Adjusting to the new routines and rigors that come from working where you also live can be challenging. Setting up a home office is essential for maintaining the right balance. You’ll want a dedicated space that helps you concentrate when you need to focus and collaborate with the team when required.
It could be challenging just finding the right place in the home that allows for these comforts. Once you do, you’ll want to make sure that you use the latest ergonomic accessories to optimize your space for productivity, convenience, and support.
A monitor arm for your desk is an excellent way to help you improve your set up on all three of those counts.
Considerations for Improving Your Home Office with a Monitor Arm
If you’ve sorted out a quiet place with a comfortable chair and desk that provides privacy, you’re close to having a professional’s work-from-home office. You’ll need a few more things to take an ordinary set up to the next level. It’s essential to maximize space (especially if you have a small desk) and arrange your computer and equipment to improve your posture – not worsen it.
A monitor arm is a versatile addition to any home office set up. It should be the next thing you think about after your desk and chair. You can free up precious desk space, and it gives you the flexibility to adapt your screen to your optimal sitting position, not the other way around.
Why a Monitor Arm Desk Mount Improves Productivity
Securing the monitor with an arm to adjust your screen will help reduce eyestrain and decrease neck tension while you work. Prolonged exposure to these types of stressors will have negative effects on your daily performance. Eyestrain symptoms you may experience include:
- Dry, itchy, or burning eyes
- Squinting more than usual and eye twitches
- Blurred or double vision
- Increased sensitivity to sunlight
- Reduced concentration and headaches
If you’re straining your eyes to see your screen, you’ll also start developing pains in your neck muscles and knots, making the problem worse. Adding a monitor arm mount to your home office desk will reduce the effects and give you neck and shoulder pain relief.
That’s only the first reason to consider a monitor arm. Additional benefits of using a monitor arm in your home office are:
- Added convenience – You can raise or lower the screen as required, without taking up additional desk space with a riser.
- Improved posture – Different tasks require different sitting positions. When you read, you may want to sit back, and while you write, you may be leaning in. A standard position suits either one (or neither) of these activities. With a monitor arm, it’s easy to adjust the screen to eye level and keep it an arm’s length away no matter what task you’re busy doing.
- Suitable for any setup – You can choose a solution to match your environment. If you use two screens, you can opt to use monitor arms with dual mounts. This allows you to arrange both screens in a stable and comfortable position while keeping track of a lot of information.
- Increases existing flexibility – When choosing your chair, desk, and footrest, you’ll want them to come with adjustable settings. With the Kensington SmartFit® System, you can improve the flexibility of your entire set up with adjustments that perfectly suit your build.
Kensington Monitor Arms to Suit any Home Office Environment
Every home office will be set up differently. To find a monitor arm that works for your environment, Kensington has a variety of models that remain highly adjustable yet suitable for any monitor configuration or home desk. All our solutions come with the SmartFit System that uses your hand size to match the perfect height setting and comfortable position you need to remain productive.
Our range of versatile monitor arms include:
- SmartFit Ergo Single Extended Monitor Arm – Provides for easy installation (with a C-Clamp and Grommet Fastener) that requires less desk space and delivers maximum flexibility. The monitor arm can extend to a distance of 399mm (or 15.7”) and provides 90° swivel, 180° rotation, and 45° monitor tilt adjustment.
- SmartFit Ergo Dual Extended Monitor Arm – Providing similar convenience and adjustment capabilities as the single-screen platform, the monitor arm for dual screens is compatible with sizes of up to 32” and supports up to 8kg (or 17.6lbs) of weight.
- SmartFit One-Touch Height Adjustable Single Monitor Arm – This platform (for a single monitor set up) delivers full-motion articulation and excellent stability for screens of up to 32”, weighing up to 19.8lbs. It has a built-in gas spring and is suitable for both curved and flat screens.
- SmartFit One-Touch Height Adjustable Dual Monitor Arm – For situations where you need full-motion articulation for more than one screen, this platform is easy to install and comes with quick-release using VESA mounting monitor plate as a detachment system. It’s perfect for keeping a sophisticated workspace tidy and simplifies adjustment between 170mm to 550mm (or 6.7” to 19.9”).
All Kensington monitor arms have a cable management system to help organize your desk for better performance. Designed with ergonomics in mind, these platforms are versatile, durable, and provides superior comfort while working behind any monitor.
Additional Accessories You Should Consider for Your Home Office
To enhance your home office experience further, you should also consider getting the Clamp-On Keyboard Drawer. It provides ample clearance for any keyboard, including a standard or vertical mouse. You can adjust your keyboard’s height and distance, delivering a comfortable typing position at all times
Finally, getting a keyboard and mouse or trackball that supports your wrist position can reduce stress injuries on your joints. A privacy screen can also help reduce eyestrain from glare or blue light. To keep the desk organized while using reference material, ergonomic desk storage systems can help.
Investing in your home office can improve your performance, reduce the strain on your body, and help you work efficiently no matter what the task. By accessorizing your home office with these products, you’ll be able to remain productive, focused, and comfortable while working from home indefinitely.
To find more products that improve the ergonomics of your home office, check out Kensington’s full range of solutions.