Mark Redshaw |
When it comes to the work place it seems that everyone is talking about why they should get a standing desk. So as an office furniture business that sells a lot of standing desks it seemed natural that I should use one too. After all, sitting is meant to be the new smoking.
However, 6 months after installing one I found myself hardly standing. I have an electric model that raises and lowers in seconds, why wouldn’t I use it when it's quick and easy to set into position, and I knew the health benefits. I was the smoker, looking at the cancerous lung photo on the pack of cigarettes and ignoring the warning.
As with any issue in life, the first step to change is to acknowledge that you have a problem. “Hello my name is Mark and I’m a sitoholic”. From there I looked at what barriers might be stopping me from taking just seconds to adjust my position. What I found really came down to three main things.
- When to use the stand function
- Remembering to use it
- Making it comfortable to use
1 / When to use the stand function
This is probably the most important thing.
I found the key is to stand during tasks that have a defined outcome. e.g smashing out e-mail replies and completing admin tasks.
I leave the creative / business development tasks to the morning when I’m fresher and a seating position is preferred.
I use the standing desk as a booster when energy and concentration levels tend to dip, after lunch.
2 / Remembering to use it
On any given day we get interrupted so often that a large amount of processing power gets used up just staying on top of things. It's easy to ‘forget' to use a standing desk.
There are products that solve this like the Stir Kinect which will cost you about $US4900. Try getting that past management!
Otherwise, if you are like me and think that it is a horrendous waste of money then there is an app that can perform the same sort of thing for free.
Stand Up (http://www.raisedsquare.com/standup/) lets you set a reminder of when and how long you want to stand for. This simple little reminder can be all that is needed to trigger your memory to get standing.
3 / Making it comfortable to use
Most offices are made with concrete floors and then are covered with a thin, but durable carpet or tile. Add dress shoes to the mix and you have a recipe for discomfort. If by chance you get to wear your Nike Free Runs to work then this probably won’t be an issue, but for everyone else we highly recommend trying an anti fatigue mat. These types of mats can reduce a lot of foot and lower limb tiredness if you are trying to take your standing to pro level. Anti fatigue mats can be purchased from as little as $75+GST.
So what I have taken away from my standing desk experience, is that like all areas of your life including work, eating and tight rope walking, balance is key. There is no point trying to strengthen your back by standing all day, only to blow out your knees instead. Take your time and start with small periods of time standing, and work up to longer lengths of time standing and you’ll never look back.