Local Life - Wigan - August 2020

14
Tech for
‘the new normal’
Lockdowns may be largely lifted but we’re going
back to a very different world at work and at school:
many more of us are working from home at least
some of the time, and school pupils and college
students are getting used to doing more online
learning.
That can be a challenge, because when most of
us bought the things we have in our homes we
weren’t thinking about using them for work –
so for example dining tables may be great for
chatting with family or friends, but they’re not
ideal for long periods on a laptop.
If you or others in your household
are going to be spending longer
periods working, especially on
computers, comfort isn’t just
nice: it’s essential. Spending too
much time with poor posture or
awkward working spaces can be
bad for your health, as it increases
the risk of physical stresses and
strains. In some cases that can
lead to painful repetitive strain injuries.
The good news is that you don’t need to do much
to make your working or studying environment
safe. It’s all about right angles: when you sit,
your back should be straight, your feet flat on
the ground (or on a footrest) and your body at
right angles, so your forearms and your thighs
should be horizontal and your back, upper arms
and calves vertical. If you can afford
it, invest in a good quality chair with
back support and a decently padded
or sprung base – your back and bum will
thank you for it in the long term – and if you get
one with wheels, invest in a floor protector too.
Wheels can do serious damage to carpets and
laminate flooring.
Office chairs don’t need to look like
office chairs: this chair from IKEA
comes in an attractive and easy-toclean
white, so it doesn’t make your
room look like a meeting room.
JÄRVFJÄLLET chair, £150, IKEA
A powerful laptop with a clear,
large screen is essential. Techradar
calls the 14-inch Acer Swift 3 “the
best budget laptop in the world.”
Acer Swift 3, £533, Amazon UK
If your Wi-Fi is slow, the culprit
is probably the router: if it’s an
older one or came with your
broadband service, it probably
isn’t the fastest.
TP-Link Archer C50 Router,
£32.99, Amazon
No space? An unobtrusive
corner desk gives you space
to work without taking up too
much room in your room.
Loft Living Corner Office Desk,
£100, Argos
When the days start to shorten
you’ll need a good quality light
to illuminate your work area. The
Anglepoise is a design classic and
these days it uses energy-saving
LED bulbs.
Anglepoise Type 75, £175,
John Lewis