Do I like my Standing Desk?

01 October 2011

About 6 weeks ago, I rearranged my workplace to allow standing while working. Do I like the experience?

What I like

Flexibility - It’s easy to take a step to the window or walk to the whiteboard when you’re already standing. When facing a problem, I tend to walk away from my workplace more often than before. That’s definitely an improvement as thinking without distraction is more practical than staring at a blinking cursor.

Feels Good - I like to stand to work and write. I started the morning habit to wake up, grab a coffee, launch iA Writer and just write. Standing in the morning wakes my body even before the coffee kicks in.

What I don’t like

Not suitable for long periods of time - It took a couple of weeks but now it’s no big deal for me to stand about three or four hours nonstop. But that’s not healthy in the long run (similar to sitting for hours without interruption), so I ordered a barstool to allow alternation between sitting and standing. That’s okayish but the stool is for short resting phases only as it’s not too comfortable. The ideal solution would be a height-adjustable desk so I can switch between sitting in a comfy chair and standing whenever it suits me.

Sucks for lean-back-activities - Reading articles, watching videos, playing games. These are activities you don’t want to be standing to. The only solution that comes to my mind is, again, the height-adjustable desk.

My desk is a mess - With all the Amazon boxes on top to bootstrap the standing desk environment, my desk looks cluttered. You might’ve already guessed the one possible solution: Buy a height-adjustable desk.

Conclusion & Upcoming

Apart from the flexibility issues, I love my setup. The next step seems to be getting a new desk. They’re quite expensive, though. So I might switch back and forth between sitting and standing for a couple of weeks each until I’m sure enough to commit to the expenses.

Does it sound interesting to you? Then definitely give it a shot! If for nothing else, it’s easy to setup with some spare boxes and a fun experience.