What small details should I pay attention to when buying a standing desk or a desktop standing desk?

1. Adjusting your posture is key!

Before adjusting your desk and chair height, ditch that awkward sitting posture where you’re accommodating your desk, chair, and computer screen! Check your current posture. Raise your hand if you’re leaning forward, resting your weight (elbows) on the desk to look at the screen! Or raise your hand if you’re crossing your legs and hunching your back! These are all bad sitting habits. An awkward posture maintained for at least eight hours a day at work will eventually lead to problems with your spine and pelvis!

Many office workers experience lower body swelling and varicose veins in their legs. These issues are closely related to crossing legs and prolonged sitting, which impede blood circulation. Or conditions like sciatica, pelvic displacement, etc. Poor sitting posture can have a significant impact on your body in the future! Therefore, remember to remind yourself constantly to sit up straight, don't slouch, don't lean forward, and don't hunch your back. Adjust the screen distance appropriately instead of accommodating the screen with your body! Your knees and hips should ideally be between 90-125 degrees, with your knees slightly lower than your hips, shoulders open, and arms relaxed.

2. Start by adjusting the chair height

Now that you understand proper sitting posture, let's start adjusting the desk and chair height! Many online articles provide formulas, such as a desktop height of 75 cm for someone 180 cm tall, or a seat height of 43 cm for someone 165 cm tall. I believe these can serve as a reference, but they are not absolute. There are people who are very tall but have short legs, or not very tall but have long legs, indicating different body proportions. Therefore, it is still recommended that before purchasing a desk or chair that cannot be adjusted, it is best to actually try sitting in it.

It is recommended to start by adjusting the chair height. The seat height should be set so that your feet can rest flat on the ground when sitting. Avoid tiptoeing for long periods, and the seat should not be too low, which would prevent your legs from stretching (just like riding a bicycle!). Additionally, you should be able to lean slightly back against the chair back, conforming to the seat. After adjusting the seat height, the desk height should be set at the same level as "where your elbows naturally hang when sitting," or within a five-centimeter difference. If the desk is too high, users tend to shrug their shoulders and tense their upper arm muscles; if it's too low, they will hunch their backs and compress their leg space. If there is a computer monitor on the desk, it should also be at eye level. Too low or too high will put a strain on the neck.

→ Summarizing the above information, the most suitable desk and chair heights are:

• Chair height: Distance from knee to foot
• Desk height: Distance from elbow joint to the ground
• Monitor height: Eye level when sitting upright and looking straight ahead

3. Other considerations:

After determining the suitable desk and chair heights, what other small details should you pay attention to before purchasing? First, there's legroom. Some desks and office desks have many drawers, which seem to offer ample storage, but they can actually restrict your legs. Next is desk size. Many people always think that given enough space, bigger is better, right? You can place more trinkets and comforting decorative items. However, the desk size should be appropriate for "being able to reach things while sitting." Otherwise, it would be quite inconvenient if you had to leave your seat just to grab a paperclip!

We've introduced so many tips for choosing a desk and chair, but we can't guarantee that everyone will immediately find their "destined" desk! As mentioned earlier, most desks sold on the market are 75 cm off the ground, suitable for people who are 180 cm tall. Therefore, more and more people are choosing to use electric standing desks. This allows them to adjust the desk height at any time, and when they want to work standing, they can raise the desk to a height that an ordinary office desk cannot achieve!