Since many of us have been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic, lots of people are improvising their workstation. For some, that means working at a makeshift desk, and for others, that means sitting on the couch or borrowing the kitchen table from 9 to 5. 

We’ve got some advice on how to set up an ergonomic workspace with common items you can find at home. While it's best if you can buy the right equipment, these tips will help you improve your workstation on a budget. 

Having an ergonomically optimized workspace helps you work efficiently and safely. By protecting your body from injury or recurring pain, you can focus more on your task, which, in turn, makes you a more efficient and productive worker.

Here are a few common household items you may already have laying around to improve your home workspace.

1. Reams of Paper or Textbooks for a Laptop/Monitor Stand

Often, your makeshift desk or table at home will be too short causing your monitor/laptop height to be too low. Adding the reams of paper or a textbook will raise it to eye level and prevent poor posture and neck pain down the line. 

2. 3-Ring Binder or Reams of Paper/Textbooks for a Foot Rest 

The proper use of a footrest will ensure good blood flow and prevent stress on the back of your thighs. Since most of us will be using a dining chair to work from home, it is most likely going to be too tall or too short depending on the user. A 3-Ring Binder or Textbook/Paper Reams will fix those issues related to improper chair height.

3. Sweatshirt/Jacket as a Lumbar Support

Tying your jacket on the back of your chair creates a great DIY lumbar support. It is inexpensive and easy to do since you will most likely already have a jacket laying around. Having proper lumbar support will prevent long term back issues. Though we recommend purchasing a proper ergonomic chair, doing this trick will be much healthier for your posture than just a bare chair. 

4. Cardboard for a Lap Desk

Using a piece of cardboard as a lapdesk/keyboard tray will provide a great platform for your keyboard and mouse. It will create a neutral head and elbow posture that prevent fatigue and injury down the line. This is much better than placing your keyboard and mouse on a table or desk that is an improper height.

These simple household items will be a great addition to your home workstation. Though we do sell products that do the job better, these tricks will drastically improve your workspace ergonomics at home while you save some money for the right equipment. 

These tips can also be seen on our YouTube video "Work From Home (Dining Table)". Please give our video a like and subscribe to our channel.