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Standing While Working Results in Better Work?
Bamafan77 asks: "I've recently become fascinated by the idea of standing while working. I've found that I'm much more productive for
longer periods of time while standing as opposed to sitting. The best way to describe it is that my brain feels more 'engaged.' Apparently, many famous people feel the same way including Thomas Wolfe, Vladimir Nabokov, and Winston Churchill. Other benefits include a better ability to control weight. (Guess what? Your slow metabolism ain't the cause for that belly). The Mayo Clinic has gone so far as to do research into a treadmill workstation. Does anyone here have experiences to share when it comes to standing while working, especially in the IT field?"
Standing sounds like a good idea, but walking? I keep getting this hamster image in my head. Plus, I'm sure if I put the computer on a treadmill it wouldn't be too long before I became distracted and forgot to walk. I often use my exercise ball instead of the regular chair at the computer at home. You're constantly using the leg and abdominal muscles to balance yourself. It also reduces back fatigue and improves your posture.
... take from that what you will.
Better work and a sore back? I dunno about you,but I can't stand around typing all day without some serious pain.
Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
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I am a facility production operator on the North Slope of Alaska. To the layfolk, that means I separate oil from water and gas and some suspended solids and then ship it south, where it is turned into everything you see around you (basically).
Anyway, the point is, my job entails a lot of walking. Like, a lot. I routinely walk 12 miles per day during my 12 hour shifts. More than that even. But, sometimes, I sit. And when I sit, I get tired. And time slows down. And it generally gets pretty tough to handle.
So when there's nothing to do, I play janitor. Mopping the floors of a billion dollar facility is actually not too bad, considering the alternative (just sitting there waiting for time to pass).
TLF
I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
You already took my office/cube away for "progressive" offices with hotel cubes. Now, I gotta do a Seabiscuit impersonation - standing up in "my" stall. Is the lunch room going out for a nosebag, too?
I want a TALL backed stool, and a drafting-style table. Like an old-time mechanical engineer.
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
that's why Ballmer actually hurled his chair across the room.
MIcrosoft.... innovating again.
I used to be an office manager for a small hazmat shower manufacturer. We found that the people we had glueing the pipes together would stand up when we were pressing them to hurry and crank out the showers due to a large order. Not sure if them standing did anything besides show us managers that they were hurrying but we always met our deadlines.
I keep telling myself I'm not the desperate type.
I found that sitting down greatly improves my comfort and the quality of my pr0n surfing.
What, you meant real work? Well...ok...
Never underestimate the predictability of human stupidity...
I worked for flextronics in a repair facility. Standing in one place, while it may sound better than walking all day, is not better than walking ALOT of the day. We had 12 hour shifts with 30 minute breaks, yes Flextronics sucks the big one, and just believe me when I say standing in place for more than 1-2 hours at a time sucks MAJORLY!!!
Standing usually means you're moving around. I used to do this all the time when thinking about a problem. It gets the blood circulating and really does improve mental abilities. Thinking on your feet. It's not just a good idea!
He typed at a standup desk as well, at least sometimes. I remember seeing a pic of it.
Of course, then he offed himself, so maybe this isn't such a good idea...
I haven't tried standing while at work (my desk is not at standing height - a slight barrier to an experiment), but during the school year my apartment is a good 10 minute walk from where I go to class. I find that the act of walking back and forth seems to give me more energy when I finally sit down to do something.
I suppose thats more of an endorsement for circling around the office occasionally while at work - but perhaps standing is a similar idea.
It would make sense that perhaps while you're at your most physically relaxed isn't the best time to try and do hard thinking.
I am trying to picture myself working all day in front of the PC standing up, but something just doesn't quiete click.
It feels the other way around, like I wouldn't be able to concentrate that deeply.
Being able to relax seems to be important to concentrate on something specific, even lying down sounds like I'd be more concentrated.
In a retail environment, standing all day just results in sore feet and irritability while working. Maybe the IT field is different, but in retail, standing all day sucks. Oh course, most things in retail suck, so why should standing be any different.
-William Brendel
I have worked standing up for the last 3 years. It all started when I began to outfit my new office; my work requires me to look at a lot of plans and hence I built a drafting table, which are traditionally at standing height. To make matters simpler, I decided to also build my regular workstation at the same height. To make things just right, I hung my dual LCD flat panels at eye level.
