Hacker News Reader

Comment by poblano | Hacker News Reader

Has anyone else switched to a standing desk setup? Do you like it?

Yep. I first switched to a standing desk at work, and later got one for home as well (built from IKEA parts). I've found that I'm a lot more productive with a standing desk, mostly because I procrastinate less.

Adjusting to working while standing is difficult. Adjustable desks that can go up and down, especially at the push of a button, only make it harder to actually get used to it. You'll get tired quickly from standing, switch to sitting, and then forget to stand back up (because sitting is a habit, whereas standing is not yet).

I've built a standing desk that does not adjust. When I get tired of standing I'll grab my laptop and go to the couch for a bit, and then get back to standing. This might not work for every setup, but it's great for me.

My solution for when I get tired of standing is to sit on a bar stool. I have an Ikea Sebastian bar stool which is the perfect height to sit at my standing desk. It is uncomfortable enough that I switch back to standing after a while.

You'll get tired quickly from standing

Agree. Not to be overlooked. Standing ~8 hrs non-stop requires athletic fitness and good posture. One would be surprised. Your shoes, etc. need to be supportive. Any lack of support or posture will make itself known. =D

For those who type have you had issues with your posture standing? I've never used a standing desk but would be concerned that putting weight forward and looking down would be tiresome or fatiguing?

For long periods, it's usually chest out shoulders back and head level (like the army). As off balance element in the spinal column requires a lot of energy to keep upright, otherwise.

I built one (from Ikea parts, inspired by a posting on ikeahackers) very recently.

I use it far too short a time (2 weeks now) to say whether it really helps, but it's definitely a change that makes me happy _so far_.

I feel more awake (no 'slumping'). I move a lot, walk in circles and just move away from the machine, when I feel I need to think about something.

Will I keep using it from now on? Only time will tell.. It _is_ definitely less comfortable than reclining in a good chair.. :)

Is typing comfortable with a standing desk? Every time I've used a computer at standing height, it's been a little uncomfortable, but they certainly weren't tailored to my height.

You really need one customized for you. It's probably worse to have a misconfigured standing desk than it is to have a correctly configured sitting desk.

I use this one that I built for $22: http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dolla...

Love it. Use it every day at work, and days when I have to sit all day (Traveling, in meetings, whatever)... I feel AWFUL at the end of the day.

Typing at a standing desk is comfortable if you get the height correct for your body. And for me it is important to have a riser at the front of the keyboard, like this [1]. My arms are angled close to 90 degrees, but pointed slightly downward, a keyboard flat on the desk would put far too much stress on my wrists.

[1] http://cdn.asia.cnet.com/i/r/2008/pp/43776845/sc003.jpg

Standing desks are amazing. It def made me more productive, felt better during the day because of not sitting and the fact that you can walk off whenever you like is a great thing.

I tried at home for a few month and couldn't adapt to it. It hurts my legs too much after a few hours. I'm really not athletic so that's part of the issue.

What annoyed me also was that I couldn't do creatives things while standing, only simple repetive tasks were ok. So I stopped.

Did you consider a standing-mat?

"Standing on a hard floor for prolonged periods without anti-fatigue matting can cause pain and discomfort in the lower legs, feet and back." - some website selling them.

Two things really helped me when I was transitioning to a standing desk:

1) a standing mat 2) a bar stool (for sitting and leaning when my feet get tired)

I made the switch by having two computers: a sit down desk where I disabled most websites, and a stand up desk where I could freely browse the web. After a week or two, I was fine standing up and made the full transition.

You will definitely want to relax from time to time though.

I use one at home (so, 2-3 hours a day) and I quite like it. Get comfortable shoes, though; in my limited experience, they are crucial in how enjoyable the experience is.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com