Amidst all the chaos going on in my house, with the entire basement unusable, there’s a bright spot: My commute time has been cut in half.
Instead of walking down two flights of stairs to get to my office, I now only have to go down one flight – to the couch.
I settle in with my tea, put the keyboard in my lap, and hit the recline button.
Yes, the couch is a recliner. And I work from it while reclined.
It surprised me that I can work this way. You’d think that I would just fall asleep, or at least that lying prone would make it hard to concentrate.
But honestly, this posture works well. All parts of my back, neck and legs are fully supported and cushioned.
My eyes are level with the center of the monitor, just like they’re supposed to be. Even better, because the monitor is further away, I don’t need to wear reading glasses.
It’s not all joy, of course. I only have one monitor now instead of two. That monitor and the Mac mini are perched a bit precariously on an $8 wooden table from Walmart. The ethernet cable is stretched to the max to reach the TV box across the room.
I rarely refer to anything on paper for work, but when I do, it has to go on the couch to my left.
I need to turn my head slightly to see the monitor, but I swivel my neck in the opposite direction when I’m thinking, to even out the muscle use.
I sit up sometimes – when I’m on the phone, or working on a complex document. It’s great to be able to change positions so many ways.
Overall, this relaxed posture seems good for my back and my brain. Haven’t had any problem with my hip since I started this, either.
When people get used to working from home, they never want to give it up.
When all the repair work is done, I may just keep my office right where it is.
Today’s penny is a 2011, in honor of the 11,000 workers employed by La-Z-Boy in Monroe, Michigan.