:)
I ordered two nice Hon drafting chairs and expected to wind up sitting in them as I had a regular desk chair in the past.
I soon found though, that it was much more convenient and comfortable to just forego the chairs and work standing up. I discovered that I didn't get tired from standing at all, and in fact felt more awake and alert as a result. There's also the nice side benefit that without chairs, people don't really tend to come and camp out in my office
Last year, I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my lower back. This is where the working-standing-up plan really pays off. I quickly discovered that when I sit, the pain is worse. After sitting awhile, it's a *lot* worse. The doctor explained that this is because sitting puts the more pressure on your disc than laying or standing. In fact, standing seems to be the most neutral position for your back and relieves more pressure on the disc than other positions. So if you have back problems - working while standing could mean the difference between working or not. I know it has for me on many days.
So to those who haven't tried working while standing up - I highly recommend it. I believe the health benefits are strong and the impact on your mental processes is positive.
This is why I stopped being a waiter, and moved to the IT industry. I can't stand up for long periods of time because my brain starts wondering why my feet hurt, and then inturn can't concentrate on the work at hand.
At uni whenever I was doing research or trying to solve a problem, I always found it best to walk around for a bit. I would usually after making a few rounds of the room have a solution.
The whole reason I went to college is so I could get a job where I didn't have to stand up all day.
Back when everyone was doing drafting and design on tables and not on display screens, work was done with two or more surfaces; the most important one was always adjustable for angle and often for height and light source. Even back in those 18th, 19th and 20th centuries employers knew how to make demanding, technical work a bit more comfortable.
I work for the Geek Squad (let the flaming commence). My job requires me and everyone else with whom I work to stand for almost the entire duration of our shifts. For 4-6 hour shifts (I'm a part-time employee), I do find that I am more productive than I would be be sitting. I am able to efficently work up and down the bench of computers in repair as opposed to working on just 3 or 4 on a KVM. However, on shifts that last longer than 6 hours, I end up being more concerned about my feet being sore than actually fixing units, which does adversly affect my productivity (and I do wear comfortable shoes with good insoles). I just want to sit down and work. On the longer shifts, it turns out to be something of a wash. It would be nice to have a chair or stool around, but overall I prefer working while standing.
Amazing! Just when Americans were getting used to working while bent over, up pops this!
Well i couldn't agree more. My brain works billion% more when i am not sitting on a chair. My most creative thinking comes usually when i walk. I am a programmer , so someone could ask when do i write code? Well shooting keys on the keyboard is the trivial task, and i could sit in front of a screen writting code for 3 days straight without sleeping. But i do not consider that creative work. I consider it the "dictation/translation to code/visualization" of ideas born after a long walk.
or in other words' You are going nowhere fast if you dont know where you are going
2+2 = 5 (for very large values of 2)
My cubicle is standing height with a high-chair to sit in. I find I probably stand about half the time at work. Now that I'm used to it it seems much more productive to me, and it's nice to have the option to stand or sit.
At my (cupertino based) employer I think pretty much everyone gets the option to have a standing or sitting configuration in their cubicle/office.
- "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
Study links warm offices to fewer typing errors and higher productivity
When the office temperature in a month-long study increased from 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, typing errors fell by 44 percent and typing output jumped 150 percent. Hedge's study was exploring the link between changes in the physical environment and work performance.
"The results of our study also suggest raising the temperature to a more comfortable thermal zone saves employers about $2 per worker, per hour," says Hedge, who presented his findings this summer at the 2004 Eastern Ergonomics Conference and Exposition in New York City.
It makes perfect sense. Look at any pharmacy, the pharmacist is on his feet the entire time. They stand so much that they actually have to get special stockings or surgery for varicose veins. It makes me very active at work. Not sure if cashiers get the same amount of energy.
On the opposite side, standing does not always make you do a good job. "I stand for 8-10 hours a day," wrote Donald Rumsfeld.
I've had two onsite roles where you could choose from different workstations within an open office layout. I actually started working from a regular desk, then moved to using one of those kneeling chairs for posture. Then upgraded to the partially tilted drafting tables with high stool and eventually found myself at the standing desks (which is fine as long as the screen is at eye level, using a laptop on these desks was difficult because you actually look down and makes your shoulders hurt after a while)
What happens is that you find that you focus a lot less on the screen all the time, you find yourself walking around a lot more, you make more cups of tea/coffee and it feels more productive. The only problem was that you can't really jump into the standing thing straight away, especially when you've been used to sitting at a desk for years. The other problem is if you get tired you tend to lean on your forearms like leaning on a bar.
