The working from home thread: tips and advice

I looked at We Work and the lowest cost option was £450 for a months hot desking.

Oof ok.

It'd be ok if I wanted more than 30 minutes of peace, quiet and wifi.

Toynbee Hall has rooms for hire but they're all a bit big I think

PM'd you. May have a solution if WC2A is close enough.

Top tip, no wanking on the Zoom call unless you have definitely turned the camera off

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/oct/19/jeffrey-toobin-zoom-call-new-yorker-suspended

That's going to affect my bonus.

Completion bonus?

You could just take 3 inches off the bottom of each leg. Saves all that effort...

is this furniture advice or a way to keep your masturbating out of shot on a zoom call?

Hitting my target / Customer Satisfaction

That was plan #1 but I thought:

1. I'm unlikely to cut each leg equally and flat
   
2. It would drop my monitor by 3"
   
3. I'd have to remove the fittings for the drawers
   
   

I've since been convinced that a set of IKEA legs and worktop would be best. Most likely outcome? I do none of the above

Isn't that monitor on a stand?
To me it looks a bit high for optimal monitor ergonomics anyway. Your eyes should be roughly in line with the top of the screen I believe, with your arms bent approx at 90 degrees at the keyboard.

The standard leg height of IKEA legs are around 70cm. The adjustable ones are 60-90cm.

I reckon I'm going to replace the feet on my ikea table with a Flexispot standing desk.
The desk top I currently have is a Linnmon, which is lightweight, and I think is filled with corrugated cardboard?

Thinking of repurposing it for the time being, is it going to explode?

To me it looks a bit high for optimal monitor ergonomics anyway. Your eyes should be roughly in line with the top of the screen I believe, with your arms bent approx at 90 degrees at the keyboard.

(Relaying advice from a few independent physios)

That advice is pre-desktop PC, and hasn't been updated since the days of the being called VDUs, and users would mostly look at the top of the screen.

If you do this with a modern (i.e. since the 90s) desktop, you're going to be looking down too much, potentially leading to back & neck issues, as most of your reading will be in the lower middle part of your screen, and that's the part you want just slightly below eye level.

IANAP and YMMV

I thought of that but not sure they'll clear the other fittings. Guess for the sake of a couple of quid I might as well try it

Your eyes should be roughly in line with the top of the screen

I added the stand to move away from this, the low screen and high keyboard meant a lot of hunching

Get some from AliExpress.

Also depending on your DIY / bodging appetite you can get the hollow ones in smaller sizes and then drill and epoxy the required bolt. I did that for a Semi-QR for my motorbike side cover as I wanted to be able to use an Allen key if it got stuck.

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That makes a lot of sense actually, looking at a terminal/dos cursor compared to the start menu and more detailed and higher resolution of nowadays...

I was going by my wife’s occupational health team recommendations, they have all the cool office chairs and vertical mice etc.

More incentive for me to get the standing desk then.

Adjustable desk height?

Not a recommendation, it showed up in today's Costco mailing.

I think I’m developing a third eye.

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And should have bought non reflected glass for this artwork

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Seriously thinking about a sit / stand desk now.

The catch is that they're all a bit big. I only want 120cm width and 70cm depth and the smallest most seem to come in are 140cm width and 80cm depth which is fairly huge. I have space for such a thing, it would just look like a monstrosity.

I'd keep the one I have if I could make a topper work... but dual monitors, camera, lights, audio interface... it's a lot for toppers and toppers reduce total desk space.

Is there a good list of the recommended sit / stand desks?

We use Steelcase and they're really good and solid and 4 years down the line, they've been totally trouble free. Disadvantage is they're quite expensive and they're big/heavy.

Steelcase might still remember me from the time I bought 100 chairs at less than cost by accident.

Both of these look great, thanks for the reminder that Steelcase exist
https://www.steelcase.com/eu-en/products/desks/activa/
https://www.steelcase.com/eu-en/products/desks/ology/