Today marks 10 years since I switched to using a standing desk. You might think I’m crazy, but I never want to go back to sitting at a desk all day every day. 

Honestly, it took a couple months for my feet to get used to it. It’s not something you can just dive into for a full day without feeling achy. However, now I can go from morning to midnight, and I don’t even notice. 
 
My standing desks have always been rigged. My first was just a regular height desk with empty boxes on top that raised up the computer, keyboard, and mouse. Kudos to my boss at the time who let me try that ugly (but functional) experiment. 

After a few years, I got a desk with longer legs, and it started to look not quite so hacked together.

​For that setup, I had a digital side…

​...and an analog side.

​My current work-from-home setup is still pretty rigged, but functionally it’s the best I’ve had, and it works great.

The key is to have the heights right. You should have your eyes about even with the top of your screen (just like when sitting down), and your elbows should be about 90 degrees with your forearms not quite touching the desktop (just like when sitting down). Your shoulders should be relaxed, not shrugged. It’s worth the time to make little adjustments to make it fit you, and not the other way around.  
 
This is the mat I stand on - Topo by Ergodriven. I love it because the varied surface gives my feet and legs lots of different positions to play with. I’m either in minimalist shoes, or barefoot. I’ve had it for about 5 years, and it has zero wear. Totally worth the $100. 
 
I’d eventually like to build this awesomely simple adjustable desk. I bought the plans for $30, but it might be beyond my woodworking skill. Certain parts have to be dead on. We'll see, but it's just so cool I might have to try. 
 
Someday I’d like to add a HON Perch stool.

And, when I make my first million, it will be the ultimate, a 2-level glass-topped EvoDesk.
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I know having a standing desk isn’t for everyone. But for me, it helps my posture, my feet feel strong and healthy, and I’m more mentally alert. Plus, according to the site StandUp Kids, I’ve also burned 707,000 calories more than I would have sitting in my chair for 10 years. No wonder I can eat so much. :)

I love computers. My first was a TRS-80 from Radio Shack. I programmed in BASIC, Fortran, and Cobol. Once I got my first Mac (with just 4mb RAM, and a 40mb hard drive), I was off into the digital graphics world. In the 30 years since then, I've learned dozens (hundreds?) of applications for organizing information visually on a computer screen. 

So, why haven't I gone paperless? Why is my daily paper use as high as it ever was? Because I strive to use the tool that gets the job done effectively with the least effort. There are many times when a piece of paper is simply the best tool. 

Read more in my third blog post for Cabrera Research Lab!

https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/sm-ob