New desk arrangement

[mckitterick]

To try to enhance my metabolism when working long hours at my desk and to avoid sitting-still injuries, I decided to give the stand-up desk thing a try. Here's what it looks like right now:



Basically, I piled one desk on top of another, dropped both as low as they'll go, pushed a little table in front of the whole thing, and piled a laptop writing desk and mobile writing desk on top of that for my keyboard and mouse. Still a little high, so rather than just an anti-fatigue mat below my feet, I added two more anti-fatigue mats and a rug on top of that. Good height now!

So far, I'm noticing that my lower back and knees aren't so happy with it, but I'll get used to it... I hope.

Anyone out there tried a stand-up desk? Tips, tricks to share?

And I had to share this awesome Space Kitty Rocket-Pack from artist Jeff de Boer:


Click the image to see the artist's Space Stuff page.

He has tons of great retro-space art, among other neato-keen stuff!

Chris

Comments

[emt-hawk.livejournal.com]

Bar rail. That's why they're there, to prevent back pain and keep drinkers at the bar. Try a low box for now.

--Hawk

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you mean to rest one foot on or to lean my butt against?

[emt-hawk.livejournal.com]

Put one foot on it. The other would be a bar stool.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Try squeezing your glutes to take some pressure off your lower back.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Good thinkin'!

[tully01.livejournal.com]

I can't use a stand-up desk at all, at least not for more than a few minutes at most. Kills my back (mid-thoracic spine area, old injury). :( I can see where they'd be good for helping stay in shape and such, but if you already have back problems they are probably not for you.

Of course, a week or so of use and you will KNOW whether or not you can use one long term. If you can't or shouldn't, your various body part will tell you ALL about why you can't or shouldn't. In ways guaranteed to make the point.

At least when I'm standing at a bar there's anesthhetic directly to hand, but I still pay for it later.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Good points! Before I make something permanent, I want to see how this goes. Will report in later.

Hm, I could keep anesthetic near this desk....

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

orrin recently converted a portion of his desk to a standing desk at work. I'll ask him how it's going.

Aside: how difficult is it to hook up 2 monitors to the same PC? I have a 2nd monitor but not sure how to make the magic happen (without a week of trial, error, & banging my head against the wall).

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

My computer (a "lap"top) recognized the HDMI cable right away and even installed the appropriate monitor driver. If yours doesn't, your monitor ought to come with software for such.

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

He says he hasn't gotten to use it as much as he'd like & needs to adjust the height, but it's definitely an improvement over trying to do the same thing while sitting.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Go to the kitchen section at walmart and pick up a gel mat to stand on (that's cheap enough that you can try it out without too much commitment.) The gel mat helped with the sore feet.

Also, I have a 60$ standing podium...and having a place to put one foot is very helpful. You could put a stack of 3 or so encyclopedias on the floor and put one foot on that. Switch feet from time to time.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

I also suggest a bar rail/something to put a foot on. My back (unstable lower discs) also couldn't take a standing desk all day but I <3 sitting on an exercise ball, which is what I use at my desk. And it actively engages core muscles at the very least (you can roll around at intervals, if you want more exercise), so to some degree negates the metabolism/sitting-still injuries.

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

An exercise ball in lieu of a desk chair? That's an awesome idea! Thank you!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I tried a bunch of things and never quite got comfortable (literally). So now I'm back on a chair, but a more comfortable one - and occasionally an exercise ball! (Good tip.)

[displacedtexan.livejournal.com]

I got a stand-up desk last summer, one with a foot rest to make it easier to shift weight foot to foot. That helps. It took a little getting used to. After all, you're using muscles in a way to which they're not accustomed. It's also nice to have a stool or even a couch to give you an occasional break.

When I started using mine I didn't note any low back or knee issues, but my calves were definitely sore for a few days. Once adjusted I think you'll like it.

[displacedtexan.livejournal.com]

Bar rail. That's what I meant rather than foot rest.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I did this the cheapest, ugliest, and least-stable way possible at work - I stacked four or five desktop speaker boxes (the boxes are slightly bigger than bricks) on my desk, and put my monitors, keyboard, and track ball on top of them (which is to say, I have eighteen speaker boxes on my desk, in two stacks each of four and five high; when we have two hundred spare sets of speakers, we get a little punchy).

When I stand, I tilt the monitors upwards. When I sit, I take the keyboard and mouse off and put them on the desk, and angle the monitors downward.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

That is an awesomely Rube Goldbergian solution!

Now that my job duties

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

have changed (and right now and until the start of March a lot of it is reading and learning) I should try and see how much I can stand at work, our tables go up and down, including the monitor stand and typing return.

I have determined that I cannot do production typing standing -- I learned to touch-type and it just does not work standing up. Also probably because I like to keep mu wrists fairly straight, I type like some people play the piano. But production is going to be different now, analyzing forms, making written corrections and looking up records/adding notes into computer files. Not typing fast as you can.

We will see. My leg is not an issue, standing and walking are comfortable.

[paulwoodlin.livejournal.com]

With my flat feet, the only good a stand up desk would do me is to remind me I spend too much time on the Internet. Wait...

[pointoforigin.livejournal.com]

I like your desk. It is improvisational and appropriately space-agey. I haven't been using mine long enough to have any words of wisdom. Except that when I'm standing there, I fidget constantly and often pace around a little, which I guess is a good thing.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Indeed! I think the perfect solution is a hybrid: Stand-up when I want it up, sit down when I grow weary. Stand up again when my butt gets tired. Repeat.