The other thing I really liked about the standing desks is that they had bi-fold doors directly behind you which looked out onto an atrium with a large tree full of birds for most of the year. You could stop typing, phase out of the work at hand and listen to life for a bit. It was awesome during summer when you get the warm light rain, with the door open, coffee and maybe light music on in the background.
Task Mangler
I would think typing while walking on a treadmill would be really uncomfortable and difficult, as well as anything requiring semi-precision mouse work...
How long will it take some CEO to read about the treadmill cubicles and mandate "cubicle fitness", all the cubes can be wired up to generate power to the computers and lights. When the lights go dim someone is slackin...
"I am a facility production operator on the North Slope of Alaska." [...] "Anyway, the point is, my job entails a lot of walking. Like, a lot. I routinely walk 12 miles per day during my 12 hour shifts."
So you're the one who walks through snow...Both ways!
I used to work as a math tutor for my university (sadly, I graduated, and student jobs don't live on after the degree), and we had two settings: One was an open lab where people at random would come in and raise a hand for questions, and the other was an hour one-on-one appointment.
While working in the lab I would usually stand up while waiting for questions, and when asked continue to stand next to the student, whereas in appointments the student and I would both be sitting at the same table. I found that when working in the lab I was more effective tutoring-wise, faster at figuring out things, and overall felt better about my ability. In fact after noticing this I started doing my class work while standing or pacing (which I had done for years, but never made the connection) and my grades that final term were some of the best I had.
So, yes, I think there's something to the idea of standing being beneficial to working.
Standing sounds like a good idea, but walking? I keep getting this hamster image in my head.
It's surprisingly good for some things. I bought a treadmill off Craigslist and added a sheet of wood where I can put my laptop. I really like it for reading and replying to email and reading stuff on the web. For things where I have to type a lot, 1.5 mph plus or minus seems good. For pure reading, I'll go up to 3.3 mph if I'm feeling peppy.
It's specially nice first thing in the morning when I'm still a little groggy. I'll put on one of the Run to Cadence albums, pop open Google Reader, and do two or three miles of news and email.
For some reason, though, I usually can't walk and code at the same time. (I can chew gum while coding, though.) For coding I just stop the treadmill and use it as a standing desk. If I do that continuously for a couple of hours, I'll switch between the standing position and sitting at a table with a regular chair or an exercise ball.
I sit next to a guy with a stand-up cubicle. The walls of the cubicles are about four feet tall so all day long there's this guy's head looking down on me. He's also a loud talker on the phone so there is a loud phone talking head staring at me all day long.
Have I mentioned his sneezing, coughing and his constant eating of corn nuts? So I have a loud phone talking, coughing, sneezing, corn nut breath head leering at me 8-10 hours a day.
Oh! and he's also a mouth breather.
I'm not a Troll, it's reverse psychology.
My standing desk at work has a urinal underneath it so I never have to leave it.
I've tried this and have known several people who have tried this. In the short term, the novelty tends to lend itself to "higher productivity." It seems that freeing yourself from the trappings and surroundings where you've allowed yourself to develop bad habits (slouching, surrepticiously surfing /., playing solitaire, staring at that mark on the wall of your cubicle) that are not productive causes you to have a spurt of higher productivity. Nowadays, I find that a periodic change of venue helps me in the same way - I goto the library for a while, move to a table and spread my stuff out instead of on a desk, sit on the floor or on a couch. I think that the people that I work with innately understand what I'm doing, even if it looks funny.
The only thing I have against standing is that I have to find a counter or something of similar height that functions as a work surface - otherwise, i'm hunched over and a sore back is a real productivity killer....
I blogged this a while back -- http://www.connectedpixel.com/blog/ergonomic/stand up. The fatigue from standing is outweighed by carpal tunnel pain from sitting (read the blog if this does not make sense). It's also easier to stay awake while standing.
I call bullshit. This is the same thinking that is going to be applied with indiscriminant stupidity as cubicles, open work environments, etc. Managers will read this and start making everybody stand while they work -- everybody but themselves, since they have to satisfy that little thrill they get knowing that you only sit if you're important enough.
