

Standing desk experiment and experiences - zephyrfalcon
http://kylecordes.com/2010/standing-desk

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miked
Former IBM CEO Buck Rodgers worked standing up. He had a long thin table
partly covered in butcher block paper. When he wanted to issue an order, he
wrote it on the butcher paper, ripped it out and sent it out. I always thought
this was a great way to signal that substance counts more than presentation
for internal docs.

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jacquesm
He's called 'Buck Rogers', Buck Rodgers is a fictional character.

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jvdh
It's the other way around. Buck Rogers is the fictional character, and Buck
Rodgers is the IBM manager.

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jacquesm
Hah, fancy that! Apologies, I could have sworn it was the reverse. Thanks for
the correction.

Please vote that down, I can't delete it anymore, and I don't like deleting
stuff anyway, it's the cowards way out.

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marknutter
I tried the standing desk thing for close to a year, and while it did have
many of the benefits that the OP and others have mentioned, it can get a
little old once the initial excitement wears off. I now have a sitting desk
again with a good ergonomic chair, but I wish that I could adjust the desk to
be a standing workstation again from time to time. A hybrid is the best
solution in my opinion but those desks are friggin' expensive.

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DenisM
Search for "GeekDesk" - it's moderately priced.

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tmountain
I started using a stand up desk full time roughly a month ago. It takes some
adjusting after many years of sitting for eight hours a day, but I'm starting
to reap the benefits. I've suffered from lower back and neck pain for years,
and those issues are gone. There's a perceivable increase in my overall energy
level, and oddly enough, I just feel happier on a day to day basis. Looking
through my git logs, it also seems I've been more productive, but it's hard to
quantatively prove that without a real analysis. One thing I can measure for
sure though is the fact that I've lost a little weight. Apparently standing
for eight hours a day burns roughly 10,000 calories per month, so that's
another perk.

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proee
Here's my recent setup. My friend sold me an industry style workbench with
motor lift that he scored at an auction (for 60 bucks). I had a nice solid
wood top from another desk that worked perfect.

Setup includes 30" monitor in the middle with two 20" monitors on edge.

I'm not standing all day, just a few hours a day at the moment.

<http://i.imgur.com/yZYlq.jpg>

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asolove
I have a functional, attractive, cheap options. I bought an IKEA bookcase,
used the very highest shelf and the bottom half for tech and design books, and
two shelves for the monitors and the keyboard/mouse.

\- I can adjust for my eye and arm level to within half an inch

\- The whole setup looks professional in a modern chic sort of way

\- Only fifty bucks.

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phernandez
I'd like to see the pics too, or a link to the bookcase. I've been wanting to
try this out.

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aymeric
Has anyone tried treadmill desks? I would like to give that a try but would
love to hear people's opinions on it.

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sea6ear
We have a fitness room here at work. I've tried putting a board across one of
the treadmills so I can use my laptop on it.

impressions: \- my top speed I can really walk without sweating is about 1.9
miles per hour. \- 1.5 miles per hour is best for me as far as actually being
able to think and walk at the same time. \- Above 2 miles per hour, all I'll
really doing is exercising and watching to make sure nothing important pops up
on my computer screen. I can't really concentrate on hard problems or type
well at that speed.

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phreeza
I find standing up helps me think about problems, and while I have never
worked long-term at a stand-up desk, I frequently stand up if I feel like I
need to clear my head or focus.

I think this used to be a lot more common, there is for example a famous Photo
of Einstein working while standing up.

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Keyframe
lots of philosophers and thinkers in general "worked" while walking around. It
has to do with circulation and blood flow to the brain I guess. Due to the
nature of our work it would not be practical though.

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kqr2
Descartes actually liked to work in bed until noon.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes>

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pedalpete
I've just returned to a stand-up desk after going back to a sit-down desk for
two years.

I've taken a simple extra chest of drawers which was lying around the house,
and put a 2" thick piece of wood on top. My monitors are likely a little on
the low side, but my keyboard is about right.

In the past, I've stood on a balance board to further engage my core (though
when your hands are on the keyboard, you'd be amazed at how easy standing on a
balance board is).

One thing I've looked at doing is taking buying two adjustable base stools,
removing the seat part and attaching a desk of some sort to those. That way I
would have a height adjustable work station for about $200

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pfedor
I saw a doctor yesterday about my back pain and he actually recommended
against a standing desk. He said they are mostly recommended for people with
herniated disks, which is a more serious condition than a regular back pain.

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niels_olson
All the orthopedics clinics at my hospital have standing setups for the
doctors' workrooms (the workroom itself a somewhat new idea, I think:
basically converted closets where we all go to computers to look at imaging,
check labs, and write electronic notes). Theirs are all non-adjustible but of
appropriate height, made entirely of plywood and formica, with the lights
down. They are some of the happiest doctors and most productive doctors in the
hospital. I'll be moving to a new job in a couple of months, I plan to set up
a standing desk. This looks like a good option.

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wyclif
I love the idea of a standing desk. I only wish there were more shopping
options out there. Steelcase and Anthro are pricey, most of us aren't living
on Master P wages.

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aschobel
I picked the IKEA Fredrik standing desk last week and it works great. Not as
pretty as their older Jerker desks, but it beats the phone books I was using
to lift my normal desk.

<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60111123>

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wyclif
Thanks for that link; I had not seen that. Do you put your monitor on the top
shelf, lowering it? Or the middle shelf?

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benno37
You can choose how exactly you put the shelves, I have my monitor right on the
top shelf, but I'm quite tall. I have the main 'desk' part in the middle with
the final shelf underneath.

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kscaldef
I'm not sure I understand how incorrect relative placement of the keyboard and
monitor is any more or less an issue with a standing vs. sitting desk. Your
upper body remains in the same position either way, so wouldn't you want both
keyboard and monitor to move up and down in lock-step?

That said, almost all sitting desks, IME, place the keyboard too high relative
to the monitor.

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niels_olson
"Upper body" is where you went wrong. Anatomically, we don't talk about an
"upper body". There is the shoulder girdle (collar bones, scapula, manubrium),
thorax (chest with ribs), the abdomen (soft, supported by the lumbar spine and
flank muscles (aka fajitas, or skirt steak)), and then the pelvis. Your lumbar
spine is in an entirely opposite position (flexion vs extension) when sitting
vs standing because it has to accommodate the connection between your torso
and your pelvis. Your torso's position may be the same, but your pelvis is
clearly rotated anteriorly while sitting compared to standing. This puts
different loads on the lumbar disks and the strap muscles of the spine, some
of the biggest muscles in your body (in pigs these giant muscles are bread-
loafed to make pork chops - that bone in the pork chop is half a lumbar
vertebrate)

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kscaldef
How does that affect where I want my keyboard relative to my monitor (i.e.
positions of my eyes vs. hands)?

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RiderOfGiraffes
Martin Gardner used to work at a standing desk - mentioned here:

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-
obituarie...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-
obituaries/books-obituaries/7765184/Martin-Gardner.html)

<http://alexbellos.com/?p=1255>

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0nly1ife
Does standing in one place for a long period of time have a negative impact on
blood circulation in your feet and legs, not to mention stress your heart?
I've heard surgeons have circulation problems when they get older from
standing all the time.

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mildavw
I just converted to a standing desk at work last week. My experience so far is
that I don't stand in one place. I'm constantly moving--taking a step back to
think, bouncing on my toes, moving aside for my pair partner, etc.

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sreitshamer
I occasionally use a standing desk of sorts -- I put my laptop on the kitchen
counter. It's great for standing and working for short periods.

