Things to Consider for the Ideal Standing Desk Setup for Your Workspace

Creating a workspace might not seem challenging when you're focusing on making sure it looks good. The appearance of any office space can be enhanced easily if you have a trained eye. However, the problem comes in when you're creating a workspace that not only looks good but feels good too. Including an ergonomic stand-up desk set up in your home office can help you feel more comfortable while working for extended periods.

Nonetheless, the many features that play a role in enhancing the ergonomics of your workstation can be difficult to understand and implement. For this reason, we have developed this guide on how to set up a standing desk setup to ensure you gain the right ergonomics while working. Continue reading to find out more.

Why are Ergonomics Important for Your Office?

The ergonomics offered in a piece of furniture can be described as the specific design of a device that creates a more efficient and comfortable working environment. For this reason, it’s vital to have the right ‘ergonomic’ setup when you decide to introduce a standing desk to your workspace. The reason behind this is that it helps you work more comfortably and efficiently while enhancing your productivity.

In addition to this, an ergonomic standing workstation can help to reduce the adverse effects of being seated for extended periods. Sitting for long hours placed a significant amount of tension and strain on your neck, shoulders, and back. This can hinder your comfort and productivity while working.

Not to mention, it can also lead to chronic back pain. All of these problems can be eased by naturally decreasing the amount of time you spend sitting each day. This can be done by successfully incorporating a high-quality standing desk into your office area. In addition to this, an ergonomic office chair for standing desk setup can work to support your back and promote your spine’s natural curvature.

The concept of providing the correct ergonomics into your workstation can be a simple process if you’re choosing the right ergonomic devices to incorporate into this ergonomic workspace. That's why you should pay attention to the products you're including in your ergonomic workspace.

Everything You Need to Know Before Setting Up Your Ergonomic Standing Desk Setup

How to set up a standing desk? The ergonomic benefit of standing desks and working in a home office is that you can use the space how you like and with unmatched comfortability. With that in mind, you have the opportunity to consider how you would like to design and layout your ergonomic workspace in a way that best represents your values. You can easily make this space into an environment that inspires you. Here are some of the best things you can do before you begin incorporating ergonomics into your workspace:   

1. The Value of Decluttering and Practicing Minimalism

It’s easy for our standing desk setup to rapidly become overcrowded with all of the extra items that occurred from the work we conduct throughout the day. Coffee cups, excess notepads, books, files, forms, and drink bottles can quickly clutter our workspace and remain in your working area for days, if not, weeks.

If you find yourself in this predicament, we encourage you to take a look at your desk and consider what are your must-haves and what items are taking up too much space on your desk. Essentials that most office workers keep on their desks are tech equipment, a note pad, and some pens. However, you should evaluate exactly what you need during your working day and make the appropriate changes to your desk to fit these needs.

2. Replicating Your Office Area

If you have the opportunity to do so, you should consider replicating the ultimate desk setup you have in your existing work office. This can help you feel more comfortable while working as you don’t have to get familiar with a new work environment or guess where certain items are. This can make transitioning from working in your work office to home a lot easier.

3. Setting Goals and Creating a Vision

As you’re working in your own space with a stand-up desk setup at home instead of in an office, you have the freedom to place any personal items you wish to incorporate into your workspace. This can help you feel encouraged, as you can surround yourself with quotes and pictures that inspire you. In addition to this, you can also create a vision board to remind you what you wish to achieve from conducting such work daily.

How to Setup a Standing Desk Workstation

After you've laid out your standing desk setup in the way you feel most appropriate, it's essential to consider your ergonomic workspace setup as well. We have provided you with some simple guidelines to enhance the ergonomics offered in your workspace and make you feel more comfortable throughout your day.

1. Positioning Your Monitor’s Arm

The first step to achieving an ergonomic standing desk setup is to ensure that you position your monitor approximately one arm’s length away from you. This is typically between 50 and 71 centimeters. You’re likely to lean closer to your desk if your laptop or monitor is too far away from you. However, if the monitor is too close, your eyes are going to strain to focus on what you’re looking at. This can cause your back to ache and can be the reason behind your eyes strain and your constant headache. Nonetheless, the problem can be eradicated by moving your monitor to a distance of 50 to 71 centimeters away from where you're seated.

