recline productively

My workstation is embarrassing.

This confession has nothing to do with my innate drift toward disorganization and clutter - which is substantial. Thankfully, some recent studies have proven that a certain amount of disorganization may actually spur the creative process and spark catharsis. The researchers' Exhibit A: Albert Einstein, a self-proclaimed, disorganized packrat who managed to get a few things done.

No, this has nothing to do with piles and files. It has everything to do with design. Design is supposed to support function simply and elegantly, and when I'm seated on a narrow wooden rattan high chair (the uber-uncomfortable kind built for a breakfast bar), hunched over my l2" laptop at my desk - a converted butcher block, I am not functioning optimally nor elegantly. In fact, when friends pop over while I'm working they take one look at my set up, and say, "You work there?! How?!"

They are right to be appalled. I'm appalled! So appalled in fact, that I've decided to start over. And I'm starting at the bottom.

We human beings have become sedentary creatures. Successive industrial and technical revolutions brought us from the fields to the factories into small businesses and corporations, where a good chunk of us toil from behind desks. And most of us proceed to slump into chairs that contort and constrict, rather than support the human frame.

According to Dr. Alan Hedge, Professor of the Human Factors Laboratory at Cornell University, the risk of musculoskeletal discomfort increases by using the computer as little as one hour a day, and the chance of acquiring a musculoskeletal injury is nine times greater when you spend four hours a day at the computer. Insurers agree. Low back pain remains the most prevalent and expensive work-related musculoskeletal disorder. The cause: sitting, for days, months and years, in mal-adjusted chairs.

Once I decided my slumping days were behind me I did what any respectable 21st century mammal would do. I Googled "ergonomic seating." Then sifted through the website rubble, and found a chair called, "Liberty."

Humanscale, an industrial design firm that has been at the cutting edge of ergonomics since 1983, makes Liberty. They entered the task seating market in 1999 with the Freedom chair, which won 10 design awards. A creation of renowned designer Niels Diffirient, winner of the Smithsonian's 2002 National Design Award, Freedom helped revolutionize the task chair industry because it minimized user error. Competing ergonomic chairs relied on a variety of manual controls (read: a confusing knot of knobs and buttons and levers) to individualize the sit. Freedom was designed to conform to the individual's spine automatically. It didn't force you upright - because despite what your mother instructed, sitting up straight all day is absolutely not good for you. And it eased into a supportive recline, which reduced the natural impulse to slump and slouch. Plus it looked cool.

But in 2004 Diffrient and Humanscale broke newer and even more minimalist ground when they released Liberty, and subsequently won a dozen more design awards. The back is made from three panels of woven, non-stretch mesh which gives the chair its supportive shape, its ability to conform to your body even more completely than the Freedom, and increases airflow to eliminate that embarrassing and uncomfortable sweaty back issue you've been hiding.

And it reclines beautifully, which is important because reclining is healthy. Disc pressure in the spine varies with posture, and according to experts the spine sustains far less pressure when reclined, which translates into more comfort, less risk of injury, and increased productivity.

Forget about looking for tension knobs, this chair is so Zen that your body is the tension control. Your weight is the counterbalance. Simply lean, and the chair will support your movement.

There are some choices to make. Liberty chairs should be fitted to your frame (if you buy on-line, you'll do that yourself) so that when seated your feet can remain firmly on the floor, while your upper body is high enough to work at your desk comfortably. You can also choose from a variety of mesh and seat colors - including enticing shades like graphite, pomegranate and moss. Although, black on black is the sleekest look.

Plus, unlike other high-end products, the Liberty doesn't suck up valuable resources. This seat is sustainable. The materials are both recycled and recyclable and there are very few parts, which minimizes production waste and energy consumption. Yes, the price tag ($895) is at the top of the market, but with increased productivity at for you and your employees on the horizon, you should consider it the cost of doing business, consciously and comfortably.

I've ordered mine. And I can hardly wait to recline productively.

 

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