Productivity and health experts all agree, your chair should be the second most expensive office item you purchase. With 8 hours of sitting on that said chair, you will rack up those hours at 1,920 hours every year. That’s a lot of sitting, needless to say; it’s one of the most important investments. When you set out to make an investment in the perfect chair for you, keep these guidelines in mind when buying an office chair.

Traits of the Perfect Office Chair

What are some of the attributes of quality, healthful, and productivity-inducing office chair? These are vital for the everyday use in function of the chair, both long-term uses, and short-term working environment changes.

1. Reinforced back and lumbar support: drastically makes a difference in how your back rests all those eight hours every day. Don’t fail to include this important feature in your chair shopping.
2. Adjustability as a whole: You need to consider how adjustable your chair is, desk heights change, keyboard setups change, and maybe even the user changes every once in awhile, you need to have flexible adjustability options.
3. The swivel factor: Yes, the amount and smoothness of swivel genuinely affect how you work. Swiveling features in the overall seat, as well as, the armrests can prove a viable tool in changing working conditions.
4. Comfortable and quality material: Don’t like leather? Prefer soft cloth over mesh? Many shoppers fail to remember the quality and feel of the material, matching the preference. With all of these other guidelines to keep in mind, it’s easy to forget, but it’s an important step.
5. Professionalism Factor: Even if you found the perfect chair that fits all of the guidelines of a chair, you need to confirm that it is a professional choice aesthetically. You need comfort, health, and customizability, though you can’t miss being professional.

Your Health and Body

Feet and Legs

When sitting in proper posture, your feet should be flat on the floor, angled at 90 degrees. If you are shorter, with a standard desk, purchase a chair with foot rests so you can get that important position.

When you are seated, the back side of your calves should not be touching the edge of your chair. Likewise, while you are standing beside your chair, your knees should meet the seat of your chair.

Head, Neck, and Arms

While seated, your neck and head should be upright and straight, looking directly at your monitor, without looking up, down, or sideways. Your arms should be at 90 degrees when resting on your armrests, as well as in a proper position to your desk and keyboard.

How You Should Budget

Before you even begin to think about the overall budget and how much you want to spend, list out what you need and then research the best options with all of these guidelines in mind.

After listing out the instructions and finding a list of the best chairs, you can then filter out those options by budget, without downgrading your list of chair options. The last thing you want to do is trade the more affordable chair with the more comfortable chair that will affect your overall performance and health.