You guys, the Ttt Ttt dude got moved to a different floor. This means my eye twitch and neck spasm might stop!
What's more exciting though, is that I got a stand-up desk today.
Several weeks back when I was in the throes of insanity with Ttt Ttt and my new seating situation, I decided to put in a request to the ergonomics department to get my desk elevated.
See, I work for an Internet company that believes everyone should be equally miserable in grey, 4.5-foot-tall cubicles. But having my desk raised meant I could look over the walls and actually see my team members again and potentially attain an altitude above the jet stream of Ttting.
Then the Universe threw me a huge bone by not only enabling me to get my desk raised, but to have it moved over to a seat that was being vacated by one of Ttt Ttt's coworkers. I now have a view out the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows. Score.
In addition to my boosted morale, I'm pretty sure that I've extended my life expectancy. According to the American Cancer Society, "women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting were 37 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than 3 hours a day."
Yikes, right?
I've also heard that standing releases certain enzymes that help your metabolism. All in all, it just seems like a healthier option for getting through my 9-6.
The other benefits I discovered this morning after I moved in? I feel super productive like a cat who is continually springing into action because I'm on my feet. And even better than that: when a good song comes on iTunes, I can totally dance in place. Awe. Some.
10 comments:
That statistic makes me want to stand up ALL DAY LONG. Jesus. Scary!
I'm glad you got a workable work space. It really makes all the difference.
Years ago, I remember seeing a news segment where someone set up a work station on a treadmill. They didn't walk particularly fast, but walk for 8 hours instead of sitting and you really burn some crazy calories!
This is why I work out before work. So I can sit the rest of the day!
I have a few co-workers who have gone to stand-up desks for the same reasons. I've put in a request for a couch desk. No response yet.
hey - do your feet get tired? what about wearing heels? can you/do you sit at all? how does the thing work...I need details!! lol - seriously though, I sit way too long all day at work. I want to check it out. I could Google it of course, but you've got personal experience.
How do you sleep on the job while standing?
I both like the idea of a stand up desk AND Mandy's idea of a couch seat. Yes, bring on the details. Do you have a chair at all?
Okay. Update. I moved my computer to the tall part of the kitchen counter to write. I'm amazed. It's so much better than sitting. It's actually more comfortable to stand! Plus, I feel like I'm writing on the go, which makes the time zip by. GOOD IDEA.
So a little more description of the setup for those of you who asked:
Yes, I have a chair. It's a tall chair and it came with an elevated foot rest so when I sit in it, my feet are out and in front of me at a 90° angle. Very ergo.
When I signed up for the stand-up evaluation, they told me I should plan to stand 60% of the time and sit 40%. It's hard to keep track, but I'm just sort of trying to stand as much as I can. I think it's harder to meet the 60% number than the sitting number.
The only drawback is that my feet have gotten a smidge sore. But there are rubber mats you can buy at Lowe's and Home Depot to stand on. Going to get one this week.
Over and out.
Years and years ago, IBM removed all conference tables in their meeting rooms at their HDQ and replaced them with stand up level bar style tables. There were no chairs in the rooms save those needed for ADA. They found an immediate increase in meeting productivity through an average decrease in meeting time of over 60%. Take away the chairs and people will focus on the task at hand.
I don't know why, but I'm reminded of an old MST3K episode, where they were berating on a cheezy sci-fi film, and the line "Keyboards on the walls? It must be... the future!"
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