Most people know their desk setup should be "ergonomic," but few can articulate what that actually means for their specific body and workspace. Ergonomics is not a product category — it is a science of fitting your work environment to your body's natural mechanics. A setup that is ergonomically perfect for someone who is 5 feet 4 inches tall will cause problems for someone who is 6 feet 2 inches.
This checklist walks through every adjustment point in your desk setup, explains the correct position for each, and recommends solutions when something is off. Print it, work through it once, and you will eliminate the most common causes of desk-related pain and fatigue.
Check 1: Chair Height and Seat Position#
The standard: Your feet should be flat on the floor with your thighs roughly parallel to the ground. Your knees should be at approximately 90 degrees. If your chair has adjustable seat depth, the edge of the seat should be two to three finger-widths behind the back of your knees to avoid compressing the blood vessels there.
If your feet do not reach the floor: Lower your chair. If your chair is already at minimum height and your feet still do not reach, use a footrest to bring the floor up to your feet rather than letting them dangle.
If your thighs slope downward: Your chair is too high. Lower it until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Herman Miller Aeron
Editor’s ChoiceThe Herman Miller Aeron is the definitive ergonomic chair — a 30-year-old design that still sets the benchmark for lumbar support, breathability, and long-session comfort.
The Herman Miller Aeron is the gold standard for adjustable seating. With three sizes (A, B, C), adjustable seat tilt, and the PostureFit SL lumbar system, it accommodates a wider range of body types than any other chair we have tested. The 12-year warranty ensures it maintains its adjustability over the long term.
Check 2: Lumbar Support Alignment#
The standard: Your lumbar support should contact the natural inward curve of your lower back, roughly at the level of your belly button when seated. The support should push gently into the curve without creating pressure that forces you forward.
If your lumbar support is too low: Your lower back will round, leading to disc compression over time. Raise the lumbar adjustment.
If your lumbar support is too high: The support pushes against your mid-back rather than your lower back, causing you to slouch to escape the pressure. Lower the adjustment.
If your chair has no lumbar adjustment: Add an external lumbar pillow as a temporary measure, and plan to replace the chair. Fixed lumbar positions are the leading cause of chair-related discomfort.
Check 3: Armrest Height#
The standard: Your armrests should support your forearms at a height where your shoulders remain relaxed and your elbows form approximately a 90-degree angle. Your arms should rest naturally without your shoulders hunching up or drooping down.
If your shoulders are hunched: Your armrests are too high. Lower them until your shoulders relax.
If your elbows are not supported: Your armrests are too low. Raise them until your forearms can rest without your shoulders lifting.
If your armrests cannot reach the right height: This indicates a mismatch between your desk height and your chair. A height-adjustable standing desk solves this by letting you fine-tune the desk surface height to match your chair's armrest range.
Check 4: Monitor Height and Distance#
The standard: The top of your monitor should be at or slightly below your natural eye level. The screen should be approximately one arm's length away (20 to 26 inches). You should be able to see the entire screen without tilting your head up or down more than a few degrees.
If you are looking down at your screen: Your monitor is too low. A monitor arm is the best solution because it provides infinite height adjustment and frees desk space. The Fully Jarvis Monitor Arm is our standard recommendation.
If you are tilting your head back: Your monitor is too high. Lower it or increase the tilt angle.
If you are leaning forward to read text: Your monitor is too far away, your resolution is too low, or your font size is too small. Increase display scaling in your operating system before moving the monitor closer.
Fully Jarvis Monitor Arm
Editor’s ChoiceThe Fully Jarvis Monitor Arm is the best single-monitor arm on the market — incredibly smooth movement, a 19.8 lb capacity, and one of the cleanest cable management channels available.
Check 5: Keyboard and Wrist Position#
The standard: Your keyboard should be at a height where your wrists remain straight and neutral — not bent upward, downward, or to the side. Your fingers should reach the keys with your forearms parallel to the desk surface.
If your wrists bend upward: Your keyboard is too low or too flat. Raise it slightly or use the rear kick legs to create a slight negative tilt (front of keyboard higher than back).
If your wrists bend downward: Your keyboard is too high. Lower your desk surface or use a keyboard tray below the desk edge.
Avoid wrist rests for typing. Wrist rests are designed for resting between typing bursts, not for supporting your wrists while actively typing. Typing with your wrists on a rest forces your fingers to reach upward and increases strain.
Check 6: Lighting#
The standard: Your desk surface should have at least 300 lux of illumination for general office work and 500 lux for detailed reading or writing. The light source should come from above or the side, never from behind your monitor (which causes glare) or directly in front of you (which causes eye fatigue).
If your screen washes out from ambient light: Reposition your desk so that windows are to the side rather than behind or in front of you. Use a monitor light bar for task lighting that does not create screen glare.
If you get eye strain by late afternoon: You likely have insufficient ambient lighting. As daylight fades, the contrast between your bright screen and the dark room increases, causing strain. Add a desk lamp or ambient room lighting to keep the surrounding brightness within a comfortable range.
The 10-Minute Ergonomic Audit#
Sit at your desk in your normal working position. Work through checks 1 through 6 in order, making one adjustment at a time. After each adjustment, work for at least 30 minutes before making the next one. Changing everything at once feels unnatural and makes it hard to identify which adjustment helped.
Mark any checks where you cannot achieve the standard with your current equipment. These are your upgrade priorities. An ergonomic setup is built incrementally — you do not need to replace everything at once to see meaningful improvement.