Tired of spending so much of your day sitting down? Between driving, working, and relaxation time, most people spend well over half their waking hours in the seated position. Unfortunately, a lot of this is unavoidable. Standing cars aren’t a thing, and not sitting down kind of defeats the purpose of relaxation.
However, there is a solution for the time you spend in the office: a standing desk. These desks allow you to spend your eight hours in an upright position, giving you benefits such as improved posture and a slightly faster calorie burn compared to sitting. Before you go out and buy one of these life-changing desks, there are quite a few things you need to think about. That’s why we’re bringing you our guide on what to consider when choosing a standing desk.
Should You Even Get a New Desk?
This might seem like a weird thing to consider since you’ve already decided that you want a standing desk, but what most people don’t realize is you can buy standing desk converters for your current desk. These are great for people on a budget who don’t want to put a lot of money into a brand-new desk or for those who are still attached to their current one and don’t want to give it up just yet.
We offer desktop standing desk risers personally on our website if you’re at all interested. We still have a bunch of considerations to go over, though, so be sure to look at them from all angles before purchasing.
What Size Should I Get?
The size of the top of the standing desk or converter you should get comes down to personal preference. Are you a minimalist who doesn’t keep very much on your desk, or are you one of those people who needs everything spread out in front of you in order to work properly? Keep this in mind when shopping for a standing desk. Be sure to use your current desk’s measurements to compare to whichever options you are considering.
The other main aspect of the size that you need to consider is height. Most sitting desks are relatively the same height since everyone sits in chairs that can move up or down. Humans don’t have such a convenience. However tall you are is permanent, so you need to find a desk that works for your personal height. Luckily, nearly all standing desks and converters are adjustable.
How Easy Is It To Move?
The adjustability brings up the next vital point of figuring out how easy it is to move up and down. Once you find the perfect height, it’s unlikely you’ll leave it there forever. If you ever want to sit down, you’ll have to readjust it, so ease of use is essential.
The speed at which this is done is important, too. If the desk takes forever to move up or down, you will be less likely to want to waste time during your workday to move it, which will lead to you sitting more often than standing, defeating the entire purpose of the desk.
How easily it can be moved up or down is key for desktop risers as well. Ours is relatively easy to remove from the desk when you want to sit down for a while, whereas some models from other companies latch on to the desk, making removal much more tedious.
Will I Get Tired While Using It?
The simple answer here is yes, especially when you first start using it. Therefore, ease of adjustability is crucial. Fortunately, there are some options for increasing the amount of time you can remain standing. If you’re okay with wearing shoes in the house, there are many shoe and insole brands made specifically for people who stand all day. If shoes aren’t an option, anti-fatigue mats are also available and extremely comfortable for long periods of time.
What Kind of Weight Can It Handle?
Most standing desks are light to make their movement more accessible and faster. The downside is that they usually can’t hold as much weight, which can be an issue for those with heavy PCs or crowded desks. It becomes a balancing act of how much durability you want to give up for increased movement. If you want the best of both worlds, you’ll likely have to pay more.
This is one of the best perks of standing desk converters like ours. They only need to hold the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Everything else can sit on your normal desk, which was made to handle a lot more weight.
Will It Work Well for My Ergonomics?
One of the most vital things to consider when choosing a standing desk is how well it works for your posture. If you’re still hunched over while using it, it defeats the whole purpose of making the change to a standing desk. In order to improve your ergonomics, you need to make sure your keyboard is in a location that keeps your arms at a right angle, and your monitor is high enough to keep your neck straight. Most standing desks are completely flat and don’t take this into account.
That’s why desk risers are the perfect choice. Most brands, including ours, allow you to individually adjust the height of the keyboard and monitor. This allows for more streamlined ergonomics and, in turn, a better posture.
How Does It Look?
Some people may think this point is a bit petty when the main focus is improving your overall health, but honestly, what good is a new desk or converter if you don’t like how it looks? Nobody wants an ugly desk as the centerpiece of their office. Not only do other people judge the way it looks, but you have to look and deal with it every day. While it shouldn’t be the primary concern, you should still take the design into consideration.
And this is where the final positive of desk converters come into play. If you really don’t like how it looks, you can always remove it when not in use and show off the beautiful desk you still have underneath. We don’t think you’d be upset with how our converters look, though. They are made entirely out of wood and look great with any configuration.
