Working from home is a good excuse to change many of my daily habits. The ones I’m tackling first apply to not only when I work, but what posture I’m using during work.
In short, I’m trying to stand up most of the day.
I’ve always had small problems with my back and the sit-in-my-cube office routine isn’t good for that. So when given the opportunity to work more from home, I had the motivation to move to a standing desk. A few trips to Ikea and Lowes have produced the work portion of my home office, a simple standing desk with a monitor shelf.
The whole thing is a work in progress for many reasons. First, I have to use it for a week or so to make sure everything’s at the right height… that just takes time to figure out. Second, not everything I need for work has arrived at the house yet… so I can’t get too comfy until UPS arrives. Third, and most important of all, I’m not used to standing all day… it is something I have to work up to.
Moving from stand-up Brian to sit-down Brian means I need breaks to switch elevation. I’m trying to use these breaks to try different work environments. Is it better to take my conference calls standing up and leave on-line presentations for the reclined position? Do I move straight to another office task or do house chores when changing work locations?
Many of these issues are related to compartmentalization… drawing dividing lines between work and personal time so I’m not working all the time. I’m sure it will get easier as I create my new routine. For now, I’ll keep the laundry away from the standing desk, even if I don’t sit down when folding towels.
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