Want good work done? Hire good people and keep them happily motivated about their job. Sitting, standing, hopping on one leg, it won't matter. They'll do you proud.
I work for Boeing and some of the desks in our building are variable height. I rarely use the desk so high I stand but occasionaly I do. Its a nice option to do both I think since many people say that while they like it-it can hurt after more than 5hours or so.
Occasionally the big companies are nice to work for : )
I liked standing up while working, I also paced around, and would lay down when I wanted. For A couple of months I removed all of the chairs from my house, and it was almost impossible for me to zone out. Now the chairs are back, and I'm sitting as I type this. I had better posture when I was standing all the time. Maybe I'll take them away again. The biggest problem was finding or rigging high enough work surfaces.
-John Fenley
see http://www.pbs.org/cringely/nerdtv/transcripts/001 .html
We have a daily stand up meeting. 5-10 minutes every morning where we let everyone know what we've been doing and where we plan to be by the end of the day. When standing in a big circle people tend not to waffle on like they do when sitting around a table in a meeting room.
As for spending all day in one position here's what I rekon:
If you spend 10+ hours a day sitting on your arse then you'll probably get a sore arse.
If you spend 10+ hours a day standing on your feet then you'll probably get sore feet.
If you spend 10+ hours a day standing on your head then you should probably seek help.
Go the middle way. spend some time sitting, some time standing and some time dancin' like a funky chicken.
Unexpect the expected!
OK, so I'm a male whore! Somebody's got to do it and it pays the bills!-))
And we are all BOFHs! ...or in my case PFYs. :(
I ate your fish.
Here in Finland newspapers carried stories suggesting that meetings work better if they are organized while walking. Take an hour or two, and go for a walk with the meeting participants, discussing matters. Thoughts flows better, and you avoid the typical pointless PowerPoint sessions as well. Any experiences of this?
Walking might not be so bad, but it's hard to keep the monitor level and type that way. I already get 10 - 15 hours of intense exercise a week, so I'm planning on equipping my new office with a chaise lounge, wireless keyboard, and a nice pillow to elevate my feet.
What's funny about Donald Rumsfeld, is that thinking about him standing, will forever more make me think about torture. It's all just because of how I learned about it: where prisoners were having to stand, and Rumsfeld wrote at the bottom of memo that it was no big deal, because he stands all day. ;-)
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I tend to stand at the computer every once in a while -- actually I'd do it more often but people look at me funny. :)
It's great to get the blood circulation going, and it's really hard to fall asleep when you are standing up.
The problem is, if I stand up for a bit longer, my legs start to ache. I may keep walking for hours, but tell me to stand in one place for 20 minutes and I just need to move. So standing while working, nope.
And of course I get lots of good ideas and such while walking, but when I get something that requires deeper thought, I stop. On threadmill - crash, bang, kaboom, you know the drill from commedy movies. Again, sucks. Plus walking in one place sucks. I'd much rather go for a walk in the far, rural suburbs if I have to "design" something. But then writing things down while walking sucks a big time.
I wish there was a wearable computer that would make taking notes while walking easy.
Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
i've once been in a company where every desk was motorized, and everyone could lift it and work standing up every once in a while. People said they were much more productive this way.
This is something similar.
I had some surgery as a result of which I was unable to sit down for a while (yeah yeah I can hear the peanut gallery already). In order to manage this, i simply propped my keyboards up on some boxed, tilted my monitors up, and got on with life.
Honestly, it wasn't so bad. At the end of the day, sure my feet and legs hurt a bit more, but after a few weeks even that did not occur. And i did not feel at all as metnally tired as I would from simply sitting down.
So maybe programming while standing isn't such a a bad idea. That said, I now work as an instructor. Most of the lecture time i spend on my feet and at the end of the day I find that, while my feet and legs might hurt, mentally I am not nearly so tired or weary as I otherwise would be.
In short, what I am trying to say is that I think standing while working is a good idea. If nothing else, it's a nice change of pace for your average programmer/network jockey.
Give it a shot, you might be suprised.
Look out honey cause I'm usin' technology
Ain't got time to make no apologies
I regularly work while standing, and I am the only person in my office which does that. Everyone looks at me trying to understand why I am typing on the keyboard while standing. It's funny, but I find using the mouse a bit difficult. Perhaps a trackball or touch screen would help.
