Since starting at my job about a year ago I’ve had a pretty basic cubicle full of all the technology any IT person could ever ask for. I spend about 60% of my week in that cube sitting in an old chair starring at my displays.
Since my family is notorious for having back pains later in life I thought I’d take another step of avoid those woes and invest in an adjustable standing desk by Ergotron.
Day 1
Got the desk setup just the way I want. Kudos to Ergotron again for making it super easy to setup. This thing literally popped out of the box and was good to go.
Now I don’t have all my cable ties down just he way I’d like but I needed to be functional before I can be fashionable. I looked into getting a center bar to mount (2) 27″ displays but it seems the max supported size was 24″. This really was fine in the end. I don’t mind them up the way they are. What do you think?
I love that I’ve only got three cables running to my 13″ MacBook Pro. Two Thunderbolt cables (one going to a Belkin Dock) and the magsafe power adapter. This makes it really easy to unplug and go. Also it’s nice having my SD card reader on the MacBook Pro very accessible. Since then I’ve updated to the newest MacBook Pro with only USB-C and it’s actually become even easier.
Day 2
So like most things you’re excited about Day 1 was the honeymoon phase. Now it’s day 2 and I’m realizing that this thin carpet is not going to cut and an am looking into a floor mat to stand on.
Day 3
Today is really the first full day of standing at the desk. Past two days I’ve had half days so today is the first true test. Unsurprisingly I need a floor mat. These basic Vans sneakers don’t cut it.
The floor mat I’m ordering won’t be here for sometime and costs over $200 so it better be worth it. You hear me Ergotron??? Get that floor mat here asap.
Other than that not too much to report I screwed my shoulder up doing keg stands over the weekend (don’t ask) so I haven’t been able to bring it up and down but I got a boat load of new accessories for the desk as well and it’s as steady as ever.
Day 14… Where is my mat?
Day 30
Took about a month for my floor mat to come in. Let me just say there are a million of these available on Amazon for way cheaper than what I paid for my Ergotron one. I’m not sure how much better or worse one is than another but I don’t really care. Anything is better when you wear Vans every day.
The mat isn’t making as much of a difference as I’d hope but I’m only about 7 days into using it.
After a month of using the standing desk I’m extremely impressed. My body adjusted to standing 6-8 hours a day at my desk instead of sitting. There are very few times throughout the week I feel the need to sit down. Also depends on how big of a lunch I eat.
If you’re considering making the transition to a standing desk here are the biggest take aways:
- Try and get your company to pay for it. Most companies will consider as it can save them in healthcare costs down the road.
- If you need a union to come in and do any furniture renovations consider a model that just drops on an existing table like mine.
- Learn how to cable manage. You don’t want your monitors pulled off the desk because you managed them too tight. (No this did not happen to me)
- Go wireless with everything you can. (Mouse, Keyboard, Trackpad)
That’s really it. I love my new desk and am considering one for my tiny apartment at home. I don’t really have the space for a desk chair so it would be perfect for me. If you’ve got a standing desk or are considering one let me know in the comments below.
Me too. I love it! The right shoes makes the difference.
Will I’m in the market do you know of any casual but professional type shoes that you recommend???
Not yet, but I’m reaching the point that I need new shoes soon. I alternate three pairs of shoes I bought at Macy’s. The high top, Chukka-type are not suitable for standing. The two casual work shoes are much better. They have leather soles, and good cushioning on the inside. I’m wearing Perry Ellis Portfolio Oxfords today and my feet like me. I could probably wear sneakers, but I need to look semi-professional in the office. I love wearing boat shoes like Sperry Topsiders, but they don’t have the soles or cushioning for standing all day. Brands like Bass or Rockport would be good to wear.
I’m in the same boat. Fortunately I can wear vans all the time and do. I sometimes wear Sperry’s but not the type with any kind of support. I’ll look into some Rockports and Bass asap. Thanks!
Really nice post!