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My Newest Stand Up Desk!

By Ron Pereira Published on January 23rd, 2014

Friends, I have a confession to make.

In November of 2009 I wrote about my new stand up desk. I was quite proud of how I’d managed to prop an old desk up on some crates… I guess you could say I definitely used my wits over my wallet!

Well, as it turns out, I simply couldn’t adapt to that darn desk and those crates were removed within a few weeks and I sat at several different desks for the next 5 years.

New Studio Brings New Opportunities

lean stand up desk
My Newest Standup Desk

This brings us to present day and I’m excited to announce that I’ve been officially “standing” for the entire month of January 2014.

The Gemba Academy team and I have been busy building a new recording studio in the DFW area. All future “studio” Gemba Academy videos will be recorded in this new space.

Additionally, I, and 3 Gemba Academy team members that live in the DFW area, will office out of this space.

With this said, I’ve used this new opportunity to give a new stand up desk another try and I’m happy to say I’ve done much better this time!

My New Set Up

My business, Kevin Meyer, has been a long time stand up desk proponent, which allowed me to essentially copy his set up.

Here’s what makes up my current workspace (click picture above to enlarge):

I mounted a surge protected power strip to the back of one leg in order to plug everything in and neatly hide wires.

The Initial Struggle

Now, truth be told, my legs did ache a bit the first week. But I fought through it and now feel no pain and, actually, love standing.

I can’t explain why… but I am far more productive standing up. It’s almost like sitting in a comfortable chair allows me to get too relaxed and lose focus.

Kaizen Opportunities

And while I do love this new desk… it can be better.

Since we’re in a recording studio being able to quickly rearrange things is important… so I plan to add wheels to the desk making it easy to move.

And since I only have to plug one thing into a wall (the power strip) once I have wheels installed I’ll be able to roll the desk anywhere.

Do You Stand?

What about you? Do you also stand up while working at a desk? If so, what is your set up?

And if you currently sit… what are your thoughts on trying to stand up while working at your desk?


  1. Greg Allen

    January 23, 2014 - 3:34 pm
    Reply

    Very nice! How did you know the correct height to make the desk? Are there guidelines for this?

    • Ron Pereira

      January 23, 2014 - 10:53 pm

      Hi Greg, from the research I have done I have learned your arms should be approximately bent at 90 degrees when typing. That’s right about where I have the desk height.

  2. Aaron Clark

    January 23, 2014 - 9:51 pm
    Reply

    Been standing up for more than a year and will never go back. I bought a desk from Ikea. Works great.

    Whats hanging on the left side of your desk?

    • Ron Pereira

      January 23, 2014 - 10:54 pm

      Thanks for the comment, Aaron. Ha! I didn’t realize that was there… but that’s the remote control for the TV. I used velcro to hold it up and make it easy to grab and never lose! Hmmm… perhaps I need to do this at home as well?

  3. David McGan

    January 24, 2014 - 7:56 am
    Reply

    Add an uninterruptible power supply (battery backup) so your equipment stays powered when moving your desk from one power receptacle to another.

    • Ron Pereira

      January 24, 2014 - 8:20 am

      Great idea, David! Thanks for the comment.

  4. Steve Cummins

    January 24, 2014 - 3:30 pm
    Reply

    I’ve had a treadmill under mine for about two years and highly recommend it!

  5. Mark H. Davis

    January 29, 2014 - 1:29 pm
    Reply

    Hi Ron,

    Very nice setup. I converted to a stand-up station about 18 months ago and have learned a few things along the way:

    + Having adequate workspace at the computer is important. I didn’t anticipate this, so mine was very minimal at first. I had to innovate to allow for a few files or papers to share my workspace with my keyboard and monitor.
    + Wireless mouse and keyboard work best. Freedom of movement and placement.
    + The height of the computer screen has been a key factor, as well. I tend to lean and slouch if it’s not somewhat centered on the height of my eyes.
    + The other thing I’ve found is … varicose veins! They’ve popped up in patches on both legs. I have to make an effort to move around, and I also have a small sitting station with a laptop nearby. So I really use a sitting/standing combination most days.
    + It soon became apparent that my linoleum floor was not a friendly standing surface. I addressed this with modular foam tiles in my standing space. Also sets off my portion of the office nicely.
    + I agree with the boon to productivity — being able to move around quickly lets me access white boards, flip charts, resources, etc., much more easily. They’re just a step or two away.

    Hope you have great success with your new setup. Keep up the good work!

    • Ron Pereira

      January 29, 2014 - 1:33 pm

      Thanks, Mark! My business partner, Kevin, actually has this little roller thingy he stands on. It forces him to balance and apparently really helps his back. I’m not quite ready for that but look forward to eventually trying it.

  6. Mark H. Davis

    January 29, 2014 - 1:45 pm
    Reply

    Not sure I’m ready for that, either, but it sounds quite therapeutic if one can pull it off (I’d probably fall and crack something in my head region, making it much less therapeutic). Hopefully I’ll be that advanced one day!

    All the best.

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