I remember reading about this company where meetings were held standing around a bar-like table. They were much shorter and to the point than traditional afterlunch meeting that drag on and on...
Non-Linux Penguins ?
Who would have thought that burning calories improves health...and that sitting for 10 hours or more would make people fat...we really need more scientific studies on this!
I've always had this idea of sitting down and cycling whilst working. You know them cycling machines in the gym, the one's where you're sat back like in a car seat? How about modifying one of them to include a swing arm desk where you can place your laptop etc? The only niggle would be the noise from pedalling!
It's not uncommon in the UK (or at least in large corporations) to have at least one (senior level) meeting room configured for standing only. The theory is that people standing tend to be more alert, able to think on their feet (ho ho) and make better quality decisions faster (well, you would, wouldn't you). Equally, others have rooms which only have no furniture, just big coloured cushions so you can seriously slob out and brainstorm to your hearts content.
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
And indeed the productivity of Thomas Wolfe, Vladimir Nabokov, and Winston Churchill took a sharp decline once they stopped standing for good.
What you have stated is not at all surprising or phenomenal. Any neuroscientist would completely agree with you. Here's another example that you might not think connects: Have you ever noticed that when reading in bed you get really tired, but if you read anywhere else, you are fine? You're in bed so you're sending the signal to your brain that you are ready to sleep. By standing, your body is telling the brain, "Be prepared for action".
I have to disagree with you though, even though I know what you are saying is perfectly true. I have sort of flat feet, so standing works for about two minutes, then my feet just hurt. I'm all about my chair.
"A man on his feet is worth two on his seat."
Does he stay standing up when on toilet breaks as well?
Professor Karmadillo Songs of Science
My co-workers wouldn't allow it to happen in a million years. LOL!
Dubbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbd! Speedy Gonzalez!
When did it become ok for anyone to write like this?
Your sig(k) has been stolen. There is a puff of smoke!
...wasn't entirely sober most of the time, either, and seemed to manage OK.
(it's Friday, it's gone 12 - time to go down the pub!)
from a medical point of view you also have dis-advantage in working in a standing position.
Mainly : the problem of venal blood return and venal stasis.
In short : your feet swell because the heart has a hard time pumping the blood back up all this height.
Just ask a surgeon (or any other job where one must stay standing up without moving a lot).
Walking may improve the blood flow (the muscle may act as supplementary pumps, because veins have valves).
But on the other hand it puts a lot of strains on the muscle of the lower extremities.
Most of the sportives (typical persons who work by moving in an upright position) have knee aging prematurely.
And I think most slashdotter know the problems associated with a sitting position.
Hence : there's no "perfect" position for working.
One should mainly change between them a lot, go for a walk once in a while, etc...
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I'd be a lot happier (and so would my co-workers) standing while working if I wasn't in a cubicle, looming over my neighbors... I do a lot of work standing up, but I wish my cube walls were a bit higher (i.e., like all the way to the ceiling...).
Am I part of the core demographic for Swedish Fish?
Reminds me of the movie Boiler Room when Affleck's character is giving the speech to the new sales guys, trying to give them tips on how to make the sale while on the phone... "Get off your ass! Move around. Motion creates emotion!". I used to get up and walk around when I did tech support for the same reason as those sales guys, it keeps the blood flowing.
;)
Affleck was the bomb in Boiler Room. That speech he gave in that movie might be the highlight of his career.
I experimented with this at home. Most of the time, it worked well, especially for things like programming. But there would invariably be times when I'd want to sit down. For example, I'd usually rather sit when idly surfing the net, playing a game, or watching a movie on the computer. Sometimes I'd just be a little tired and would prefer to sit. So the problem ended up being that I could only easily have one configuration and standing was too uncomfortable for my general usage pattern. It might have worked better at work, but even doing all work, there would be times when I'd rather sit... after a lunch of mexican food, after having run around the office all day, when trying to clear my head. An easily convertible station would be very cool.
It's a wireless mouse you can use in mid-air. You simply tilt the mouse front or back, left or right. The buttons are set so you can press them with your thumb. I think the wii-mote uses the same principle. It also takes some time to get used to.
