Standing Desk on The Dangling Pointer

Keyboard Wrist Rests are a Lie

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 14:04:00 +0000

Since December I've been working with a physical therapist to help with some shoulder and neck pain that keeps recurring. After many hours of therapy including dry needling we've determined there's nothing wrong with my back or neck and it must be posture-related. I've been constantly tweaking my standing desk setup to make sure I'm maintaining decent posture.

Part of the research took me into proper keyboard setup. I have a keyboard riser to put it at the proper height when standing at my desk. I discovered that the wrist rest is a complete lie and I was using the keyboard improperly. Resting your wrists while typing can compress the nerves in the wrist leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. Some experts say you can rest your palms instead to keep the angle of your wrists more neutral. I've found an even better approach - let your hands float over the keys & rest your hands when you're not typing.

Music for Dancing at your Standing Desk

Wed, 11 Nov 2015 21:23:18 +0000

I keep a curated playlist on Rdio of songs that are excellent for dancing at your standing desk. The playlist also works well for a particularly awesome dance party.

https://www.rdio.com/people/astralbodies/playlists/7569006/To_Dance_Shamelessly_at_a_Standing_Desk/

Enjoy! :)

Standing Desk Back Pain

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 20:02:27 +0000

I've been using a standing desk for over 2 1/2 years. About nine months ago I started mixing in walking on a treadmill to my daily life. I noticed something over the course of this summer - standing at my desk brought back a ton of lower back pain. I thought I had licked the back pain early on with yoga stretches to improve my hip flexor muscles. Turns out, I forgot how to stand.

The Downside to Treadmill Desks

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:00:29 +0000

Just Published

The New York Times just published an article on their Well Blog entitled "The Downside of Treadmill Desks". It's an interesting read.

The article mentions a study performed by two groups at the Brigham Young University in Utah and published to the PLoS One Journal in April. After studying 75 individuals it was determined that while there is a significant positive health impact on using a treadmill desk, productivity and cognition decreased.

My Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Tue, 05 May 2015 17:34:57 +0000

I've mentioned before on this site and other places that I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and that I've been doing a lot to manage it. I didn't really connect the dots until I started working remote for Automattic almost two years ago. It's a continual process for me and I'm continuing to make adjustments over time to combat it. I have good days and I have bad days.

I Connected My Standing Desk to Evernote

Wed, 03 Dec 2014 15:06:05 +0000

I've been using an UpDesk since I started working from home in July 2013. I typically try to stand over half of the day being careful to not hurt my lower back with multiple days of standing fatigue. I do plenty of stretches and general movement while standing as well - but I do like to sit in my fancy Herman Miller Aeron chair once in a while. Having the motorized desk is awesome for this because I can change the configuration of my workspace based upon my mood, attention momentum and other variables. I noticed after some time, however, that I didn't have a really good understanding of how often I switched configurations and generally how long I could stand.

Mounting Wires Under a Standing Desk

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:30:30 +0000

I purchased an UpDesk PowerUp Series I (original) last year and love it. I got the standard maple-colored desk top and am very happy with the density of the wood, quality laminate and curved front edge. The one thing I was not very satisfied with was the mounting option given for the clasps keeping the wiring under it from hanging. I was given a good amount of these self-adhesive twist plastic cable ties:

Nerdy Fitness

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:15:57 +0000

Nerds are notorious for being the most disinterested in staying fit - well at least our stereotype. I've definitely yo-yoed in weight over the years, being at my best weight about three years ago. Job and other life changes got me distracted and I ended up 40lb heavier in a relatively short amount of time.

When I started working at home, I decided change was in order to make me a bit more aware of myself. I ended up getting a standing desk and a really great Herman Miller chair as part of my office setup when I started at Automattic. Standing throughout the day, and sitting at strategic points of fatigue and after exercise, has made a significant difference in my attention levels and I believe my overall health.