Standing Desk!
So I've been reading about standing desks for nearly a year now. Lifehacker is always posting an article about DIY standing desks and how much better they are for you physically and all that. I've been wanting to try using one for a while, but didn't think I could easily convert my current desk into a standing desk and I didn't want to buy a new one. Then this weekend I starting really brainstorming and figured something out that seems to be working:
I'm using a Mikael corner workstation from Ikea. I moved the shelves that normally go above the monitor down and was able to fit my iMac on the shelves. I was worried the shelves wouldn't hold the weight of my iMac, but they seem to be doing just fine. I'm going to keep my eye out for something to go under the shelves to provide some extra support, just in case. The iMac is at the perfect height (my eye level is just below the top of the monitor). As for the keyboard and mouse, I'm using a cardboard bankers box for now. It raises the keyboard to a good height for typing, though it could be a tad higher. I'm not sure what I could use as a more permanent replacement, but I'll keep my eyes out.
I've only used it today, and so far I'm enjoying the standing. I feel less lethargic when I'm standing at my desk than when I'm sitting, less tempted to just goof around instead of getting some work done. I've read that people who start out with standing desks should take breaks every hour or so and sit for a minutes, otherwise things start to hurt. I've noticed that myself, though I've also recently started a more frequent treadmill workout and my legs were already sore from that.
I'd also like to find a way to turn my desk in my office into a standing desk. That desk is just a table, and it should be easy to put some sort of platform or podium to raise my laptop and external monitor up the right height, but finding such a thing for cheap will be tricky.
I'm using a Mikael corner workstation from Ikea. I moved the shelves that normally go above the monitor down and was able to fit my iMac on the shelves. I was worried the shelves wouldn't hold the weight of my iMac, but they seem to be doing just fine. I'm going to keep my eye out for something to go under the shelves to provide some extra support, just in case. The iMac is at the perfect height (my eye level is just below the top of the monitor). As for the keyboard and mouse, I'm using a cardboard bankers box for now. It raises the keyboard to a good height for typing, though it could be a tad higher. I'm not sure what I could use as a more permanent replacement, but I'll keep my eyes out.
I've only used it today, and so far I'm enjoying the standing. I feel less lethargic when I'm standing at my desk than when I'm sitting, less tempted to just goof around instead of getting some work done. I've read that people who start out with standing desks should take breaks every hour or so and sit for a minutes, otherwise things start to hurt. I've noticed that myself, though I've also recently started a more frequent treadmill workout and my legs were already sore from that.
I'd also like to find a way to turn my desk in my office into a standing desk. That desk is just a table, and it should be easy to put some sort of platform or podium to raise my laptop and external monitor up the right height, but finding such a thing for cheap will be tricky.