Another cool thing about it is that it uses RF radio waves, not IR to communicate with the wireless base. So you can hide the base if you don't like it. And it also has a craddle to charge the mouse in so you don't have to change the batteries every few days/weeks.
printf($randomline(sigs.txt) \n "-- "$randomline(authors.txt));
-- myself
I'm a software engineer. I recently made my own stand up desk for work in my woodshop at home (then expensed the desk of course). I don't think it's healthy to stand for 8-10 hours straight every day either - at least that's what I've read - so I also have a drafting stool in case I want/need to sit.
I'm definitely more alert and not so sluggish during the day, especially after lunch. The first couple of weeks after I transitioned from sitting to standing I realized how many muscles there are in my back and legs. Actually, the first few days were brutal since I didn't get my stool until about 3 weeks after transitioning. I'm not grossly out of shape or anything and I work out as often as I can, but I had no idea how many muscles it takes to actually stand up for long periods like that. Of course I'm acclimated now so it's no big deal. If you can get over those first few days without giving up then it's great.
The biggest beneift that I've noticed is that my neck and back don't hurt anymore. I've been sitting in front of a desk for 7+ years and the main reason I started thinking about a stand-up desk (aside from the other 6 people here that have them now) was the aches and pains I had from poor posture. I had a comfy oversize leather office chair and I got lazy and had terrible posture. I would slouch during the day, rest my head on the back of the chair and work, etc. To make matters worse, I had to keep the chair rather low to get the arms to fit under my desk that was already elevated on blocks. I'm tall, about 6-4 so all of that added up to bad posture and pain.
After moving to the stand-up desk, I haven't had any shoulder, neck, or back pain - none. The key to that I think is that I took custom measurements of myself. Since I made my own desk I was able to custom make it to fit me. I took measurements so that I would be in a natural, comfortable position when I was typing and working. The downside to that is that the drafting stool is ever so slightly short when I do try to sit and work, but it's not for long periods so it doesn't bother me. People ask me if I find it hard to code or type for long periods while standing. I haven't had any trouble, but again I custom fit my desk to me.
Overall, I feel much better physically and I'm not as tired and sluggish as I used to be throughout the day and even at home. For me it works - I definitely notice healthful benefits. I don't think I'd ever go back to a sit-down desk for work.
The best advice I can give to someone moving to a stand-up desk is this: Wear comfy shoes, get an anti-fatigue mat, and have the desk custom fit if at all possible. If you can make your own then do it.
If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
...work, too! I think that someone posted the best comment here at the story on avoiding RSI's (http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/06/07/14/0040 255.shtml).
Don't ever fall into one single way of doing things. Sit, stand recline, whatever. Keep yourself changing now and then, and you won't get tired.
How about kneeling chairs, or lowering your office chair and sitting cross legged (or if you're really flexible in one of the yoga sitting poses)? The latter poses are meant to align the back very well, and I do feel more upright than if I allow myself to slouch into a chair.
Another possibility is one of those big inflatable fit-balls. Someone in the office uses one. They're meant to be very good for the back strength.
This is a win-win situation for big companies. Not only do they get higher productivity from their employees, they also get to save thousands of dollars on chairs. Of course, if they implemented that at my job, it would backfire because instead of working, my co-workers would bitch all day about having to stand. (Seriously, for one co-worker, the mere act of standing up to go to the bathroom causes him to fill the office with a chorus of grunts and groans).
I prefer the prone position as opposed to standing or sitting. Laying horizontal while working takes pressure off of my back, knees, AND feet. It also improves the quality of my sleep, allowing for more free time outside of work. Famous people that prefer working in the prone position include George Kastanza, many in the adult entertainment industry, and... well, that's about it.
The first couple weeks were hard -- my back and legs complained the whole time. Now I love it - I'm alert 100% of the time, where before I fought off drowsiness, and my back and legs are stronger. I worry about changing jobs to someplace I can't stand.
My legs are tired at the end of the day, but it's not significant. Also, my feet get a little sore sometimes, but shifting how I stand, or taking off my shoes (when I can get away with that) fixes it.
But I'm not really standing still at my desk; I shift around constantly. When I'm on the phone, I walk around. Not being settled in a chair, there's no real psychological barrier to moving around the office.
Sitting on the exercise ball is also a way to reduce falling asleep or nodding off in the chair while working on dull drudgery.
Cronic low back problems prevent me from standing more then 10 mins at a time.
