Ask HN: Should I get a stand-up desk?
I've been thinking about getting one because I've heard good things, but just wanted to hear from you all about how it might help (or not help) you at work if you've tried one.
There are 2 main benefits. The most important one is that your chair and desk can be at the perfect ergonomic height while sitting. Most chairs and desks do not have the ideal height. Even an inch to high or low can cause issues over time.
The other benefit is being able to stand. It's good to allow your body to spend time in a different position. And standing is a bit more active and lets your move your muscles and shift your weight around more. I try to stand for an hour or 2 a day, but your feet and hips will get tired if you overdo it. Best to just set yourself an alarm and hit the stand button when it rings, then sit when you get tired. I find it's mostly just habit.
It's not a cure for a sedentary lifestyle, but good ergonomics and a little more variety in your work hours is better than nothing.
The stand up aspect is not very comfortable so go to a Ikea or a furniture store and try it out. I couldn't stand 3 minutes of that, let alone a few hours.
Then you can activate your sitting, standing+writing, standing+zoom meeting heights with the press of just one button. You don't even have to take your eyes off the screen.
Another benefit of the standing desk is that it’s super easy to manage cables underneath by driving it to the top of its range like a car lift.
I initally had the assumption (no idea why) that I was supposed to spend most of my time standing if I had a standing desk. Initially I thought standing desks were not for me because I'd start to feel tired after 20-30 minutes. I've now learned that a far more effective approach for back pain and general good posture is to vary your position every 20-30 mins. i.e. got from standing to sitting, or sitting to kneeling (if your setup supports it). The more viable postures you can use, the better.
To enable this, I have invested in an Hag Capisco chair, which supports multiple postures: https://store.flokk.com/uk/en-gb/products/hag-capisco Again, I initially thought it wasn't for me until I realised how it was meant to be used. The intention is to mostly sit on it with the small of your back unsupported, like you're on a stool, but with the option to relax and lean back when you get tired. I now spend very little time in the traditional sitting posture and change regulary to sitting sideways, backwards, or even kneeling on the chair. It's not for everyone but it's made a huge positive difference for me. Places that sell these will often let you try them or hire them for a few weeks to see if you like them. I'd strongly recommend having a go.
Additionally as others have mentioned, having a standing mat is a big help. I used to find that the soles of my feet would become uncofortable quite quickly. The solution I am using now is an Aeris Muvmat https://en.aeris.de/products/aeris-muvmat-schwarz-ohne-bezug which appears to be flat, but actually has irregular hard lumps under the surface. It's designed to mimic the feeling of tree roots on a forest floor. It encourages you to keep moving your feet around without you really relaising you're doing it, effectively massaging your feet slowly, so the circulation keeps going and the soles of your feet don't get tired. Thsi has been really effective for me, so highly recommended.
Additionally do buy a chair that's actually been engineered for long sitting hours and do not sit for too many hours in a row without doing at least some exercise.
A standing desk is not a substitute for a poor chair or for actual exercice.
If you do actually exercise and have a proper sitting chair, I kinda dispute the utility of wasting money and time moving your desk up and down "because reasons".
Be sure to get one that is tall enough for you. We have cheaper ones in the office than I do at my home office and they don't go quite as high as I'd like. I'm tall, but not that tall.
A standing mat is good, but gets in the way of the chair if you're trying to sit.
The best solution I have found is simply wear something with padding and support, even if you're a no-shoes-in-the-house kind of person.
Although in my experience, a pair of slippers under the desk will quickly become the favorite sleeping spot for whatever pet you may have.
As others have said, the benefit of a standing desk is that you are not in the same position for too long. This can also be achieved via other ways. Nowadays I sit on an exercise ball or get up and stretch every 30 minutes.
I try to keep moving while standing (fidgeting, but on purpose). I'd guess the health benefits are marginal, but the comfort benefits exist.
I have a four-legged motorized standing desk which is expensive, but wobbling drives me absolutely nuts, and I just won't do it. It was a major deal-breaker for a long time.
Even Uplift and Ikea use "standing desk" for their height adjustable options.
That said, the people who used the standing functionality a lot really liked it. So for some people, it's a fantastic investment. I thought I'd be one of those people... turns out I'm not. So I'll echo the sentiment in other comments here, which is that you should buy a cheap desktop converter, a used desk [1] or the standing desk from ikea before making a big investment.
[1] there's a lot of used desks out there that are in great condition. People bought them during the pandemic and now no longer work from home, or realized they don't like standing while working. At the same time, there's lots of companies that shifted permanently to remote work and are now done with their leases and selling high quality equipment at great prices.
I primarily got my desk because I was tired of having bad posture and back pain. But since I also started working out heavily at the same time I built the table, I can't attribute the desk only to alleviating any pain I had. It definitely helps though with good posture.
