How To Set Up Your Dynamic Workspace For Less
Designing Your Budget-Friendly, Movement-Friendly Home Office
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Working from home is here to stay—for a while at least.
Apart from the obvious benefits like increased productivity, reduced commute time, and better work-life balance, working from home also offers loads of movement possibilities you might be missing in an traditional office setting.
While life at the office often involves small breaks for socializing, opportunities to take the stairs, and the chance to get up from a desk and head into a meeting, working from home offers flexibility in ways office life can’t.
With a little planning and set up time, you can create a dynamic workstation that allows you to layer movement onto your existing work activities in a “set it and forget it” way.
In this post, I’ll share my top tips for designing your movement-friendly (budget-friendly) home office AND some exercises to try for each desk set up.
Photo by Dawid Liberadzki on Unsplash
A Word About Standing Desks
I’m excited by many of the dynamic workspace solutions cropping up around the internet but you don’t have to splurge on a fancy standing desk to stay healthy.
In fact, if you’re used to sitting for eight hours a day, abruptly shifting to standing for that same amount of time may backfire. Maybe you’ve heard it said that “sitting is the new smoking” but I’d like to offer that “staying still for eight hours a day, no matter what position you’re in, is the new smoking.”
In addition, you may not be willing or able (due to financial or space constraints) to upgrade to a convertible sit/stand desk. Thankfully, many of the solutions I offer are low cost or can be DIYed.
These are solutions that my family uses and they’re not “one or none.” Feel free to pick and choose. Take what will work for your space, your schedule, your body, and leave the rest. Some of these options may be easier to swing with a laptop so be sure to consider what equipment you’ll be working with as you read through these tips.
How to Set Up Your Dynamic Home Office:
Choose your wardrobe wisely.
Lose the shoes.
Reduce eye strain.
Make your desk dynamic.
Make the best of your chair.
Walk & talk.
Schedule moves.
Choose clothing that allows you to move and breathe freely.
Choose Your Wardrobe Wisely
Did your office attire restrict your movement or your breath? Probably! There’s something to be said for getting dressed each day as a way to maintain a sense of routine, confidence, and normalcy. Be sure to choose clothes that allow you to move and breathe freely (this will also help you get the most out of my other recommendations). If you need to look professional for Zoom calls, remember, there’s no shame in going business casual only from the waist up.
To make sure your closet passes muster, check out these 5 movement tests for your wardrobe.
Kick off your shoes for more movement opportunities.
Lose the Shoes
Going barefoot gives you the opportunity to get your feet moving—which can mean big rewards for the rest of your body as well. Not only do free soles allow your feet to move more, it also means you can give your tooties even more TLC with self-massage.
Place a rock tray (a boot tray full of smooth stones or foam golf balls) or a foot massage pad under your desk. The added texture will help mobilize the smaller joints in your feet, which can improve stability on uneven surfaces. Use these tools while sitting in a chair for less pressure or while standing for more intensity.
Keep a racquet ball nearby for some self-massage. Not sure how to roll? This class will teach you how.
Take a looking break periodically to reduce eye strain.
Reduce Eye Strain
Your eyes want to move too! Setting up your workspace near a window makes taking eye breaks easy. Try setting a timer on your phone to follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes look away from the screen at something far away (at least 20 feet) for about 20 seconds.
What surfaces in your home could you use like a standing desk?
Make Your Desk Dynamic—for less
Your body was made to move. Staying in any one position for eight hours a day is a problem.
Instead of a sitting workstation or a standing workstation, opt for a dynamic workstation—one that allows you a range of movement possibilities.
Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to go out and buy one of those expensive hand crank adjustable desks.
A “breakfast in bed tray” like this one (or even the right size cardboard box) is all you need!
Option 1: Put the tray and your computer on the ground. Sitting on the floor provides unlimited opportunities for movement. If that doesn’t sound too enjoyable, check out my suggestions for getting comfortable on the floor.
Option 2: Put the tray (or box) on your desk to create a standing desk. Here’s how I make my work space more dynamic.
Place your laptop on the seat of your chair and sit on the floor for a budget-friendly dynamic work station.
Make the Best of Your Chair
Sitting in a chair all day may not be the best thing for your body, but it’s certainly not the worst. Here’s my tips for making your chair sitting less sedentary…
01: Stretch, move, and fidget.
Don’t sweat it when you come out of a period of intense focus and realize you’ve been sitting in a really weird way (or with “bad posture”). Take a quick stretch break and then change positions. You can switch the cross of your legs, sit on the edge of your seat, or try one of the “chair sitting desk moves” I share below.
02: Change out your chair.
Chances are, you have more than one style of chair at home. Try rotating through them over the course of your work day. The act of shuffling the chairs around will get you up and moving AND your body won’t reflexively retreat into the same position. Add a stability ball into your chair rotation to get your core working in a different way.
03: Make your chair your new desk.
Depending on the height of your chair, you can place your laptop on the chair and sit on the floor or a bolster. Remember how great floor sitting is for your body? I share my favorite “floor sitting desk moves” below.
Take your meeting on the go.
Walk & Talk
Meetings have moved from the boardroom to…whatever room you happen to be in. Think outside the room and take your meeting outside!
If it’s just a phone meeting, make it a walk and talk. Pop in your earbuds and enjoy some fresh air—even if you’re just walking around the yard, going up and down the stairs, or doing laps around the room.
Get your boss and your team on board—the movement will help everyone stay healthier and more productive.
Take advantage of the flexibility working from home provides and fit in a workout in place of your commute.
Schedule Moves
One of the biggest benefits of working from home is the built in flexibility it offers. Communicate with your employer and get clear about their expectations. Perhaps you can make time for a longer lunch in order to take a long walk with your family or to play outside with your kids.
If that’s not an option, turn your old commute time into exercise time. Stream a class from my YouTube channel, set up a 1:1 virtual movement session with me, or just get outside and take a walk. That way you’ll still have time to shift gears between work and home.
Exercises for Your Home Office
Depending on your position (standing, sitting in a chair, or sitting on the floor) you can add movement to your work time by incorporating some of these exercises:
Keep a half dome near your standing desk to calf stretch while you work.
Standing Desk Moves
Calf stretch with half dome
Foot massage (roll or compressions) with racquet ball
Texture moves (standing on rock tray or foot massage mat)
Use your chair for this double calf stretch.
Chair Sitting Desk Moves
Seated pigeon stretch
Chair lunge
Chair squats
Ankle circles
Pelvic tilts
Double calf stretch
Sitting on the floor allows you to stretch while you work.
Floor Sitting Desk Moves
Cross legged sitting
Wide legged sitting
Basically any way of sitting (check out the image below for ideas)
Seated stretching that feels good
Conclusion
You don’t need the latest or most expensive convertible sit/stand desk to get moving more in your home office.
With a little preparation, you can create a work space that’s primed for movement—so you’ll find yourself moving more without even thinking about it. This way, you’ll be able to layer the physical and mental benefits of movement into your work day to help you feel more peacefully productive, while also managing aches and pains.
What does your home office space look like? Do you feel more productive when you’re working while standing or sitting?