This totally sucks, but this idea is proposterous... I prefer shorter sitting sessions,
intersparsed with simple YOGA.
There are desks that are fully height adjustable, such as this very expensive one, to a line of cheaper ones at ErgoBoy (caution some only move a few inches to adgust for taller people sitting). I find that the old biology class slate tables I had in high school work best though. Lots of room to spread stuff out and very stable.
I tried working at a custom-built standing station for a whole year. It makes your hips hurt, it makes your lower back sore, and you'll shift your weight from one foot to another all day long. It's not an improvement, it's a distraction.
After going back to the chair, I'm more comfortable, more alert, and more efficient.
P.S. I work in journalism/media.
There's a reason traditional churches don't have pews--the mind focuses on the services much better standing than sitting.
For the record, I found the memo (after a morning-long internet manhunt):
u nami.com/essays/response.asp
h e_minoritys_report.html
Our detectives helped design the interface 3D data center. They think it helps with the creativity needed to work with the information. With there experience of working with crime scenes, the large movements helps them immerse themselves in the data. While smaller movements would seem more efficient, we get better results with our detectives using the large interfaces. It might get trying after a while, but we are not talking about data processors here, we are talking about a few pre-murders a week.
http://web.archive.org/web/20030607112009/umamits
The original memo's good, too, and helps with the context:
http://www.umamitsunami.com/archives/2002/06/24/t
Innovation makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old regime... -- Machiavelli
NOT for the muscle, sory. Was tired. Puts strain on your *joints*.
If you must walk the whole day non-stop for your job, your knee may get worn more quickly. (medical nurse and some military personnal come to mind). But then, again that's in the perspective of a job composed of non-stop working.
For the typical
From a biomechanic point of view, laying is the less stringent position. But you still need to move from time to time and also, you don't burn enough calories. (But is still a good solution to read your books for your exams. Just take in account that you need correct lightning in order to avoid injuring the eyes)
Walking is less damaging than running (you're right). On the other hand, bicycle riding puts *less* strain on the joints than walking (your knee don't have to support all the weight. The bicycle does). Note that using a bicycle to move between home and work is a good solution. At least here in europe were it is still possible to do it. My remembering from USA is that there it is a lot harder.
Swiming is in an interesting sport : almost weighlessness in water so no strain on joints. But on the other hand good effort and good sport. But no way to incorporate it in a normal work day.
Standing is less good than walking, because of blood flow problems I mentionned in previous post.
Sitting without moving is bad too (hemorrhoids, back pain in case of bad position, blood flow problems too although lesser).
So the best is to alternate situation.
If you have a "Sitting-in-front-of-a-computer" job as most of the rest of
Just stand up and walk to your coworker if you have to say something to them, instead of phoning/emailing/IMing them.
Don't take the elevator unless you have to go from 1st to 23rd floor, or have a big wheight to move.
If you apply this, you both burn more fat AND variate your position. Which is all good. As with anything diversity is good. There's no single miracle solution.
Note: the main problem is that we've evolved from 4 legged animals to a bipedal hominid, but we aren't 100% optimal yet. Joint strains (knee and lumbar vertebrae) and blood flow problems (bigger height difference between lower extremity and hearth) are the main problems that are still happening.
So in a way : we're designed in a weird way that's still not good for anything. It's not anymore good for quadripedal stature. But it's not good for upright position either.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I adjusted my desk up on Tuesday, the 11th of July 2006
Observations so far:
Burning more calories. I'm definitly warmer all day long
Oh my lord I'm so alert. Not a bit of tiredness/zoning, even on the night I only got 5 hours sleep.
The commute home now feels good, so I don't mind the traffic near as much (relaxation of the legs)
Better gas mileage (My legs are tired, so I use my cruise control more).
Leg muscles right above the knees are tired (Getting better already).
Easier to leave my desk: Rather than considering to leave or not, I just walk out without considering it at all.
Less tired at home at night (wierd).
Other things:
While I can stand at my comp all day long, I can also sit, and do when I want a break from standing, want to think quietly, or want to talk to a co-worker (I'm a couple inches taller than most of them. This isn't at all like when I worked in a 7-11 store or a Grocery store and had to stand. I can sit whenever I wish to.
--Michael
Want to see every step I took to start my company? http://www.rowdylabs.com/blogs/pitchtothegods
I've often wanted my own architect's table to work on at home; one where I could stand or pull a tall stool up to it to give the howling dogs some relief.
