How I set up my standing desk

And now for something completely different.

After my wife told me I sat too much, and reading various scary things about the evils of sitting too much and the benefits of standing desks, I decided to try out a standing desk. At first I was going to order one or buy one locally, and then I looked at the prices and decided that I’d better try it out before I invest. To try it out, I built one to put on top of this old desk. The desktop was already pretty much the size I wanted, about 2/3″, at Home Depot. The other boards (same width) were cut at the store for me to my design. Then I just got some wood screws and put it together. (Note to self: get a better drill.) It turns out to be quite sturdy. Of course, I had to carefully measure for the exact right height, and I did a very good job there on getting the height exactly right for me.

Now, when you get a standing desk, there is a breaking-in period (so I read, and so I am confirming right now) in which your feet and legs won’t be able to handle standing all the time, or not without some distracting pain. So to begin with, at least, it’s a good idea to have chair. But it has to be a tall chair. At first, I used a counter stool from downstairs, but that didn’t work because it wasn’t tall enough (I need a 30″ to reach my desktop height comfortably; a taller person might need a slightly taller stool). So I got an adjustable barstool, as you can see here, and it works fine.

Another thing that makes the standing desk more tolerable is a soft, but not too soft, floor. At first I thought I could just stand in my shoes. I discovered that my shoes are not very comfortable for standing in for long periods of time. Just standing on the carpet, although it is a somewhat plush carpet, was also a no-go. So I decided that all the standing desk blogs were right and that I needed a special mat, an “anti-fatigue” mat, that would be easier on my feet. So for $40 I got a kitchen “chef mat” and put a couple of memory foam bath mats on top of those. They help, but I’m still trying to decide what is best. Generally I put the two bath mats on top of each other then on top of the chef mat, and then shift positions as different parts of the foam get compressed. I suspect that I should probably spend the $75+ and get a gel mat.

Finally, for the piece de la resistance, I have a little stool to rest my foot on. This is another commonly-recommended accessory of standing desks. At first I didn’t think it would be that necessary, but as it’s necessary to shift one’s position pretty frequently, it’s just nice to have another position to put my legs in. It also helps, by the way, to shift my feet back a few inches as necessary, to keep the weight more on the balls of my feet than on my heels. But if they all just start getting too sore, I just switch to the stool for a little bit. It’s not that bad.

I’ve been at it for almost a week now, and I’m starting to get used to it. I can confirm the things commonly said about standing desks: it makes me more focused and productive, and I might have lost a little weight even. Next thing to try, after I get used to being on my feet, is a treadmill desk…

Total cost, including $25 wood and screws, $80 stool, and $40 mats: $145. Wife no longer nagging me about sitting too much: priceless.


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3 responses to “How I set up my standing desk”

  1. PokerDad

    I’ve been thinking of doing this myself, but I like your idea of building the station that just sits right on top of the regular desk. I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks for sharing. It’ll be a while though – need the lower set up for EL on the computer with the little one 🙂

    1. The lower set-up is much easier with little ones, but still possible with a stool. They just sit in your lap as you sit on the stool.

    2. UPDATE: the tykes just learn to climb up the high stool. Maybe not 100% safe, but it’s not too bad.

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