Posturefolio

Manual · Desk comfort · Four short sections

Sit well.
Look level.
Move often.

Most desk discomfort comes from three fixable things: a screen in the wrong place, staying still for too long, and light that fights the display. This manual covers each one in plain terms, then gives you a checklist to work through at your own desk.

Open the checklist Start at section 01

Side view of a seated person at a desk Eye line meets the top of the monitor, the screen is about an arm's length away, elbows sit at roughly ninety degrees and feet rest flat on the floor. eye line ≈ top of screen about an arm's length elbows ≈ 90° feet flat
The four references every section comes back to.
  1. 01Monitor setupHeight, distance, tilt, laptops
  2. 02Movement breaksHow often, what to do, sit-stand
  3. 03Lighting notesGlare, brightness, task lamps
  4. 04Setup checklistTick it off at your own desk

01

Monitor setup

Top of screen
At or just below eye level
Distance
50–70 cm, roughly arm's length
Tilt
10–20° back, glare permitting

Put the screen where your eyes naturally rest. Sit back, look straight ahead, and the top edge of the display should sit at or slightly below that line, so you gaze gently downward into the middle of the screen. A neutral neck is the whole point: a screen that sits too low pulls the head forward and loads the muscles at the back of the neck.

Distance matters as much as height. An arm's length is a reliable start; larger displays can sit further back. If you catch yourself leaning in, increase the text scaling in your operating system instead of moving the chair. A slight backward tilt keeps the top and bottom of the screen the same distance from your eyes.

Working on a laptop

A laptop cannot be right for both hands and eyes at once. Raise it on a stand or a stack of books until the screen is at height, then add a separate keyboard and mouse. For short sessions this is optional; for a full day it is the single most useful change.

Two monitors

Centre the one you use most and angle the second toward you. If you use both equally, put the seam directly in front of you so you turn a little each way rather than always to one side. Keep both at the same height and distance so your eyes do not refocus with every glance.

02

Movement breaks

Shift position
Every 20–30 minutes
Stand and walk
2–3 minutes each hour
Eyes
20 s at 6 m, every 20 min

There is no perfect posture, only the next one. Sitting upright for eight hours is as tiring as slouching for eight hours; what the body dislikes is stillness. Change position every twenty to thirty minutes and get fully out of the chair once an hour, even just to refill a glass. Small, frequent movement beats one long stretch session.

The same applies to your eyes. Focusing at one distance for a long time tires the muscles that adjust the lens. Every twenty minutes, look at something about six metres away for twenty seconds. A window is ideal.

A one-minute desk routine
  • Roll the shoulders backward five times, then let them drop.
  • Tuck the chin gently, as if making a double chin, and hold for five seconds.
  • Extend one arm, palm up, and draw the fingers back with the other hand. Swap.
  • Stand, hinge forward from the hips with a flat back, and return.
  • Rise onto the toes ten times to move blood through the calves.
Using a sit-stand desk

Standing all day is not the goal; alternating is. Many people settle on thirty to sixty minutes of each. When standing, keep the keyboard at elbow height, stay close to the desk, and shift your weight from foot to foot. A soft mat helps on hard floors.

03

Lighting notes

Windows
To the side, never behind the screen
Brightness
Match a white page held beside it
Task lamp
Opposite your writing hand

Two lighting problems cause most screen fatigue: glare on the display, and a screen much brighter or dimmer than everything around it. Place the desk so windows are beside you. A window behind the screen makes your eyes adapt between a bright background and a darker display; a window behind you throws reflections onto the glass.

To set brightness, hold a sheet of white paper next to the screen. If the screen looks like a lamp, turn it down; if it looks grey, turn it up. Repeat when the room changes, since morning and evening light differ a lot.

Lamps, colour and evening work

Use a separate task lamp for paper, placed on the side opposite your writing hand so it does not cast a shadow. Cooler, bluish light suits daytime concentration; warmer light suits evenings. A low lamp behind the monitor softens the contrast between a bright screen and a dark room.

Dry, tired eyes

People blink far less when concentrating on a screen, which dries the surface of the eye. Blink deliberately now and then, keep fans and heaters from blowing across your face, and treat the twenty-minute distance break from section 02 as an eye break too.

04

Setup checklist

Sit at your own desk and work down the list. Ticks are saved in this browser only, so you can come back after moving things around. Nothing is sent anywhere.

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Screen
Chair and desk
Light
Habits

About this manual

The figures here — eye level, arm's length, ninety-degree elbows, the twenty-minute rhythm — are general starting points drawn from widely published workplace ergonomics guidance. Bodies, chairs and rooms differ, so treat them as a place to begin and adjust to what feels neutral. This is not medical advice; persistent pain deserves a conversation with a clinician or physiotherapist.