A number of things have kept me from posting since the ABA TECHSHOW, so I never had an opportunity to do a recap of the event, but one thing I did want to talk about was my new standing desk. At this year's ABA TECHSHOW, as the exhibit hall was winding down, I had the privilege of meeting Marissa from ErgoTech, and several weeks later, I am the proud owner of an Ergotech Freedom E-desk.**
For a while, standing desks became all the rage as studies showed the negative effects of sitting all day at work. But then more studies (such a this one) were released that showed that workers using a standing desk didn't burn significantly more calories than those using a standard sitting desk. While sitting for too long is definitely detrimental, it isn't clear that standing for long periods of time is necessarily better.
While I do have a tendency to sit for long periods of time in front of my laptop, often with admittedly poor posture, leading to neck stiffness or pain and other problems, my reasons for wanting a standing desk isn't about an expectation of the desk itself making me significantly healthier. And it certainly isn't about losing weight (although I wouldn't mind dropping a few pounds).
As this Forbes article notes, standing may help you focus and think better. And as this article suggests, it is important to stand during virtual presentations as well. "Not only is your voice produced physically; your body is an essential tool of communication in many other ways." When you're more energetic in your body, your presentations are more energetic.
In addition to doing a lot of writing at my computer, I also do a lot of talking while using my computer - from webinars to client meetings or consulting sessions to video recordings, I'm often talking at my desk, and many of these activities require me to either be looking at my computer screen and/or using my webcam. So, while I might be able to stand during a call with a client (which I often do), I can't stand for the other activities, given the height of my desk. Given the amount of virtual communication I regularly engage in, when it's easy for the participants to be distracted or to hide their lack of attention, I can use all the help I can get keeping the energy and interest level up.
That being said, I don't anticipate that I will want to stand all of the time when I'm working, so for me, an adjustable desk was a must. The Freedom E-Desk promises to adjust quickly and easily so I can go from standing to sitting (and vice versa) with minimal effort. I haven't yet had an opportunity to use it much since it arrived, but I am looking forward to using it more, and I will provide a comprehensive review at a later date, once I've been using it regularly for a length of time.
**In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with the Ergotech Freedom E-desk at no charge so that I could provide a review, but in no way has that affected what I've written in this post or in future posts about the desk - these words, and my thoughts about the desk, are my own.
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