If you’re looking to purchase a standing desk for your company or home, you might find a guide useful. When buying a standing desk, the majority of first-timers frequently make mistakes. You may not be able to reclaim any of the benefits if you get the unsuitable standing desk.

5 Common Standing Desk Buyer’s Mistakes

1. Not Setting Up Your Workspace Correctly

Setting up your workstation correctly is vital. Making sure you are comfortable and that your body position is in its most natural state will go a long way to avoiding strains and injuries. Today many of us are working at our desks or in front of laptops and computers for longer and longer periods each day. We risk developing a wide range of work-related injuries such as back pain, neck strain, musculoskeletal issues, and health issues like headaches and eye strain. We are also at risk of gaining weight with its related issues i.e. Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.

Whether you are working from a traditional office, at home, or a combination of both, setting up your workstation to ensure maximum comfort and support is crucial. Home office furniture has improved in leaps and bounds in response to more and more workers choosing to work from home so finding the right equipment for your workstation should be a breeze.

2. Not Having the Right Equipment

First things first! Make sure your office chair is right for you. Choose a chair that offers adjustments to suit various body types, shapes, and sizes. Your chair should feel very comfortable while still providing support. It should be fully ergonomic and offer options to raise and lower the back and adjust it independently of the seat. If your chair has arms, they should be height adjustable and there should be a gas lift to ensure you can adjust the seat to sit at the right height for your desk.

Secondly, let’s talk about desks. Home office desks have come a long way. Gone are the days of working at the dining room table. Today, research has shown us that we need to pay close attention to our workspaces to ensure they are not doing us any harm. A Sit Stand Desk offers plenty of opportunities to change your body position while you work. Other elements to consider when setting up your workstation include your laptop or monitor which must be at the right height, your keyboard, mouse, and the lighting around your desk. Shorter workers may require a footrest to relieve strain on the hips and lower back.

3. Thinking That Sit Stand Desks Are Too Expensive and Not Worth It

Sit-Stand Desks are gaining in popularity as more and more research clearly shows how bad it is for us to sit at our desks for extended periods of time. Some experts even call long periods of sitting ‘the new smoking’. That is how bad sitting is for our health! Electric Sit-Stand desks change height at the push of a button and are definitely the convenient way to go. Many home office desks are now also height-adjustable, making them perfect for all members of the family to use.

In a traditional office, many versions of Sit-Stand / Height Adjustable Desks are available offering different options such as a Memory function. Once you have determined what your ultimate desk height is for standing and sitting, the Memory function can be programmed to recall this information and take the guesswork out of it each time you change position. It really is as easy as 1-2-3!

Sit-Stand Desks used to be very expensive. Many companies would invest in one or two and use them as ‘hot desks’, where different workers would share them and swap with each other during the course of the working day. Fast forward to current times and thanks to design innovations and healthy competition, Sit Stand Desks are more affordable than ever.

Businesses today recognize the relevance of supporting the health and wellbeing of their workers and one of the most important ways is to supply them with a height-adjustable desk. Workers who set up home office desks are now also finding how great the benefits are when using a Sit Stand Desk

4. Not Using Your Sit Stand Desk Correctly

So, you are lucky enough to have a Sit Stand Desk. Now, what are you going to do with it? Many workers have no idea how to maximize the benefits of their height adjustable desk.

• How often should I stand?
• How long should I be standing each time?
• How do I remind myself to keep changing positions?
• These are all valid and important questions.

Firstly, how long you should stand is a very individual thing. However, most experts agree that you should try to change your position every 30 minutes or so. This can be as simple as getting up and walking to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, visiting the bathroom, or going over to chat with a colleague instead of emailing them or calling them on the phone.

How long you should stand is another very personal matter. On average you should aim to stand or move around for 10 – 15 minutes out of every hour. This may seem like a lot but it is merely a guideline. You may be quite comfortable standing for a longer time or prefer more frequent and shorter periods. Remember that standing for too long is not good for you either, so aim for a good balance and listen to your body.

There are a few good ways to help you remember to change positions. Setting yourself a time limit while completing a certain task eg Making a few phone calls or completing a spreadsheet while standing is one way to do it. Another simple way is to install an App on your phone which will remind you when it is time to move. Many Smart Watches and other devices also have this feature, so make use of all your options.

5. Procrastinating-

Change is never easy and sometimes it can be difficult to make a big one like investing in new home office furniture or a new home office desk for work. Making the transition to a Standing Desk will be one of the very best things you can do for your long-term health and wellbeing. So don’t delay – shop online, do your research and make the change today!