Mobile Standing Desks
Truly working remotely while standing up can be harder than you think
I've written before about how I think it's important to actually be a remote worker rather than someone who simply works at home everyday. And what does that mean exactly? While it's great to have a very comfortable home office solution, there is no substitute for venturing out to co-working spaces, coffee shops, libraries, and anywhere else with an internet connection to get work done.
Changing up your work environment can certainly have its benefits and the true flexibility of a remote arrangement really only presents itself when you take advantage by taking your work on the road. But there is just one minor problem. I'm a huge advocate of working at a standing desk for a majority of the day. When you leave the friendly confines of your home office, you may not have access to a standing desk. What's a digital nomad to do?
Yes, this isn't a major problem. There is no harm in setting at a coffee shop for a few hours while you're making progress on a project. But it is nice to have the flexibility to pop up and stand for a bit when that restless feeling hits. Sure, there are some workspaces that already cater to the standing desk crowd, but it's more than likely that you won't have a viable option for standing while you're out.
What are the options? Well, you may be able to find a high table at a coffee shop or library. I know that the library that I usually frequent has a few very high counters where you can stand and perch a laptop. This is certainly a welcome sight for us upright workers, but it may not be perfectly ergonomic. If your screen is resting high enough to be in your immediate view, you'll likely be raising your arms to type on your laptop keyboard.
It's certainly not a dealbreaker for a short work session, but an ideal setup would have a keyboard ledge below the screen that allows your elbows to rest at a roughly 90 degree angle. That can be tough. And of course, humans come in all shapes and sizes so it becomes difficult for a public place to offer a universal solution to the mobile standing desk.
You can certainly come prepared with some gear to ensure you have a comfortable standing experience on the go. But what do you need? For starters, it can be extremely helpful to have a wireless keyboard along with a mouse or trackpad. Yes, there are ways to type on an attached laptop keyboard while standing, but it's rarely comfortable for long periods of work. Having separate accessories affords you more variety in your setups.
But what about getting that laptop screen to a proper height for viewing? There are no shortages of adjustable laptop stands that could work for you. I've used several of them with varying levels of success. They all look similar, but the devil is in the details. I'd recommend something made of aluminum as it should be sturdy enough to hold your machine while not being a huge weight in your bag while you're on the go. There are some plastic, wood, or even fabric options out there, but they tend to offer more style than substance.
The other curveball here is the surface that you're standing on. While it's easy to get a great anti-fatigue mat setup in your home office, (I still use the Stoic standing mat everyday and think it's by far the most fun solution for standing work fatigue) you sacrifice that comfort when you're on the go. You may have a hard floor that causes some pain even after a short standing session. Or you can be like me and want to be working outdoors where you may have hard or uneven terrain to balance on. I'm sure there are some lightweight mats that could fit into a backpack, but they'd likely be overkill for a quick coffee shop sessions. Still something worth considering though.
And as this product category has gotten more popular, I've seen some really clever solutions that I'm excited to try. A major name in the world of tech accessories, Logitech offers a neat product that gives you a wireless keyboard and mouse that tucks into an adjustable laptop stand. It’s called the Casa Pop-Up Desk and looks no bigger than a hardcover beach read and it comes in three stylish colors. I'd absolutely give this one a try but I wish the stand offered a bit more range when setting the height. It looks great for a comfortable sitting setup no matter where you work, but it doesn't seem optimized for standing without getting creative.
The world of Kickstarter must have a worthwhile product to fill this niche right? Yep, The DriftDesk is an example of a highly adjustable aluminum stand that has recently graduated from crowdfunded to widely available. It looks pretty promising! The key differentiator here is that removable keyboard/mouse/trackpad tray. If that actually feels sturdy, it is a game changer in the mobile workspace category. I'm slightly skeptical but actually do plan to give it a try.
Honestly, that's the only product I've seen recently that seems portable enough and actually functional enough to do standing work for a prolonged period on the go. But with any product that graduates from Kickstarter, they may have trouble fulfilling orders or maintaining quality control. I've seen a few other stands with telescopic legs to adjust for optimal height but they look more like camera tripods than sturdy desks that would support long work sessions.
Honestly, I suppose it's still a pretty niche market. While standing desks and remote work have both exploded in popularity in the last few years, the center of that overlapping Venn diagram may not be as wide as I thought. If you're moving yourself to a coffee shop or library, there is a built-in workout or chance for periodic stretch breaks. I suppose you can't really sit for hours at a time without moving when you're outside of the comfort of your own home.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still thrilled to get my personal backyard shed office space up and running for probably 80% of my working hours. But if someone creates a solid mobile standing desk solution for that remaining 20%, I think they'd have a winning product on their hands. Hell, I'd even give it a standing ovation...
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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