Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Preparing for online study 29 
It would be a good idea to buy the most expensive desk you can 
aford. Cheap desks will probably not last long. Besides, one of the 
reasons why they cost less is because they are smaller than stan-
dard desks. A typical ofce desk is 120cm wide and 80cm deep. 
Many cheap “home computer” desks are smaller than this. Te re-
sult will be that you do not have enough space, and working under 
cramped conditions will not make for easy study. 
Ideally, you would have a “sit-stand” desk. Tis is an adjustable 
desk that raises and lowers. Tis means that you can sometimes 
sit down to do some work, and at other times you can stand up. 
Sitting down for hours on end is not good for your health. Sever-
al studies have shown that occasionally standing throughout the 
day can be benefcial to overall health. Indeed, research shows 
that people who use “sit-stand” desks have better cardiovascu-
lar health and have other improved physiological markers (Carr 
et al., 2016, and Bodker et al., 2021). However, there are other 
benefts to sit-stand desks besides avoiding the health damage of 
remaining too sedentary. Research in Texas has demonstrated 
that workers who use sit-stand desks increase their productivity 
by more than 50 per cent (Garrett et al., 2016). For students, this 
is important. Sit-stand desks appear to make you more efcient. 
Tis means they can be helpful when you are under pressure for 
assignments, for instance. Tere is more about sit-stand desks in 
Chapter 11. 
Select a good chair 
Students on campus will be sitting at their desks on chairs pro-
vided by the university. You will be amazed at the cost of such 
chairs. Even though the university will have bought chairs in the 
most cost-efective way, they also have a responsibility to people 
on their premises in terms of health and safety. As a result, the 
chairs provided for working at desks will have several ergonomic 
features to help ensure comfort. Buying a cheap chair is counter-
productive. You will end up having to buy several chairs over the 
three or four years of a degree. Te chair will get a great deal of 

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