[tentblogger-vimeo 25134343]
[This is part of the Problogger Home Office Series.]
As you can see I’ve carved out a little area in the corner (for now) to actually do some work but the area is still in a state of chaos! But at least I can sit down (kind of, my seat is half-way on a raised marble floor attached to the fireplace).
Slow progress...
Links to suggested purchase options would be much appreciated as well as reviews from people you trust (or your own)!
Have a great day guys!
[This is part of the Problogger Home Office Series.]
It’s cool. Congrats on those yellow walls, too. Now, clean that mess up!
actually i’m going to ask the community about the color of the walls..
My desk is between a regular desk and a standing desk in height. My chair is a swiveling bar stool with a back, so I can either sit down or stand up and work comfortably either way. I like it.
I can see how a standing desk might be useful for you, the option to stand up and work focused or sit down in a comfy chair and work a little bit more relaxed depending on what you needed to get done.
Good luck deciding!
up and down from the sofa to nap.
I’m actually typing this reply from my standing desk at work. I find I have more energy when I use it, and it is easier to take breaks and receive visitors to my office at church. For you, with kids around the house, it would also keep your computer out of reach, if that is a concern… http://jonwellman.com/2011/05/25/on-my-feet-standing-workstation/
I’m with you on this one! As I commented in the last post about the office ideas, I love my standing desk that I’ve been using about a month now. I’ve got a couple links to some other articles about standing desks in my post too. http://thebarkerhouse.net/switching-to-a-standing-desk/
I went the cheap route, but I think there are even fancy desks that can raise and lower. If it was too easy for me to lower my desk, I’d probably end up sitting too much anyway. Could be fun to rig up some hydraulics or something on it though….
checking this out!
I have both of my laptops and things I use thew most next to me at all times. Somewhat just like yours.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Just for fun and curiosity, what made you choose that name?
he’s got spirit!
um… and what about the desk?
I got a standing desk a couple months ago and love it! It takes a week or two to get used to it, but then it’s great! Since you’re also a MacBook user, I would check out HengeDocks.com. I don’t know if they have a model for the Air, but the dock for my MacBook Pro is Awesome!!!
P.S.- My standing desk is just a pub table from Target! http://www.target.com/Square-Pub-Table-Brown-42/dp/B000BQOZT0/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton
Love the hengedocks.com idea. Too bad my Macbook Pro (non-unibody) is too old. Might need to breakdown and buy a new Air if they refresh it soon.
thanks for this tim!… ahh. looks so pretty… but won’t work with my macbook air…
I just moved into a new house as well (in the past month or so), and one of my goals over the coming weeks is to get a treadmill desk. I’m very eager to get it set up. It will help with posture and health issues, but also I imagine it will help me focus. I’m the type of person that walks around to think. I’ll keep you posted as I try to find mine.
Loren, is that for real? It sounds too good to be true.
it is real…!
Lifehacker recently had a great article about the transition to a standing desk so I though I’d give it a try. Best decision ever. I have way more energy and my body doesn’t feel like it’s just laid around all day when I’m standing while working. I’m currently working on getting a custom one made to fit the rest of the office space. Until then, I just move between my regular desk and the kitchen bar top.
which article?
http://lifehacker.com/5735528/why-and-how-i-switched-to-a-standing-desk
I also found an old breakfast in bed table that I set on top of my regular desk when I want to use my external monitor. Love it!
sweet! i’m doing a test right now. will blog about it today.
Have any of you other standing desk fans, bought a floor mat to stand on? I’ve been considering buying a cheap one like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EFK9KM
omg. yes. please.
honestly save your money John. I’ve been moving every 13 weeks now since getting married in July (by choice) so i’ve had a standing desk (really tall table), a writing desk, a couch, a coffee shop and more. the one thing i’ve learned is i love not having a true “desk”. Sure i need a place to store everything and a place to hide the printer etc but really i’m all over the place and i like that! But hey to each his own. Back in the day only a large L-Shaped desk would do it for me. As for the standing desk thoughts, by a tall bar stool for those moments when you just need to “take a seat”…
… i like this idea….. but…. we’re settled for a bit.;)
I too found yesterday’s comments interesting. I just spent 3 1/2 weeks recovering from surgery. I spent a lot of time sitting & writing. I began thinking when I buy a house with enough rooms for an office I want a desk that has the option of sitting up higher so I can stand & write.
