Comment by oscardelben | Hacker News Reader

Comment by oscardelben | Hacker News Reader

I've been using a stand up desk as well for the past few months. Here are my observations:

- barefoot is better, especially with a low tech mat to make a soft surface. I never wear shoes while working and I don't regret it.

- the first few days are a bit tough, you may experience some back pain. Nothing too hard, but depending on your body that could last up to one week from what I've heard. After that, I'd never go back to sitting all day. It just doesn't reasonate with me anymore.

- the desk that you intend to use will make a hugr difference. I got mine at Ikea after seeing a recommendation here on hacker news. It's basically a desk with three adjustable panels, put the bigger in the middle http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60111123

- it's important that you experiment with a few heits if you're unsure. A couple of inches can make a big difference. Make sure that you eyes are watching slightly below to avoid neck pain.

If you work from home, you'll love it. You can literally think while walking around your room, there's no resistance rom a chair. You'll take more breaks and feel better overall. And if that doesn't work for you, you can always go back to a regular chair.

I've also been using a standing desk for a while -- maybe six months at this point.

I built my standing desk out of scrap wood, and quickly determined that I wanted a place to put a foot up: At about 12" off the floor I added a horizontal support that I can leave one or another foot on. It makes a HUGE difference for standing.

I also have a drafting chair that I CAN sit in if I want to, so I'm not completely tied to standing if I'm tired. My most productive days are certainly the ones where I stand for most of the time, though.

Great point on the low foot support. I've been nearly subconsciously putting one foot or the other on objects underneath my standing desk. Breaking symmetry and having multiple positions to stand in is certainly useful.

My setup is exactly the same as yours. I have a rug over a rubber floor mat, which allows me to stand barefoot for long periods of time. Since the Ikea desk doesn't adjust vertically, I pull up a bar stool whenever I want to sit down.

I find that I switch back and forth between standing and sitting several times per day without really thinking. My body knows what it wants, so I just go with the flow. I can't imagine working at a normal sitting desk any more.

I've got a bamboo chair mat that I stand on when working at home, which wouldn't be particularly good except the floor in this room in my apartment is, for lack of a better word, lumpy. It makes the chair mat contour almost perfectly such that I can stand barefoot comfortably.

I don't actually have a standing desk, however. I have a two-level seated desk, with the monitors on the upper level.

The solution? Boxes and a wireless keyboard. Stand up, bring the keyboard up--sit down, put the keyboard on the desk itself.

It's like I'm in college all over again.

Is there anything cheaper than the ikea one?

you're using electrical equipment barefoot?? that's not too smart...

If your floor isn't conductive, how is it different than wearing rubber soles? Also, odds are your equipment has a grounding plug.

Where I live it's exactly the opposite, and most sockets or electrical wiring have not proper grounding support.

Good thing I took out that aluminum flooring last week.

I think he is referring to static shock to equipment.

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