The standing desk experiment

I’ve long been a proponent of open office environments and over three years ago made the decision that I’ll never work in a personal office again. And one of my proudest moments toward the end of Engauge was getting the team leaders to agree to sit out in the open with their teams, which in the agency business is a crazy concept because everyone wants to get an office once they get to a certain level (like most businesses).

David Cummings picked up the concept and not only designed the Atlanta Tech Village (where I work, and freaking love) with that in mind, but he himself sits out in a desk. Even the great Elon Musk is on board with open seating.

The Dragon Army suite at the Village (some photos here) is as wide open as it gets, with everyone seated at desks and no offices to speak of. It’s a fantastic way to keep the creative energy high and the collaboration turned up to 11. How else could we come up with zany stuff like this? :) And when people need to work without being disturbed, they throw on headphones and everyone else knows to leave them alone.

One of our team members, Burton, uses a standing desk and I’ve always been interested in trying one. So this weekend, with a little help from Burton and Craigslist, I found a $55 IKEA Fredrik standing desk and set it up in the suite. I’m only one day in to using it, but I already enjoy the process of standing while I work. I’ll report back in a few weeks on how this pans out, but so far I think its going to be a winner.

standingdesk

7 Comments

  1. Arthur on November 26, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    Great idea – Makes it easier to fill like you are in a family environment and that is how working is supposed to be.



  2. Dayna Sherman Martin on December 2, 2013 at 10:27 am

    Good luck! I’m a big fan of standing desks!



  3. Jeff Hilimire on December 3, 2013 at 8:42 am

    So far I’m loving it, though its only been a few weeks. One thing I didn’t anticipate is that when I stand at my desk I’m a little more focused than when I’m sitting. Didn’t expect that but maybe when you’re standing you’re more at attention and more focused?



  4. Philip Mowris on December 3, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Jeff, I’ve had a standing desk since Folio Z days. I love it, for many reasons. Thankfully, mine is automatically adjustable, so I can sit when the task at hand requires.



  5. Jeff Hilimire on December 3, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Folio Z, one of my favorite past Atlanta companies! Glad to hear you still enjoy it that long in!



  6. Vlad Gorenshteyn on March 3, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    I think you may benefit by having a soft pad under your feet so your joints and back don’t stress as much.

    Also, in my own quest to work while standing or stand while working I’ve found two elegant DIY solutions:

    https://spacekat.me/blog/2012/07/26/diy-standing-desk/

    https://www.howtogeek.com/102604/diy-ikea-standing-desk-offers-space-storage-and-style-inexpensively/



  7. And so the standing desk experiment has ended on March 28, 2014 at 7:07 am

    […] November of last year I decided to test out using a standing desk. Pics and stuff here. And after four months of giving it the old college try, I’m sad to say I’m back to a […]



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