How to Work Forever at Coffee Shops—Ergonomics of the Mobile Desk
When I first started working from home during the pandemic, my company gave its employees $1000 dollars to deck out our home offices. I got pretty comfortable using that setup, but now that COVID-related things are dying down, I’m feeling pretty antsy at home.
I’m now a frequenter of coffee shops, co-working spaces, and libraries. I started realizing, however, that I’d end the day with a tense neck and back because coffee shops aren’t like our home offices.
People don’t design them with ergonomics in mind, so doing what’s best for our bodies takes added effort.
If you want to prioritize ergonomics while working remotely, keep reading to learn about my setup!
The Basics
First off, let’s review proper ergonomics, regardless of whether you’re working at the office, home, or out and about.
In this post, I want to focus on:
- Your neck
- Your wrists
- Your lower back
Here’s a nifty diagram:
The diagram doesn’t emphasize having lumbar support, but it’s absolutely crucial. It’s a bit much to bring your own chair. But hey, if you do, more power to ya!
In a bit I’ll share different options I’ve experimented with.
But first…
Get in Tune With Your Body
Before anything else, listen to your goddamn body. Sure, experts say you’re supposed to have the laptop at eye level and arms at a 90-degree angle, but what’s important is that you feel good in your body.
The next time you’re at a coffee shop working, try checking in with yourself after an hour or two of working. What parts of your body feel especially tense or sore? What could you improve about your setup next time? What do you need to work comfortably?
Learn what the experts say, but make it yours.
Getting the Right Portable Ergonomic Gear
First off, you need to elevate your laptop so that you’re able to look at the screen without slouching or craning your neck downwards constantly. When I’m not using something to prop my laptop up, my neck feels sore after an hour or two.
Theoretically, you could elevate your laptop with anything, like a stack of books or maybe a bag of coffee beans (lol). But if you want a more reliable setup, I recommend a portable laptop stand. There are lots of options available on Amazon, but this is the one I have and it’s working just fine and dandy!
When you elevate your laptop, it gets pretty difficult to use the mouse or keyboard, so the second set of things to get is a portable Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
The correct ergonomic posture is to have your arms bent at a 90ish degree angle with your wrist flat (piano-perfect posture, for the pianists out there reading this!). If the typing surface is too high or low, it puts your wrist at a weird angle and strains it.
Position your wrists like so:
Using an ergonomic mouse has been a game-changer for my wrist. I can tell a big difference now if I go long periods of time using the Apple mouse pad instead of my ergonomic mouse. The biggest difference is that when using the Apple mouse pad, I’m constantly pronating my wrist (palm facing down), which strains it and quickly flairs up carpal tunnel symptoms.
Here’s a close-up of my mouse and mouse pad.
One other thing to note is whether you want to elevate your wrists somehow. At home, I have a nice wrist pad so I don’t have to put pressure on my wrists. I haven’t figured out how to accommodate this when I’m out, unfortunately, since they can get kind of bulky.
Some also have a lot of success with split keyboards because it allows you to type at a width that’s natural for your shoulders and wrists. This might be my next investment, as they seem pretty portable. Check this one out.
Use What’s Around You
Nine times out of ten, coffee shops have pillows. You know what pillows are great for?
Impromptu lumbar support!
Maybe I just find myself at a lot of coffee shops with pillows, and you’re looking at these words like I’m crazy.
If pillows aren’t available, a bunched-up jacket can do the trick! I’ve noticed that having any amount of support on my lower back when working in stiff, minimalist coffee chairs is a tremendous help and can extend my work session for hours.
Get Up and Move!
Moving at least once an hour has been great for my desk health. You can go for a walk, move to a different coffee shop, or do standing stretches.
Researchers find moving a few minutes every hour creates a boost of energy, a clearer mind, increased blood flow, and—wouldja look at that!—better posture! Other studies show moving frequently also leads to better cardiovascular health.
So, get movin’! Whether it’s walking in place, doing a few jumping jacks, or walking 250 steps an hour like my Fitbit tells me, avoid sitting for too long.
A Note About Body Awareness and Getting Embarrassed
For a long time, I didn’t care about ergonomics. I thought my body being in pain was just something unavoidable.
This is partly because of my lack of body awareness, which I might write about soon. I recently learned in the book How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera that people who have experienced trauma often disregard their bodies, because being present with their physical sensations often feels scary or unsafe. I’m curious if any of you relate with this. I certainly did!
Having a good ergonomic setup when I’m out and about is, for me, self-love. Even when I get looks or judgmental stares, I know I’m doing what’s best for me, even if others may judge it. Usually, though, no one really pays attention.
Baristas won’t be judging you, because let’s be real. They’ve seen it all! I’ve gotten a lot more curious looks from other coffee shop patrons than judgmental ones.
When you show people you’re totally okay with prioritizing your health despite getting stares, you give them permission to do the same. We’re normalizing a whole new paradigm of health and wellness, especially as work becomes more mobile than before.
Let me know your thoughts on this below.
Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email at joyce@joyceling.net or sign up for my every-once-in-a-while newsletter.
