The five-minute desk check: set up your workspace for your body

Most desk aches come from a handful of small mismatches between your body and your furniture: a screen that is too low, a chair that is too high, a keyboard that is too far away. You do not need new gear to find them. You need five minutes and a bit of honesty.

1. Start with your feet

Sit all the way back in your chair. Your feet should rest flat on the floor with your knees at roughly a right angle. If your feet dangle, the chair is too high for the desk, or the desk is too high for you. A footrest (or a sturdy box) fixes it for almost nothing.

2. Then your elbows

Let your shoulders drop and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees. Your keyboard and mouse should sit at that height, close enough that you are not reaching. If the desk is fixed and too high, raise the chair and support your feet; if you can adjust the desk, bring it to your elbows instead.

3. Eyes to the top of the screen

Look straight ahead. Your eyes should land near the top edge of the screen, about an arm's length away. Laptops fail this test almost every time, which is why neck pain is so common for people who work on one all day.

On a laptop, raise the screen on a stand and use a separate keyboard and mouse. It is the single biggest fix for most people.

4. Check the light

Put the screen side-on to windows rather than facing or backing onto them. Glare makes you lean forward and squint; a small lamp for evening work helps more than turning up the brightness.

5. Move more than you think

The best posture is the next one. Stand for calls, take the stairs, refill your water. If you can, a sit-stand desk makes changing position a habit rather than a chore.

When to get help

This is general guidance, not medical advice. If pain lasts or keeps coming back, see a physiotherapist or doctor. And if you want a second pair of eyes on your setup, NestBuild scores your desk from a photo and lists the fixes that matter.