I also agree with bringing in plants. I did that in my apartment and work desk. It makes a huge difference. Spider Plants, Wandering Jews are very low maintenance. I would not buy them from a grocery store. They use poor quality dirt and most of the time they are not in good condition. Go to a local nursery.
any in particular? (plants)/
I would recommend trying a standing desk before you commit. About 5 years ago I built a simple ‘floating’ desk that was at standing height (we like old-school file cabinets, so that’s where everything went that needs a drawer). I also had a tall stool where I could sit if needed.
What I found after 6 months was that it was almost too easy for me to take a break or get distracted, since it was just a quick walk away. I wasn’t extremely uncomfortable standing, but I would almost prefer taking a 15 minute walking and stretching break than standing for most of the day.
Personally, I like to hunker down and get a good amount of work done in one single session – between 2 and 3 hours (a few times a day), with some intentional breaks. Maybe it’s my own work-habits, but I found it hard to work for those longer sessions while standing.
Have fun crafting your office!
jason,
where would you “test” this?
Sorry for the late reply – it looks like you’re beginning to test this out already, which is great! A great idea for testing is by using a box or something on top of a regular desk and trying it for a few days. Sounds cheap, but it will be worth your time to find whatever YOU prefer! Have fun!
jason,
thanks man! we’ll see how long it lasts, right?
My desk is very simple: it’s the basement door with legs attached (you can buy the hardware to attach the legs to the table at a hardware store). The legs are 2-inch by 2-inch unpainted lengths of hardwood, braced front-to-back of the desk with 1×2 inch boards.
Plenty of desktop space for keyboard, monitor, two lights, scanner, two printers and papers.
I’ve been thinking about a standing desk. See, I work at home, then work at a newspaper. I’m sitting 10 hours a day or more. I’m taking more walking breaks, and am trying to exercise daily (thanks Wii Fit Plus!), but I’m thinking standing more would be a Good Idea. Better, it would discourage my kids from using the computer!
for sure! i’ll let you know what i decide to do!
John,
I’ve had tons of experience with both. I now work sitting for 8 hours, and it bites sometimes. . .mainly after lunch. However, I worked at a hotel for two years while in college and used a standing desk there. When business was slow, I’d try to get some homework done and found it a little exhausting. To stand for 8 hours while working on statistics or accounting wasn’t fun.
I like the bar stool with a back idea, kind of like a hybrid. Just make sure the height of the desk and your monitor/laptop screen is spot on for your stature, otherwise, the strain on your neck from looking down (or up) will be a nightmare. At least it was for me.
i’m leaning here tazmin. thansk for this vote!
Until things are more settled in the other rooms in the house, I would use this- http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wildon-Home-Laptop-Desk-Stand-in-Black/15728411
that certainly looks affordable… dang. what a winner…!
at least temporarily.
I currently have a hardwood “Farmer’s table” as my desk – just simply a heavy 6×3 foot desk on four legs, but it looks beautiful in its simplicity…
can i get a pic?
Hey cool and simple blog post. I always work to find a good space. I run the site http://if-fit.com which is a a fitness and CrossFit website. I work both from home (my apartment) as well as from the office (the gym).
Recently we got some pretty decent new desks that have enough space to put a monitor up at my office. This will be pretty helpful when it comes to putting up video posts so i can edit them easily.
I’m thinking of going with a 31 inch monitor.
Thanks for the blog post
Josh Bobrowsky
josh,
can i get a pic?
Hi, thanks for asking for imput. From what I see, you need a lot of storage. Perhaps try the Expedit bookshelf from IKEA. As an interior designer, I have a LOT of samples to store and the Expedit bookshelf works great, for a low cost.
For desks, if anyone else would use the desk, I’d stay clear of a standing desk, they’d be impracticle for the kids to use.
I’d suggest a sitting desk with lots of storage – doors/drawers on both sides, including a pencil drawer to store your writing instruments/paper, etc.
There is a desk that fits onto the Expedit bookcase, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it as it has no storage. Although it’s only $70 and would be great to use for printers, etc. It attaches perpendicular to the bookcase.
love to see your examples!
so you’re not a fan of standing desks?
Hey John, what kind of camera are you using?
i’m actually just using an iphone… go figure.
lol, I thought it might have been. It looks good. I guess I should use mine a little more for video.
it’s great man. seriously.
totally non-related to your desk, but I was wondering what video camera do you use to record your video posts?
iphone 4….. crazy!
Did you read the article on Zen Habits about standing desks?
http://zenhabits.net/stand/
reading this now………!