Trying New Things – Standing

I decided to try something new today. I’ve long thought about how much time I spend sitting. Between photo editing and general online tasks, I’m attached to my laptop a lot. And while a laptop is a go-anywhere kind of device, you tend to sit with it a lot, eh?

I’ve had a vague interest in standing desks every since I first read about them. In fact, when I read about them during my old job, it occurred to me that I unconsciously stood quite often in my cube. Some time leaning over my desk. Other times when I had non-PC oriented activities, I’d do those standing over a shelf or my file cabinet.

But that more or less ended when I started working at home. My desk was only really made for one way of working and that was sitting. Perhaps that explains the tendonitis in my left leg a short time later?

Today the “I sit too much” thought entered my mind again. And I started reading abut standing desks and treadmill desks. I particularly like the idea of the latter since I have a treadmill so it would just be matter of sorting out a desk/shelf at the right height.

But that’s a lot of effort for a trial. What if I rigged up said desk and found that I absolutely could not chew gum and walk at the same time, never mind work? Likewise, I really want a standing desk where I either have a tall seat or can change the height of the desk if I’m in a mood to sit. I just want options basically.  Still, what if I hated most of those options?

So, this morning, as I read articles and looked at plans online I suddenly had one of those flashes of inspiration. I eyed a tall dresser and thought…. hmmmm…  just about the right height for me standing…

So, a large part of the day, I’ve spent standing here getting my work done and so far, so good! My back really feels it but in a good way! I know I have awful sitting posture and this has pretty much made me keep good posture. It’s hard for me to slouch standing, but incredibly easy to do it while seated. Score!

So far the only down side has been my feet. They very much remind me of the feeling I had standing at a cash register when I worked retail in college. I could possibly get used to it again or perhaps if I see this is worthwhile I’ll invest in a soft pad to stand on.

So, far, standing while working still falls into the category of random experiment, but here’s hoping it works out. I could use the ability to change things up and I’d kind of like to test out that treadmill desk plan! A soft gentle walk while getting my work done would be very nice. Although honestly, I’ve been far from still while I stood here today, particularly when I had my music going. Ha – me working at a standing desk may fall into the category of not fit for human consumption.