I'm also happy I got a smart version that can remember 4 heights. I had another (much more expensive) table at my previous workplace that didn't have it. And it was a pain switching from a seated to standing position.
If you see one person buy something then not use it, that's a fact, but if you see a lot of people do the same then it is a pattern. If there is a common pattern of people buying "betterment" products then not using them, you should evaluate why you won't be yet another statistic.
I use my standing desk for reference, but the larger point is that a lot of people buy them and then don't use them for whatever reason. Likely don't think through what they're trying to solve and how often throughout the day they think: "wish I was standing right now."
This issue is a reason why you should buy the cheap version of whatever it is first, then upgrade when you out-use the cheap one, rather than going all in on those $500 shoes or that $1500 exercise bike. Applied to standing desks: Try a "Standing Desk Converter" or a cheap IKEA standing desk for $300 instead of a high end motorized one for $1K+.
Yet a bad guitar will turn off a lot of people who would have kept playing if they had a better quality instrument.
My advice to the OP is to buy something used at a decent price. Chances are that if you don't like it after a month or so, you can sell it for close to what you paid. And if you like it so much after a month or two that you want to upgrade, you can sell it for close to what you paid.
If I could have found a good ergonomic chair that elevated to standing desk height, I would have loved to continue using it. At the time there were drafting chairs, and task chairs or task stools that would have been at the right height, but nothing really comfortable or ergonomic. Wonder if that's changed now.
They encouraged the OP to test it out if possible before committing to ensure they would actually use it in practice.
First, my experience with the standing desk: 1) If standing still, my inclination is to lock one knee, cock my hip and lean in. This gets pretty uncomfortable and is probably not much better than sitting for short-term pain issues. 2) I also bought a treadmill to do the walking desk thing. Works well for some tasks, but if I'm deep in complex coding, I can't be walking at the same time. It just doesn't work for me. There's a bit of extra context switching that happens for me when I need to turn off or turn on the treadmill.
What did work for me was a bicycle desk. I bought Garmin Tacx smart trainer and hooked up a cheap bike that I got for free from a friend. I slid the front of the bike under the desk. I can then pedal while working. I found I can pedal even when in moderately deep thought, and if I need to stop pedaling for something complex, you simply stop, rather than having to turn off a device. There have been many days where I've gotten in 50 miles of pedaling while working. I usually output 80-100 watts while working, so very low power. However, after doing that for hours, it's a non-trivial amount of calorie burn. So, you do get a lot of muscular activity.
https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2020/07/19/1630
https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2020/10/31/1800
I still have both that impromptu standing desk and a very large sitting desk with ultrawide displays, etc. What I do is to take calls on the standing desk (I typically pace while not speaking or presenting) and code/write on my normal desk.
I may some day move to a permanent sit/stand desk, but I have so much gear and my main desk is so big I have had trouble finding a suitable replacement.
The stand part, I have thick slippers and use a square of exercise floor matting to stand on.
After a month, I started drinking more water and walking around the house using pomodoro timers rather than standing.
Now several months later I sit less and less because my chair isn’t terribly comfortable over long periods of time especially in summer.
I spoke to a physical therapist with 30 years experience who said posture doesn’t matter and you will always adjust or get comfortable anyways.
Being able to push my entire chair under the desk is nice.
Personally it frustrates me a lot; I try to slide under my desk & bump into the bar. Or just sitting there, there's this bar. I'd try to make sure my desk has free clearance underneath.
Motorized standing desks are great too, but I figured that you didn’t want to commit $300 upfront before you tried it for some time
Also agree with another comment about the need for a gel cushion mat or soft shoes / sandals while using these desks in the standing position.
Like others have said, make sure to mix it up by sitting and standing. Also like sitting, standing requires proper body dynamics (standing straight, keeping your weight evenly distributed, desk at proper height). If the desk you get has a way to preset both heights, you will be more likely to get it right each time you change.
Lastly, a gel or cushion floor mat for standing can be really helpful.
And it was a real life saver when I had, for a while, a medical condition that made sitting for more than 10 minutes almost impossible.
I'd say if you do a fair amount of meetings give it a try.
Ikea makes a powered model that's decent and cheap. The power bricks sometimes fail (they are essentially laptop bricks) but they are warrantied for something like 10 years.
1. If you like recording vocals/singing while standing, you can have your microphone on the desk, but bring the desk up. (Thanks to memory you can have multiple heights for i.e. spouse).
2. If you do physical activity (gym, running, etc) and come home sweaty, but don't want to shower right away: now you can use the computer without putting your sweaty butt down on your chair.
Upgrade to a full electrical standing desk later if needed.
Walk 3 - 6 miles a day effortlessly and burn an additional 200 - 400 calories.
I never stand and work a keyboard.
The chair is where I put all my money.