Peace of Mind Organizing

Trying out a standing desk

31 August 2012

We’ve all been reading recently about the health dangers of sitting all day. This is really bad news for people like computer programmers and writers who sit for hours at a stretch, in flow, while time zips by.

My clever friend, Margaret Lukens, of New Leaf and Company wrote a blog post about this entitled, Sitting is the new smoking .

When I work with clients, I’m usually on my feet. But I spend at least half (usually much less than half) of my work week with clients. The rest of the time, I’m at my desk, doing that desk work that’s so essential for running a business.

Not only that, but my hobbies are knitting and genealogy research, both of which are primarily sitting activities.

This news that sitting on my butt—something I do with somewhat alarming frequency—is dangerous is disturbing indeed. As I’ve read about it, I’ve become attracted to the notion of using a standing desk.

I saw this video about the working area of successful writer Christie Aschwanden who has a convertible standing/sitting desk. Unfortunately, it costs something like $3000, which is out of my price range (until I become convinced of the benefits).

I’ve seen multiple blog posts, starting here at Ikea Hackers and here at Apartment Therapy about creating a standing desk from a regular one.

I’m not the only one in my house thinking about it. One day I saw my husband standing at his desk, with his keyboard, monitor and mouse all resting on top of cardboard boxes. That didn’t turn out to be a sustainable solution.

I spent a little time thinking about how I might create a standing desk of my own. I know I don’t want to use one full time, because I’m on my feet plenty. But it would be nice to have one when I want to change things up during the day.

And then it hit me. I have two Expedit shelves on their sides, on legs, in one of my two home offices. I selected the legs so that the height would be right for working. Here’s a photo I took back when I was setting up this office.

These cases hold supplies for clients

I also use a MacBook laptop, though it’s usually tethered to an external monitor (and I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse when I’m at my desk).

Today, I decided to untether my computer from my desk and take it the few steps to the Expedit shelf. And here I am, writing this blog post while standing up.

I have to say, it’s kind of cool! The change of scenery is good. Standing feels good, since I’ve been sitting all day. I don’t think the ergonomics are the best, since I have to look down to see my laptop’s monitor. And I think my elbows are a little high. But it’s nice for short stretches. I think what I’ll do is set a reminder on desk days to work standing up for awhile.

If you’re intrigued by the notion of a standing desk, maybe take a look around your house and see if you already have something you can use. I’m glad I finally realized I did!

ETA: It’s now January 2017 and the popularity of standing desks has not waned (though I find I seldom stand at my computer). I’ve become aware of this great review of standing desks. If you’re interested in buying one, you might find it helpful.

And while I’m adding things, I’ll mention that my husband purchased a sit/stand desk a few years back. As I thought it might, it stays in the sitting position most of the time. But it’s awfully nice for him to have the option to raise his desk and stand.

Tagged with: furniture, health, ikea hacker, margaret lukens, repurposing

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