I have this desk and love it - I think it's the most versatile and sturdy desk you can buy for the money. They come in different colors, and you can get all kinds of accessories for it - swivel monitor shelves, an extention to add another shelf at the top, side magazine and cd/dvd racks, side PC mounting shelves. It's an all around super geek desk. Even if the standing up thing doesn't work out, you will still end up with a pretty sweet desk.
Finally, I wanted to add one more famous person that works standing up: Walter Murch, one of the more well-known film and sound editors working today.
I picked up a habit a while ago of standing up whenever I used the phone. Usually I even pace around or walk and use hand-motion and body language. While the other person obviously can't see this, I think it is picked up in the inflection of your voice and you sound more alive and responsive, which is always good.
For those that still don't want to stand all day, see if you can get a small but comfortable other chair in your office -- maybe one of those big cushy ones. If you need to sit but are not typing --- reviewing notes on paper, brainstorming, etc, sit there. You're guaranteed to sit with posture that is different from your office chair at the desk.
RSI is easy to prevent - just don't do the R part of it.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Anyone with a suggestion on how to comfortably use a laptop while lying down on sofa or bed that isn't inclined? My neck hurts after about 10 minutes. Not suggesting productivity improves, but . . .
Maybe it work well to lie on a massage table with the laptop under you. . .
I used to have a job where I had to stand all day. I was a construction materials tester. I also listed heavy buckets of dirt and concrete cores, so I was definitely worn out at the end of the day. BUT, I was only worn out physically. I could go home, relax and have enough brain power left to still do something with my evenings. Now that I have a desk job and sit around all day, I'm exhausted by the time I get home. And now look what's happened: I have a spare tire and standing for long periods makes my lower back hurt, and when I sit for long periods my hemorrhoids hurt. Maybe I can rig up a laptop harness that will act as a counter-balance to my gut until all this calorie burning "standing up" business kicks in.
Greets all!
:p
:D My back is to the window, and the glare from the sun on the cars in the parking lot goes right into my eyes. If I had a taller cube (or actually sat down) this wouldn't be an issue - so I usually sit in the afternoons when the glare is bad.
:O If I want to sit I angle the monitors down and place the keyboard / mouse back on the desk and pull out a small chair stored under the left of my desk. I'm keeping my eye out for an inexpensive stool - but I still may have the sun glare issue.
Having posted that back in November on my site - I want to give everyone a follow-up!
I'm still standing and I usually take short breaks to sit when I feel like it throughout the day. I will agree that it's more 'constantly moving' then standing. I walk around, put my knee up on the desk, etc. I was always shaking my legs when sitting anyway. I still love it and would suggest it for those fidgety people.
When I sit now - people ask me what's up...
I got 3 months of "You STAND all day??", followed by 3 months of "You're sitting DOWN??" when I would be caught sitting at my desk. Everyone here is pretty accepting of it - but I'm worried if my cube moves or the office gets redesigned, will this setup still work? If you're going to do this - be prepared for a little bit of outcry.
Issues I've had: I'm 6'4" and can see over these cubes ANYWAY, but now that I'm standing it does tend to make my co-workers nervous. They told me this and I try to refrain from peeking down at them without notice. When the 'new guy' started - they didn't put him in the empty cube next to me, for fear of my talking head scaring him away.
For the time being I will refrain from building a cube wall height extension.
Thanks!
- Kris
http://planetkris.com/
I got tired of sitting for long periods of time years ago and made myself a stand-up desk. Now I work at both a regular sit down desk and my stand-up desk. I just swivel the monitor and have an extra keyboard and like to change back and forth as it suits me. Sitting is much worse for circulation than standing in my experience. I have been told by those in the know that standing and moving around while you work helps the legs return blood to the heart. Just my two cents.
It burns a bunch of calories as well, which I found pretty interesting. But to address the issue of feeling more alert or energetic, I would have to say its a natural result of the added blood flow and circulation you have when you engage the large muscles in your legs to stand. More nutrients are getting too your brain, whereas if you sit, circulation (oxygen in particular) is reduced to the brain. It's not uncommon for people that sit a long time and suddenly stand up, to become dizzy or nearly black out because of this.
Here (from the J. Peterman furniture collection).