So I looked at some of the other links, and point 1 about raising your legs cites...the Daily Mail. Not a reliable source, and particularly pilloried for its medical coverage, see eg https://kill-or-cure.herokuapp.com/

The article is fine as an anecdote about the author's failed attempts to use a standing desk, but it's not persuasive evidence.

And of course taking the laptop out for a walk to a cafe or park. Variety.

Except right now the coffee table is covered with Lego castles because I got this toy dragon princess who demands a pretty place to live in. These things happen and you have to work around them.

Guy can't stand up for more than 4 hours, writes complaints on Medium. Articles like this are why the tech industry gets a bad name.

I've been meaning to try out a balance board for some extra variation too - something like FluidStance or Wurf Board.

I made a 3d-printable balance board dome, you can use it to build something much like a FluidStance!

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1197183

No, that was for people who sat for more than six hours of their leisure time per day. Not the same thing.

I'm using a standing desk, but I'm sitting on it, cross-legged, with my monitor in my lap. Am I doing it wrong?

I generally agree with the author's sentiment - if you don't need a standing desk then don't get one. But for crying out loud, don't write some authoritative-sounding Medium post about what you should do instead that cites questionable web sites and links to a random video of a Russian lady doing squats.

Isn't this just basic psychology then when you fail at something you try to justify why you didn't want to do it anyway? i.e. Tickets to the concert are sold out -> "I didn't want to go see Black Sabbath anyways. They aren't that good and they're too expensive anyways."

I'm a few weeks into using a self-built standing desk[1] and I don't even realize I'm standing anymore.

Yesterday I stood for 15 hours and walked 3 miles and at the 15th hour I barely felt different than when I started the day. I took (2) 10min sitting breaks for meals.

[1] http://blog.nickjanetakis.com/post/137161793153/build-home-m...

Totally. I used boxes and makeshift platforms to test whether standing was for me. My first day was brutal. The only thing that ran through my mind was "What was I thinking?"

After a couple of days though, it was second nature. My knees do get tight, but it forces me to do squats to stretch them out -- not a bad thing, IMO.

I have a similar setup to yours, except for the keyboard platform, I used an inexpensive shoe shelf [1] and a vertically oriented VESA monitor stand [2] for my 2 27" monitors.

On the odd occasion that I want my laptop elevated, I use an articulating laptop stand [3] to the left of my keyboard platform. In this case, I use Microsoft's Mouse Without Borders to "extend" my desktop's workspace to the laptop.

Like the author of the linked post, I have to sit down for some types of tasks ("deep thinking" stuff like planning or design) but in those cases, I just use my laptop and sit down somewhere. Recently, I added an Ikea stool to my setup [4] that seems to be designed for their sit-stand desks.

It's not the nicest setup, I'm thinking of something more permanent, like building a standing workstation into an IKEA PAX wall unit.

[1] http://www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-Selectives-24-in-White...

[2] https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/lf/187/hash/31565/13889834/1/...

[3] http://pcbuild.qoeeky.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/9e2bf91...

[4] http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60279570/

You know what's funny. A lot of those tall chairs cost $100-150ish. I actually contemplated buying a cheap $200ish laptop instead of a chair, simply because the laptop has much more utility. Then I would just sit with a normal chair and use the laptop for breaks.

My plan was to wait a month or so and see how things panned out before buying anything for sitting. So far I don't feel like I need one.

Haven't ran into any deep thinking issues lately. Currently I'm in the middle of planning an online course out which does require some thinking but I haven't noticed it being harder to think while standing.

At the start it definitely affected me when all I could think about was how bad I wanted to sit.

I finally realized a shoe shelf would do it. I think I paid $20 CAD for it. I think it's half the price in the US. It looks as cheap as it costs though. Originally I thought it would be a stepping stone to a Varidesk, but now I realize I can get away with a stand-only setup if I just got a stool.

FWIW, I just bought the stool a couple of weeks ago, so it took me around a year of standing to pull the trigger.

I've been looking at chairs for a while, but like you said, they can get expensive (I had my eye on the Humanscale Pony Saddle [1]). I don't sit for long periods of time on the stool, just here and there to take the weight off.

At $60 CAD, I figured the Ikea Nilserik was probably a low risk purchase compared to something >= 2X the price. You obviously get what you pay for, but if you're not planning to sit most of the time, it works out fine.

[1] https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=Freedo...

Try standing a little longer - you realize people generally get better at physical things as they try them?

1. He has a wood floor. They are hard and he should have compensated, either with more than a yoga mat, and better shoes, or Dr. Scholls inserts, etc.

2. A tall chair. The standing benefits are for people who move around, not simply stand in place for eight hours.

No need for a $2k motorized desk that moves, a simple $100 tall chair will do the trick as you can alternate standing and sitting throughout the day.

http://www.ergodepot.com/Topo_Standing_Mat_p/afmtsm.htm

Having an upright spine (standing/kneeling/sitting with a stacked spine) facilitates an alert, problem solving state of consciousness.

But for less mentally intensive tasks (code cleanup, research, intra-day relaxation) reclining in a "zero gravity" position is an ideal restorative posture. We don't need to be upright for all types of work!

Individual productivity is intimately linked to spinal positioning and physical comfort. I've been working on creating a product to elegantly facilitate multiple working postures. If anyone is interested, DM me and I'd love to chat about it!

This takes practice.

When words are flowing, leg fatigue shouldn’t cut a writing session short. When I’m “wired in”, I don’t want to have to think about the discomfort in my lower back. I just want to think about my work.

I have a sit-stand desk: http://jakeseliger.com/2015/01/24/geekdesk-max-sit-stand-des.... Best of both worlds! When I'm in the zone I often get up, walk a little, and then continue working anyway. Putting it from sitting to standing or vice versa doesn't disrupt flow, at least for me.

Exactly; there is no panacea. The purpose of "standing desks" was to prevent workers from sitting all day. But the sitting or standing are secondary to the moving.

Of course, like you and the original post mentioned, you should still be getting up and moving around every now and then. If you've just wrapped something up and can take a break, try doing some stretches for a while, or even some light cardio like the "7-minute workout".

If you're a laptop user, it makes things more difficult - you'll probably have to elevate your laptop and get an external keyboard.

Extortionately priced, but I liked the hip angle, and mobility it encouraged, and the fact that you were so close to standing height that you could easily move between sitting and standing (still need a sit-stand desk though).

When I sourced my desk at IKEA I spent an extra $20 on a bar-height chair that folds up. I can stand when I want and sit when I want. The trick is to alternate actively.

Apparently, this has nothing to do with their far healthier diet than the average American, in the author's eyes.

Also, teaching people to do bodyweight squats with their torso leaning forward and stopping well below parallel is just bad, bad, bad.

I am not saying sitting is all that great, but standing all time is not solution. Sensible approach to everything is what wins and we lack those.

Zero back problems. My posture is a bit shitty, but my income makes up for it.