January 27, 2026
The clerk at the reception desk worked standing at an elevated desk for typing. I asked her how she liked standing and typing. I had just bought a desk that moves up and down and adjusts to accommodate both sitting and standing positions. The professional advice is that typing while standing is good for your health and can improve typing speed. Apparently, one is more focused, energized and alert while standing. Blood circulation is also better, and you are likely to lose weight because standing eats up more calories than sitting. At least, that is what I read in the literature and triggered me to buy a stand-up desk.
The receptionist said she enjoyed typing while standing, so I shared my experience buying and assembling a stand-up table kit. The kit arrived with clear instructions for 17 steps, requiring screws plus extras, and perfectly aligned predrilled holes. This was a relief because I’ve struggled with other kits missing parts or with misaligned holes.
As I finished my story, the receptionist shared her own experience. In one of her previous jobs, she had the challenge of reassembling returned products in a furniture department store, often missing pieces.
I could not help but describe an earlier experience I had putting together a kit. It was Christmas time, and we bought one of our young children a large rocking horse that came in a box. On Christmas Eve, and after the children went to bed, I started assembling the rocking horse around midnight. Assisted by drinks and a few hours of struggling with instructions and pieces that either did not fit or were left over, I had the rocking horse assembled. I was ready to move the horse into the living room where the Xmas tree was. To my consternation, the fully built rocking horse was too big to fit through the door! A most unsatisfying experience that led me to swear off ever building another toy. The only available option was to take the horse apart, move it into the living room, and then reassemble it.
Come to think of it, many of my attempts at assembling products that come in large boxes leave me feeling incompetent and frustrated. They take many hours, including reading multi-step instructions in small print, often accompanied by drinks to relieve stress. The last big assembly was a BBQ that took four hours. It took a case of beer with an obliging friend who, luckily, followed instructions, to complete the assembly. In other cases, I studied all the provided pieces before assembling the products intuitively, with varying success.
I am typing this blog standing at my new table, elevated to its highest position. So far, so good. I do not feel tired. I am not sure if I am more focused, energized, or typing faster. Maybe I’m faster, but I am making more grammatical and spelling mistakes. It’s a new experience. Resting my elbows on the table feels comfortable and I think I’ll get used to it.
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