Many professions do most of their work standing up. I spent the first half of my working life in the catering industry on my feet for 10-12 hours at a time sometimes. You might think that long periods of standing would put pressure on your body in a less than optimal way, but, it wasn’t until I go a desk job that I experienced back pain, and considerable weight gain.
Over the last few months I’ve come across a few articles about standing desks. The concept planted itself at the back of my mind, a tiny seed that has begun to grow and grow over time. I kept pushing the idea aside thinking it would be too much of an upheaval to go out and buy a new desk just on the off chance. I live in a microscopic flat, there is barely the room for two chairs nevermind two desks, however, after a lazier than usual weekend spent trying to fight off the cold, moving between the sofa and the desk and few places in between, the lethargy and achyness of all that sitting propelled me to take action.
So, I cleared the kitchen counter (which is at waist height) and set up my computer and keyboard. This post is the first piece of work at my temporary standing desk so it is too early to give too much feedback. My initial thoughts are that I may need something a tiny bit higher, but other than that typing feels so much more comfortable than sitting down as the shoulders aren’t forced up in anyway. I also can’t resist the temptation to bop about to the music (Interpol).
Apart for the benefits of sitting less and getting the blood flowing more, I’m hoping that the standing desk will improve my efficiency, and stop me just spacing out in my chair aimlessly clicking on things, checking facebook a million times a day but never leaving an update. I want to get to the point where I come to my desk to do specific pieces of work, more focused and more deliberate.
I do read a lot on the web and have a pretty comprehensive google reader subscription list. For those reads I’m happy to be in the bath, or snuggled up on the sofa with my ipad. Yes I do take my ipad into the bath, living on the edge is something I’ve gotten used to where baths are concerned, I love baths and I love technology and I’m not prepared to choose between the too!
Further reading
Can’t Stand to Sit Too Long? There’s a Desk for That
Stand up while you read this
Is sitting a lethal activity
