A lot of us who work on the internet as freelancers or full time professionals will understand the need for a good set of table and chair because we need to keep seating down for extended periods, whilst getting work done. But for most people, it isn't a primary thought as any run off the mill desk and chair also gets the job done. While it is true for a majority of the part time freelancers out there, the more seasoned professionals who spend most of their time on the internet would like to argue otherwise.
In general, quality components that are specially made for certain tasks not only boost productivity but gets things done in a smaller amount of time as well. And that is true of work furniture too. A decent set of table and chair will not only make your long work hours substantially less stressful but due to their special construction, look good as well.
Well not a lot exactly and the issues that I'm about to mention won't affect a majority of the people who only sit in the desk for a few hours. As a matter of fact using any furniture that gets the job done is more than okay as it can save you a lot of money because most furniture upgrades tend to be expensive. However the upstarts that are thinking of becoming full time online professionals, these don't apply to you and in the long run, the benefits will substantially outweigh the costs. With that said, here are a few downsides of using unconventional furniture for your office:
Believe it or not, once you get in this line of business the first thing that will strike you is lower back pain. It is one of the leading medical disorders in the U.S right after diabetes. Lower back pain is not only annoying but it can severely cripple your production hours because it would mean taking breaks a frequent affair. Lower back pain is generally caused if you tend to sit down for very long hours on non-ergonomic chairs without proper back support.
The reason being that your entire weight is concentrated on a single point and since the weight isn't distributed evenly, the direct force from your upper body will stress out your lower back and in turn it will eventually lead to back aches, spinal injury, neck strain and so on.
Freelancing generally requires you to type huge amounts of content for longer periods. This can be incredibly stressful if you don't have a chair and desk that allows you to position your hands in a comfortable position. Adding to that, most conventional furniture have fixed elbow rests that cannot be adjusted to your needs. This can cause severe wrist and elbow fatigue over extended time as a comfortable elbow and wrist position is critical for longer hours of typing on the keyboard.
We all know that feeling sometimes when our necks simply want us to lay them down on a pillow and relax. Well this is exactly what will happen you haven't got proper neck support with your chair. Neck fatigue is not only stressful but in the long run can lead to severe issues like spondylitis.
This maybe a bit controversial, but in the grand scheme of things, your attention to work is as good as the environment that you are in. And unlike the other issues mentioned here, this is apparent right from the day that you set shop. Yes the amount of that it has varies vastly from person to person and some maybe more resilient than others but in general, a decent looking work place will encourage you to push harder and yield more work over time.
Tips and tricks to getting started on the perfect work place setup
It can take some imagination and some curating to start working on an ideal setup for your work place. Even then there is a chance that you might accidentally buy the wrong type of furniture and be bitterly dissatisfied with your product, especially if you are a beginner.
The key here is to start out small and then gradually progress as you gather funds rather than blowing the entire lot on something that looks good on paper but has less than optimal use for you in your day to day tasks. So here a few pointers on how you should proceed if you are a newbie.
I'm going to start with this because there is very big chance that you might accidentally get it wrong in your first attempt. See if the dealer or the online retailer accepts returns for the product, should you find it less than optimal for your needs. Usually top of the line retailers like Urban Ladder allow you to return your product if you find it unsuitable for your needs.
2. Functionality over Form
For your first attempt, you should look at options that lets you get organised and familiar with your work place. At all costs avoid something that looks good in the brochure, only to find out later that it isn't suited for your daily needs. Although more experienced users can take a shot at it.
The majority of the people today are aiming at office setups that are very minimalistic and simple looking but offer a high degree of convenience. Gone are the days when heaps and lumps of wood were used to make furniture that weighed a thousand tonnes and were used as a status symbol for the royal and noble.
Today, simple and restrained setups are used in almost every home and studies show that it makes you much more productive. Also these restrained setups are more efficient for their roles, uses much less resources to manufacture and are usually cheaper to buy than those made with abysmal amounts of exotic wood and ivory.
4. Customisation with accessories
No-matter what furniture you use, the setup is almost always incomplete without a few additional decorative accessories. Choosing something that matches your overall décor is the key to nailing this point. Say you have a simple and elegant setup for your office. Introducing something like a clothes rack in that space will immediately make it look vulgar and disorganised and mistakes like this are precisely what you should avoid.
A minimalist setup should contain minimalist accessories like contemporary art on the walls, restrained lighting in the entire room, desk accessories that supplement the setup on the desk, perhaps a simple book rack and so on. There are lots of inspiration that you can draw on platforms like Pinterest and Google image search. You just need to be graceful in your overall approach.
Setting up the perfect room can be a very time consuming and expensive process. Most people that start out usually lack the capital to turn their rooms around initially and it is noting to be ashamed about as we all have to start somewhere. Starting with just the bare basics like investing in a good chair and desk is a huge step up from what you started with initially.
Just the act of getting comfortable with your work place initially should be considered as a great achievement because it makes the road down a much smoother surface to tread on. Like everything, Rome wasn't built on a day and went through an awful lot before it became the beautiful historic landmark that we know of now. So start small and don't let anything discourage you from your goals.
After all, a decent setup speaks volumes for how far you've come in life.
