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Greetings!

For the past couple of months, I’ve been glued to my computer longer than a Netflix binge-watcher during lockdown. I’m on deadline for a new book and still juggling my full-time job leading Inventium. Translation: 2-3 extra hours per day of staring at my computer screen like a zombie.

What this delightful schedule coincided with was becoming my physio’s most frequent visitor and getting painfully intense remedial massages because my neck, shoulders, and back decided to stage a revolt.

I tried every adjustment I could think of – raising my monitor, lowering my chair, buying fancy ergonomic gadgets that promised the world. Nothing worked.

So when my mate Sarah Grynberg’s husband Daniel Grynberg offered to swing by and give my set-up a complete makeover, I practically shouted “Hell yes!” from the rooftops.

Daniel Grynberg is a workplace ergonomics guru (along with being the founder of Active Health Partners), and I cannot overstate how ridiculously excited this man gets about home office optimisation. Very excited. As do I. Needless to say, we had an absolute blast of a morning together, geeking out over desk heights and monitor angles and foam rollers.

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Here’s what I learnt (and no, this isn’t a paid promotion – just a glowing endorsement after a genuinely life-changing morning):

Support your forearms, not just your wrists

From my own desperate research, I was convinced the culprit was unsupported wrists. I’d bought some cheap padding to pop under my wrists about a month ago. Not only was it uncomfortable as hell, it didn’t make a dent in my ongoing pain saga.

When Daniel watched me type, he immediately spotted the real issue: forearm support (. After some simple adjustments to my office chair arms, my forearms finally had the support they desperately needed. I can now type without feeling like I’m doing some weird shoulder-straining pose.

Your primary monitor should be centred, almost within arm’s reach, with your eyes aligned to the top third of the screen

Like many desk warriors, I have a multi-monitor setup (four screens, to be specific). Because of this, none of my monitors were actually central. My main one sat a bit off to the right – and surprise, surprise, my recurring neck pain was on my right side because I was constantly craning my neck slightly right for hours on end.

Daniel centred my main monitor and made me pull it forward by about half a metre. He also raised it so I wasn’t looking down. The difference was immediate and frankly ridiculous. Suddenly, looking at words on the screen felt more comfortable than it ever had. Who knew?

Don’t forget your standing or treadmill desk

I smugly showed Daniel my treadmill desk (which in reality I use about as often as I clean out my junk drawer). In news that will probably not surprise you, the monitor height was completely wrong. I was looking down at it instead of straight ahead. Remember that top-third-meets-eye-line rule to avoid turning your neck into a pretzel? That applies to standing/walking situations too.

He suggested this simple laptop stand could fix the issue, and lo and behold, it did.

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Take smarter movement breaks

I’m reasonably decent at taking regular breaks, but aside from going for a short walk, I haven’t thought much more deeply about what other movements might serve me better during said breaks. Daniel walked me through several short 30-60 second routines that don’t require me to change into activewear.

Here’s a really simple one you can do right at your desk:

• Take a deep breath in. Exhale.
• Turn your head side to side. Repeat x 3
• Nod your head up and down. Repeat x 3
• Roll your shoulders. Repeat x 3

Takes less than a minute and feels surprisingly good.

Don’t save rollers and balls for the start or end of the day

Thanks to my ongoing pain situation, I’d gotten into the habit of using a foam roller in front of the TV at night (multitasking at its finest). But it had never occurred to me to use it during the day as an actual break from sitting. Game. Changer.

Make movement visible and ridiculously easy

Daniel’s final piece of wisdom: keep resistance bands in sight, set phone reminders, stick Post-it note reminders where you’ll actually see them. The easier and more obvious you make movement, the more likely you are to actually do it.

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The result of all this? I’m writing this newsletter pain-free for the first time in months. Sometimes the simplest changes make the biggest difference – you just need someone who gets genuinely excited about ergonomics to point them out.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a book deadline to meet, and for the first time in ages, I’m not dreading the hours ahead at my desk.

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Cheers

Amantha

P.S. If you too want Daniel wisdom, he is based in Melbourne but also does Zoom consults. Get in touch here.

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