Lifehacker: "I spend about 45 to 50 hours a week working on my computer. Up until a week ago, I did that work sitting on my ever-expanding behind.
Last Monday I adjusted my desk to standing height (pictured right). I spent the week working on my feet, and I'm never going back to a sitdown desk again. Here are some questions and answers about the change.
14 comments:
For three years I was a bank teller. You could stand or sit doing your work. I found when I was standing I worked better. We're almost programmed as children in our school desks that sitting down is the work position. Isn't "sit down and get to work" an expression we've heard. But I think the opposite is true. There's something about standing, legs planted on the floor forcing the torso upright to work.
Also reminded me of the new desks in 33, much lower than the old ones. I guess some kids are trying to stand and bend down to their work. The new shorter desks seem counter intuitive to the body.
When I was drafting all my freshman year, I always stood. Sitting just seems to limit the freedom and mobility of your body. I agree with Matt, standing forces the body to focus and move. When I sit, I just become antsy, and it becomes harder for me to pay attention. However when I'm standing, it allows me to literally be on my toes. Now I'm not saying all classes should now be taught with the students standing, because things such as taking notes become more difficult, but I do find it intriguing the connection between the body and focus.
I agree with the comments above. When standing it definitely does make you focus more and become less distracted. Last year when we had all our classes in 33, I would actually stand a lot, even when it wasn't for drafting. I found that when I was sleep deprived and having a hard time focusing on the lecture, if I stood up it was so much easier to pay attention because I couldn't just slump and have my desk support me. That being said though, I don't quite buy that the author of this article is using this as a weight loss tool. She said she's lost 12 pounds, but she said she's actively trying to lose weight. If it is the placebo effect and she really does think this is making her lose all that weight, that's great, but I doubt much of that loss is associated to simply standing.
I agree with you guys, and I can say now that our drafting desks have changed that I get so much more work done when I'm standing up. The more complex assignments I had last semester took me several hours a piece but I would finish them quickly and still have time for sleep. The new assignments in perspective drawing take less time to complete and should have only been about 3 or 4 hours of my time, and yet I'm still not finished. Drafting from a seated position, I feel, has slowed me down considerably. Not that the desks aren't really smooth and nice or anything, just a little on the small side.
This is such an interesting idea! I think that standing more than sitting seems like a great idea for fitness, focus, and definitely for will power. Getting through the first few days must be awful, but what great results. I think that the way children are taught to always stay seated in class should be reconsidered; perhaps letting them stand some more will increase productivity, as it has for these people.
This article is interesting considering the 33 desks. I have not been drafting in the studio so last semester I was working sitting and have just switched to standing. I do draft faster but if I lost any weight, it will be from travel to the desk. (But maybe I should set up a treadmill desk....)
The woman in the article said she just took the three hours to reconfigure her desk; if we are having so much trouble with the new desk, maybe it would be worth our time to loft our desks a bit.
I completely agree with Matt and others about how standing can increase your focus. After reading this article, I was reminded about the usefulness of a "Standing Meeting", or "Hallway Meeting". They tend to be quick, focused and efficient because everyone is standing. I can only jump on the bandwagon that it might have to do with what sitting means to us rather than a standing conversation.
It's strange how our perspective can change so quickly. Until grad school, I've always worked on the shop floor, so sitting down was always really nice during breaks and at the end of the day. This past summer, however, I worked at JR Clancy, where a lot of my work was done sitting at a desk. I have to tell you, I really appreciated the times when I got to get up and get my hands on some projects! I can really see the benefit of a standing desk, and if I ever have a desk job, I will consider working standing up.
The article made some valid points about how the change of posture can have a positive effect on how your organs operate when you practice correct posture. It sounds rather like a yoga approach to the matter. However, I would be interested to see if he actually loses more weight with this practice, as he intended when he began the experiment. I understand people's desire to live an active lifestyle in a sedentary job but I wonder if that's really the issue. Perhaps people should also be paying more attention to the time they spend outside of work. I can understand the desire to find ways to break up your poor posture and constant sitting during long days, but those are necessarily the reasons people are out of shape. They contribute, sure, but don't dominate it unless you have let it.
I just glad that someone thought about something that people consider completely normal, and questioned it. And not only did he think about a new idea, he actually executed it, and committed to it even thought the first 3 or 4 days were hard. This is especially admirable since you're already working, and now adding physical discomfort. I don't think I could do thoughtful work that way, but drafting, which is tedious, the time definitely flies while standing. I do think the idea is interesting. Medically, it sounds beneficial.
The article briefly mentioned that too much of anything is not good. Think that she has moved from one extreme to another. She may continuing to do damage to her body just in other ways. I do agree that when we sit at our computers all day, we have bad posture. That can be corrected. Just like forcing yourself to stand, you can force yourself to have better posture. I know when I sit at a desk, I have awful posture. I have tried to correct it but to no avail. It just takes some self discipline and an occasional reminder.
The idea that people work better when standing may or may not be true. I am not sure that it would work for me. I think I would be more apt to distraction. The only way to find out would be to try it.
This is amazing and an absolutely worthwhile switch for someone who spends hours and hours and hours (and hours) on end working at their computer.
I like standing and working--for whatever reason I tend to feel more productive and more focused when I am on my feet attempting a task than when I am sitting.
Sitting is conducive to relaxing, or getting distracted by other things. It's also a lot easier to doze off while sitting down...
Gina mentions in this article the foot pain that accompanied the first few days of this experiment. I've spent my share of time working on my feet--standing at a cash register for hours at a time, not allowed to sit because we couldn't appear "lazy" to the customers. Bah. I've never felt foot pain/ache so intense as the first week or so of that job, but it is true that the pain goes away so that should not be a deterrent.
Even with the possible "threat" of varicose veins from too much standing, I think the health and productivity benefits FAR FAR outweigh any negatives from this type of set up. I may ultimately adopt a work station set up like this.
As a few others mentioned, I wish our desks in Purnell had a similar option, as our older desks did. This stand up concept could really make a difference to the overall health of students, especially considering how little time we have for exercise in our days, besides going up and down the stairs. Though the new desks are nice, clean, and smooth, I'm considering figuring out a way to raise the height of my desk to standing height. As they say, a healthy body helps keep a healthy, sharp mind.
I think standing up is great for working. Though it can be tiring, it can help to keep you awake and moving around. I worked in retail and found that if I sat down I'd become more physically tired than if I were standing up at the register. If I were standing my legs might have been tired, but I was more awake and alert. I also find that I focus more when I draft standing up than I do sitting down.
Post a Comment