Are Standing Desks Worth It?
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If you're working from home and on the computer all day, the thought of getting a standing desk may have crossed your mind. As much as it has become an overblown health fad especially with people working from home and the pandemic, I think it really comes down to personal preference and your situation.
I personally love my standing desk. I actually got my desktop and desk frame separately on Amazon. The nice wooden desktop is from a company called Vivo priced at $109, and the white electric motorized frame is from TOPSKY and can hold 225 pounds and this is priced at $209. Unlike other standing desk frames and combos, this one from TOPSKY does not wobble at all when changing heights, and the sound from the motor is very minimal. I've got this loaded with my ultra-wide monitor, iPad, work laptop, camera gear, and microphone. It's been about a month and no complaints here
The biggest reason why I got this desk was for work. I am a software engineer working from home so as you would guess I do spend a majority of my time at my desk. Before, I would sit for hours on end at work, resulting in my neck and back becoming very sore. This was also due to bad posture. Having a standing desk allows me to get up and stretch while I do work providing relief. Sure I could prevent soreness by getting up at regular intervals throughout the day; however, I can seamlessly go from sitting to standing and continuing my work with my standing desk. I especially love doing this when I am very deep in work like when developing new pieces of code. If I get stuck or just need time to think, I like to pace and move around.
And this is all done with a press of a button. I specifically got this desk frame because it is all-electric and motorized. There are cheaper sit-stand desks out there that adjust via a hand crank. However, I’d think that would get a little annoying cranking that thing multiple time's throughout the day. I like being able to mindlessly press a button, have my desk adjust on its own, and then continue my work. My desk also has the ability to add three preset heights from 27 to 47 inches. Currently, I only have two presets one for standing, and the other for sitting.
Standing doesn't solve the problem of soreness entirely. On the flip side, if I stand for too long my feet and knees will start to get sore. Alternating between standing and sitting throughout the day is my ideal way of preventing soreness entirely.
So should you invest in a standing desk yourself? I guess if you like being able to alternate between sitting and standing and have the budget to purchase one, I'd say go for it. I think it's a great investment especially if you know you will be working from home for an extended period of time. Since May of last year, I've been working from home, and my company has continued it until the end of this year. This was a big thing I took into consideration before making this investment.
If you have experienced the soreness like I have from sitting at the desk for long periods of time, and aren't thinking of getting a standing desk, getting up and going for a walk, and stretching at regular times during the day can definitely do the job.
What are you're thoughts on standing desks? Do you own one already if so what brand is it? If not, are you thinking of getting one? Leave your answers down below in the comments!