Could your chair be the reason your workday feels longer?

Yes‚ an uncomfortable or ill-fitting chair can make an office day seem longer as physical discomfort‚ mental fatigue‚ and distractions reduce your ability to maintain concentration and productivity․

Most of us blame long and exhausting workdays on heavy workloads‚ back-to-back meetings‚ and unrealistic deadlines․ But your chair could be partly to blame‚ too․ I think you become a lot more aware of time if your body doesn’t feel comfortable‚ so a normal working day feels longer and more draining․

This happens‚ in part‚ because of physical discomfort: If your chair does not support your back‚ neck‚ shoulders‚ and legs‚ your body will have to compensate․ You may feel the need to shift‚ stretch or reposition yourself in a more comfortable position․ These small discomforts can break the flow of your work dozens of times a day‚ making it hard to concentrate․

Discomfort distracts our attention․ If part of your attention is focused on a painful back or tight shoulders‚ then less will be available for the task at hand․ When attention is withdrawn from tasks they feel as if they are taking longer than they are‚ making time pass slower․ Even simple tasks can seem laborious if someone bothers you with physical discomfort․

Posture may also play a role․ A slumping chair‚ or one which does not support the natural arc in the spine‚ places additional strain on the lower back‚ neck and shoulder muscles which may become fatigued later in the day․ You may feel tired despite spending most of the day sitting‚ and you may also lose your motivation and productivity as a result of your fatigue․

Physiological variables also include the relationship between comfort and energy‚ where the better a body is supported‚ the less exertion is required for sitting in proper posture․ It thereby enables more energy to be spent on productive work than on compensating for poor design or bad seating and working surfaces․ Many people say that working in comfort allows them to work longer․

Some chairs are more supportive than others․ An ergonomic chair is designed specifically to adjust to the user rather than requiring the user to adjust to the chair․ More expensive office chairs may offer adjustable lumbar support‚ seat depth adjustment‚ recline‚ and adjustable armrests that allow the user to find the best position․ For example‚ the NextChair Luxe features our LumbarFlo™ dual axis lumbar support‚ a sliding seat‚ an adjustable headrest‚ and 3D armrests․

Final Thoughts