What’s something you spend dozens of hours with each week, yet rarely pay attention to? The correct answer is your office chair! And if you’re like millions of other Americans, you have the wrong office chair. But a simple upgrade may be all you need to enjoy a host of benefits.
Why Your Office Chair Matters
An office chair is more than something you sit on. It impacts, either directly or indirectly, just about every aspect of your workday. This includes your:
- Physical health. If you spend six hours per day sitting in your office chair, that’s a total of approximately 1,566 hours per year (or the equivalent of 65 full days!). If you spend eight or 10 hours per day in your chair, we’re talking thousands of hours. Regardless, it’s a lot of time – and it’s affecting your spine, posture, and even circulation.
- Focus and productivity. When you’re comfortable and properly supported, you’re able to focus on the work at hand (rather than constantly shifting your weight and resituating your body to find a position that feels right). This directly impacts your output and productivity.
- Performance. When you feel good, you perform well. And though you probably aren’t thinking about it at the moment, your office chair is either helping or hurting the quality of your work on a daily basis.
- Longevity. When your back is supported, you’re comfortable, and you’re focused, you’ll find it easier to work more hours and get more done. And though more time in the office doesn’t always mean more success, it’s certainly a relevant factor.
When you combine all of these factors, the takeaway is clear. For better or worse, your office chair has a direct impact on your happiness and day-to-day satisfaction with life. That might sound like a reach, but it’s true. If your office chair impacts your physical health, focus, productivity, performance, and longevity, it’s a determining factor in your happiness. So take this to heart and reevaluate your present situation.
5 Tips for Finding the Perfect Chair
Shopping for an office chair is easy these days. You don’t even need to go into a store. Just buy an office chair on Amazon and it’ll ship directly to your home or office. But with so many different options to choose from, how do you select the one that’s right for you and your needs? We have a few tips:
1. Look for Adjustable Features
Everyone’s body is unique. Your weight, height, dimensions, and even the curvature of your spine is different from the next person. So you need a chair that allows you to adjust as many features as possible to your needs. This should include adjustable height, tilt control, armrest, etc.
2. Check for Lumbar Support
The lower back support is very important. An ergonomic chair will have an inward curvature that helps provide support and prevent slouching. (Per the previous point, a good office chair needs lumbar adjustment for both the height and depth.)
3. Choose the Right Material
Most people choose office chair material based on what they think looks good, but it’s also important to consider how the material performs. Having some sort of cloth fabric that breathes is preferred to a hard surface (or even leather).
4. Make Movement Easy
Having an office chair with wheels does more than you think. Yes, it allows you to effortlessly slide in and out from your desk, but it also makes it easy to turn your body. Whether it’s turning around to see who’s at the door or rotating to grab something on a cabinet next to your shelf, swivel action reduces stress on your spine.
5. Read Reviews
If you’re buying an office chair online, make sure you read reviews and check the ratings. You can think you found the perfect chair, but the feedback from actual users may make you rethink your decision. Every review won’t be perfect but look for the trends.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Your job performance and career success are often defined by the major moments and big wins. But in reality, your trajectory is heavily influenced by all of the little things – the small details that stack on top of one another to produce significant results. An office chair is just an office chair…but then again, it’s so much more!
