Thinking About Getting a Standing Desk? Read This.

                                         *Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels*

Working in 2022 might have you re-thinking your options (again).

The pandemic has ushered in ongoing workforce trends including the Great Resignation and the rise of the remote workforce. While no one knows when the pandemic will be over, Gallup’s State of the Workforce 2021 reported 91% who are currently working remotely want the option to continue after the pandemic.

For some of us, we have been working remotely (from home and abroad) for years. In 2009, I secured my first marketing freelance client as a digital nomad in Hawaii. It was a life-changing experience that gave me professional and personal opportunities to grow.

Like most workers who prefer fully remote work polled by Gallup, I agree that no commute, increased wellbeing, and balance all factor into my preference, too.

But, during the pandemic…working remotely felt different.

The stay-at-home restrictions coupled with the need for creativity, I hacked my workspace by using the following:

• Kitchen table: I stacked boxes on my kitchen table to build a standing desk. In all honesty, I did this to look better on video calls (which I wrote about in my pandemic memoir, SMALL TALK WITH MYSELF). It was fun to create the makeshift desk and made me feel like MacGyver. It also felt good to stand and work. However, typing on boxes is not stable, and setting up a desk every time I wanted to stand was tiresome.

• Fireplace: I perched my laptop on the non-working fireplace ledge for a virtual stand-up comedy show so I could actually stand up. I also would put my laptop there for the Date with Improv virtual events we organized. While more stable than boxes on my kitchen table, this was not the right height to do anything more than move in a more animated way.

  
  

• Desks: In 2011, before digital nomadizing in Spain and France, I reluctantly got rid of the last desk I owned (a secondhand, fuchsia model from Out of the Closet). Luck would have it that in 2021 I got two desks: a FlexiSpot Kana Pro Bamboo Standing Desk and a nondescript regular desk from a neighbor. Having desk space again has allowed me to work in new ways, including standing and moving more while working.

It’s interesting to note that standing desks are not new. The first standing desk dates back to the 1400s when Leonardo DaVinci used one. While I’ll admit making my own standing desk was fun, having a standing desk gives me more opportunities to work from home better with:

• Design Features: I’m very happy with the aesthetics of the FlexiSpot Kana Pro Bamboo Standing Desk with the curved desktop and white base that measures 48 by 24 inches. It took about an hour for two people to assemble due to the desk’s weight, but it is totally worth it. The size is perfect for my laptop and notebooks and fits in well in the corner of my apartment.

• Height Options: The transition from seated to standing is fast, smooth, and effortless. Simply by pressing the arrows on the handset, I’m able to choose what height I want and when. Note: If you have heavy things or a big pet, this desktop’s weight limit is 275 pounds.

  
  

• Stability:  I am not worried that my laptop will fall or that I won’t be able to get the right height. I have more energy, physically and mentally, when I am able to stand while using this desk. For added comfort, while standing, I am using a chef’s mat I got from Tuesday Morning, but it is worth mentioning there are more technologically-advanced mats available. It also helps me get motivated to have a new, modern workspace that is just for working.

In closing, if you have been considering a standing desk for whatever you’re working on in 2022, you are not alone. In a recent poll, I ran on Twitter, 30% of respondents haven’t tried a standing desk but would like to. I am impressed with the FlexiSpot Kana Pro Bamboo Standing Desk as a desk and what it offers my long-term relationship with working from home. It’s a great addition for anyone looking for more options to work better.

Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are solely my own. I was given a free FlexiSpot Kana Pro Bamboo Desk in exchange for an honest product review.