After a few years of working on this website, I started to notice a bit of pain in my lower back. As it got worse, I started wondering if a standing desk might help me alleviate the current pain
and–more importantly–keep my back functional as I age.
So, I tried a standing desk. If you’re unfamiliar with these, it’s basically a desk on stilts–with a motor that can raise or lower it to your preferred height.
And, after using this desk for a bit, my back pain has largely dissipated.
I feel like I should write more about this, but there’s not much to say. I was sitting too much, and it was hurting my back. Now, I set less, and my back hurts less.
Rather than focus on the obvious benefit, I want to highlight two benefits that I didn’t expect.
#1. My hope with a standing desk was simply to get me out of chair. But, with a height adjustable one, I find I’m also more comfortable while in my chair.
Here’s what I mean:
In the photo above, there’s a small, black electrical panel on the desk itself. This controls the motors that lower the desk (all the way down to 23″) or raise it (up to 48.75″).
This is handy because you don’t have the crank the desk up and down. You can just use the controller to raise and lower it.
I assumed this would help me get the desk up and down with minimal fuss, but–what I failed to anticipate–is that it would also allow me to set the desk at the perfect height.
When working at traditional desks, your body accommodates the desk. So, if it’s a little too short, you end up hunching over to use it. And, when it’s a little too tall, you end up splaying your elbows out so they’re not in the way.
With a height adjustable desk, you don’t just get the option to sit or stand. You also get to flip the dynamic above, so that the desk accommodates your body.
I’m not sure if that sounds like a big deal, but it feels like the equivalent of wearing the wrong size shoes your whole life and then finally trying on a pair that fits.
It’s a revelation!
#2. Apart from raising and lowering the desk, the controller also stores your three favorite heights. You can think of them like presets on a car radio.
As in the cases above, there’s an obvious benefit. In this case, it’s that you don’t have to raise and lower the desk precisely. You can just hit the preset, then go do something else for a few seconds while the desk goes up or down. (In my case, I use this small window to swap out my chair for an cushioned stand mat or vice-versa.)
What I didn’t expect was how much this convenience would prompt me use the desk.
For example, before I tried this desk, I’d cobbled together an elevated desk out of cardboard boxes. It probably only took 60 seconds to set up and breakdown, but it felt laborious. And, thus, I only switched between sitting and standing a few times a day.
With the presets, I found myself adopting a new rule. Namely, when I become aware of my body, I switch positions. So, if I’m working and feel a little cramp, ache, tightness–or just find myself noticing how my body feels–it’s my cue to switch things up.
If you wear glasses or work much behind a monitor, you’ve likely heard of the 20-20-20 rule–which suggests that folks look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
I’ve been trying to stick to that already, but I don’t always hit it–as my eyes don’t get as fatigued as my body does. So, now I use all of these cues–anytime I notice my body–as an excuse to switch. And, the motorized desk reduces all of the friction in switching–which means I now swap positions a dozen times a day.
In closing, I want to reiterate on of my favorite pieces of advice: you can’t win an argument with your body.
So, when your body is trying to tell you something, your only real options are to listen and respond.
In that regard, the virtue of a desk like this is that it makes it very easy to respond.
That’s the whole deal.
If you want to test this out for yourself, you can find the same desk as I tried–and the same one in the photos above–here on Ebay.
(As an eBay Partner Network Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Thanks for reading!