2. The Height of Your Monitor

The height you place your monitor or monitors at is extremely vital. We stare at our computer screens for long periods of the day. Thus, placing these monitors at an angle where you're looking at the center of stand-up desk setup helps ease any built-up pressure placed on your neck. The reason behind this is that you aren't required to constantly move your neck forward, up, backward, or down, to gain the right view on your screen.

3. Using the Correct Posture When Using Your Standing Desk

Checking on your seated posture throughout your working day is an excellent step to help you keep feeling great while seated at your desk for extended periods when you set up your ergonomic desk. While making this check, you should consider if your shoulders are becoming tense and if your core is disengaged and soft. Making adjustments to your sitting posture at a desk to ensure you have a healthy spinal alignment throughout your working day is going to help you feel more energetic and stronger while you're working.

4. Tilting Your Monitor

When constructing your ergonomic standing desk setup, you should consider the angle your monitor is tilted at, and aim for your monitors to be angled at approximately 10 to 20 degrees. This angle helps to stop reflections or glares, which are commonly known to cause eye strain and neck pain from attempting to gain a better view of your screen. This slight yet effective tilt might work to prevent any glare streaks.

5. Your Standing Position

The standing position you adopt while using your ergonomic standing desk places a role in the ergonomic benefits you gain. When you stand in front of your desk, it’s common to shift from side to side. However, you should be aware of this shifting from foot to foot and pay close attention to how this movement impacts where you're ultimately placed at your desk. This is because you might not be centered alongside your desk. In addition to this, you might need to take a break from standing if you find yourself shifting from side to side more often, as this could be an indication of fatigue.

6. The Placement of Your Elbows

When working at your ergonomic standing desk setup, you should ensure that your elbows are placed beside you at a 90-degree angle. To do this, you should place your mouse and keyboard at a level that allows your elbow to bend at almost 90 degrees. While doing this, your hands and wrists should be parallel to the floor and have the ability to move freely. Adding to this, it’s important to keep in mind that your hands and wrists can rest freely and comfortably on your stand-up desk setup.

7. Even Weight Spread

It's vital to note that placing too much pressure on one foot as you're standing can lead to various problems. This includes the lower back and hip aches. In addition to this, you might find yourself leaving on the desk for some assistance if your weight isn't evenly distributed across both feet. Due to this need for assistance, you're likely moving closer to the monitor, which can cause other issues to arise like neck pain, shoulder pain and eye strain.

8. The Conditions of Your Workspace

The conditions making up your working environment are essential to consider when forming an effective ergonomic standing desk setup. A wide-open workspace can provide you with the opportunity to spread yourself out and allow you to move freely without the feeling of being constricted or confused when it comes to where you should place your important work documents or items.

When opting for a workspace that’s more open and where you can move around freely, it’s easier to organize your work items and make these files or documents more accessible. Due to this, you’re able to organize your workspace in a far more effective way. This also helps to promote productivity levels.

9. The Inclusion of an Anti-Fatigue

In some cases, you might not have the luxury of having a carpeted home office with ultimate standing desk setup. Working on a hard surface is known to cause various problems. Nonetheless, you can counter these adverse effects by incorporating an anti-fatigue mat that’s equipped to support micro-movements. These anti-fatigue mats are designed to help your muscles expand and contract.

Your muscles adjust to the features included in the design of your anti-fatigue mat in your stand-up desk setup. These muscles make tiny movements and function in an attempt to keep your balance while you stand at your adjustable and ergonomic standing desk. As a result of these movements, your blood flow and oxygen levels to your heart are enhanced. Not to mention, this tiny muscle movement also works to evenly distribute the pressure caused by standing for extended periods.

The Bottom Line

Even if you create the best ergonomic standing desk setup, you may likely suffer from muscle fatigue or aches. This is bound to occur if you maintain a static position while working for extended periods, and generally occurs when you begin using this stand-up desk setup. These aches and pains are typically a response to strengthening muscles, which you might not be used to.

If this is the case, we highly recommended that you keep moving as much as you possibly can. In addition to this, you should also alternate between a standing and a sitting position with sit-stand sessions scheduled throughout your working day. Oftentimes, people believe that they should remain standing for their entire working day. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. The reason for this is because too much of a good thing can also be bad, and standing for too long is one example.

Standing for too long is known to mimic the symptoms of sitting for long periods. You're going to suffer from tremendous aches and pains in your lower back, neck, and shoulder regions. Balance is vital, which is why you should naturally switch between a sitting and a standing position throughout your day spent in front of your stand-up desk setup. In doing this, you're going to remain productive, comfortable, and focused.