Standup desk? Exer-ball as a chair!

[Anonymous]

As a GTDer I find myself processing a lot of paper (rather than just letting it stack up). This has meant more desk time for the implementation period. Due to a back injury I have found it useful to do some work standing up. For example, I am filing into cardboard bankers boxes for now and I have lined them up on a table. So much easier than bending. It is making me thinkabout a stand-up desk. Anyone considered this? Is it realistic? I also use an exer-ball as a chiar while keyboarding and I highly recommend it. Do easily get bored sitting? Do you want to stronger core back and ab' muscles? If the answer is yes, you might consider using a large inflatable ball as a chair. The ball should be big enough and inflated enough so that your knees bend at 90 degrees. I am not sure if there is a rule of thumb for determining the correct height of the work surface for keyboarding, drawing, or handwriting, but might want to consider that. I understand there are chair frames that can hold the ball up but have not tried this.

 

[Anonymous]

Stand-up Desk et al

I have often thought about going the standup desk route to reduce the effect of sitting so much. I have not however made the switch chiefly because of all the changes I would have to make in my office. I think it would work well but I would have to re-tool so much stuff in my office set up that I haven't made the commitment.

My wife, however, gave me a chair that I think operates on the same principle of the exer-ball ... it is called a Swopper. It looks kind of like a stylish mushroom. It bounces up and down and moves sideways. And it can be adjusted to your height. Early on I couldn't take more than couple of hours on the thing without being utterly exhausted from sitting tall and using my back, abs and legs. A few weeks later I am now a convert and use it exclusively at work. I find that my posture is better all around. Really a great addition to my work tools.

The other thing I did was take up yoga to get a good stretch on a regular basis. That helps quite a lot too and I have become a regular at the Yoga Gallery in town.

 

[Busydave]

Desk work is often called “sedentary” on diet websites, and “easy” by manual workers.

But I have noticed that in the early afternoon energy slump, my body takes 99.9% of available energy for digestion purposes, and leaves the merest trickle for work. In this setting you suddenly realise how physical a desk job can actually be: fetching and returning files to and from cabinets, getting the right paper into your printer, referring to a manual, leaning across to a drawer etc. During the rest of the day, you do these things without thinking, but when energy is in short supply, you suddenly realise how much of brain-work turns out to be physical actions.

Moving about always increases the sense of being energised, for example walking to and fro while dictating. It is also recommended that you stand while talking on the phone to a difficult client/customer.

In a previous office I had a filing cabinet that was exactly the right height for me to lean on while standing. I got into the habit of reviewing letters while standing there. I found that standing was already a more energising position than sitting. Furthermore, whenever I had to get a file or book, I did not have to heave myself up first – I was already up there.

Edwin C Bliss recommends a stand up desk in his book “Getting Things Done”. I have never actually seen one, but there are some filing cabinets of just the right height across the room …

Dave

 

[Anonymous]

stand up desk

Jamie,
I considered stand up desks for a while but I never actually comitted to getting one. Anyway, maybe you would want to opt for one that is more flexible, so you can sit, when you want to or stand up. The best I found was on the Staples web site and it is called Balt Hi-Hi-Lo Adjustable Pneumatic Workstation. It basically fits your computer and you can leave the rest of your office as is. See if you like it.

Sylvia