started aching. By hour 4, the left side of my neck joined in on the pain party. It took me a week to realize that it was because I was looking DOWN at my laptop screen and a far left to my dual monitor Now that I knew the source of the pain, I was able to research a solution. I got a Laptop Stand and separate Keyboard (from ARCErgo) which have both positively affected my work day!

Here's the Breakdown and Why:

  • The Laptop Stand props my whole laptop up bringing the screen to eye level (ERGO TIP: Your eye level should be 2" below the top of your monitors to keep your neck neutral).

  • Next, the Keyboard a) saved me from looking like a goofball trying to type on the laptop while on the stand, and b) allowed me to center both my laptop and dual monitor equally in front of me, so I wasn't jarring my neck to the left to look at the extra monitor.

EXTRA Bonuses:

  • The Keyboard and Laptop Stand that I picked were both SUPER Compact and Lightweight, which was helpful for packing all of my work items into my backpack each day. (The Laptop Stand folds flat and is about the thickness of a pencil eraser!) #ergo2go

TIPS:

  • I picked a keyboard that plugs in via USB due to how compact and lightweight it was, but the company also has Wireless Keyboards too if thats more your thing.

  • If your extra monitor is too low, I suggest adding some books or notebooks you may have on you to get it to the right height.

The Laptop Stand has a front cover which makes it a document holder too!

Working remotely, at a Starbucks, from your living room at night while watching Netflix are becoming more and more popular. Definitely look into products to make sure you don't hurt your body while doing it. Work is hard enough, who needs to add pain if you don't have to?

** Shout-out to my girl Kara @ Workbar who took the pic so I could show you guys my station in action!

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