Standing is a new concept in current organizing that I have found extremely successful. I say current because others have used it in the past. Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, and Ernest Hemingway wrote standing up. Einstein theorized standing up. History tells us how well it worked for them!
Why stand? The simple reason is you will have more energy, and the stack is not in your face.
Subconsciously, you are bigger than the stack and so feel more powerful and able to conquer it. Research has shown you have more blood in your brain when you are on your feet, and so you are more decisive and make better and faster decisions!
My work with clients has certainly proved that true. If we are trying to conquer a Mt. Everest-size stack of papers, I make sure we tackle the job while standing, unless health issues dictate otherwise.
So, when should you stand?
When work feels complicated.
When you dislike a job.
When you have lots of papers to sort.Winston Churchill at his standing desk
When it’s your body’s down time, but you still need to be productive.
When your back is tired from sitting, and you need a break from being at your desk job.
How can you put standing in your office into practice?
Take a box and put it on the desk or table upside down to raise the height, so you don’t have to bend down.
If the office printer is flat-surfaced, work on top of it.
Put a small drawer unit on top of a flat surface to have a raised flat surface.
Use an art board such as an architect would use (this is what I use in my office).
Some small bars are exactly the right height for a standing desk.
Look around your office, and be creative.
A Stand-Up Desk Might Help
A Yale University study revealed that people who sit for more than half a day at work have a 60 to 70 percent greater risk of slipping a disk than their more mobile co-workers (Source: Every Manager’s Desk Reference, Alpha Books, 2002).