Persistent tin soldier: we found out why it is useful to work standing up

We ran into this guy back in July last year. He came to our coworking, took out a wooden miracle thing and spread out in front of Sergei Baryshnikov. Sergey was surprised, but he didn't show it. The guy began to work standing up — the people sitting around looked around and smiled, and we took pictures surreptitiously. And then they came up and asked stupid questions: "Do you work, right? Standing up, right?"

Later we found out that the man's name was Sergey Fedosov and yes, he worked standing up — under the surprised looks of others. We got to Sergey and asked a clear direct question: why? And a couple more related ones.

(5 photos in total)

Is this wooden structure created specifically for standing work?

Yes, the idea came to me when I was working in the office myself. In large companies, this is a fairly common practice. My friend works at IKEA, so all the desktops there are movable — at the same time, only 20% of employees use this opportunity. It is difficult for people to accept this — you tell them: "You can work standing up," and this does not fit into their picture — why work standing up if you can sit.

It was the same with the coworking in which you saw me for the first time — I came to them, lit up. Then I gave them a rack, I even made a special one for them, with a corporate logo. So what do you think? No one takes it, it just stands in the corner. People don't understand why this is necessary.

And why is it necessary?

Not all tasks can and should be solved sitting down. A static place attracts and does not allow people to get rid of a sedentary lifestyle at least a little. 70% of the time we are in a sitting position, and the human body is not created for this — it is created in order to move. Our muscles, our skeleton — they are sharpened for this. But most of us work in classic offices, and it's difficult to come up with something with this sedentary lifestyle.

Of course, man is made for movement. But rarely in the middle of the working day we can get up and go for a walk or stretch — there is not enough time.

One of the options is to change your static posture. You worked sitting for two hours, then changed your position and worked standing for an hour and a half. Firstly, when we work standing up, the blood flow is normalized, because we do not squeeze the vessels, there is a rush of blood to the brain — at least it seems easier. Moreover, the spine has the correct shape — you have to try very hard to stand crookedly.

OK, it's good for your health. And what else?

When I started working standing up myself, I realized that there was another big advantage. When you get up and change your posture, you take a short break from work — you give your brain a rest and do not allow yourself to procrastinate. I wrote about it on my website and realized that different positions are needed for different work. For example, "take and do" is the slogan of standing work. If we are talking about a task that you have wanted to do for a long time, but have been putting it off for a long time, you get up and do it. At the same time, this task should be clear. If you need to look for something or to understand something thoughtfully, it is better to do it sitting down. And it is better to create and invent something new on the move or lying down.

What about concentration? It's easier to concentrate when you're sitting down.

And you try. It seems to me that concentration is much easier when standing.

So the racks for work are purely an office story?

Not only that — there is another very important target audience. My friend had a vertebral hernia cut out, and for three months he can exist exclusively in the "scrap" position — either standing or lying down. Of course, he can't sit, but he still needs to work. He called recently and said: "Serega, I understand why this rack is needed." Previously, in order to work, he took a stack of books, put a printer on them and already a laptop on it. Now, of course, it is much easier and more convenient for him.

Is there a maximum time that a person can work standing up?

There is no task to stand for 8 hours. Any static position must be replaced by another. Some scientists recommend standing no more than five hours, or alternating the position. Don't be surprised that I'm talking about scientists — the habit of changing your posture and working standing up has long been known in the West, they write a lot about it. But this is not heard about in Russia. Hopefully, just for now.

I work for an hour or two standing, then an hour or two sitting. Firstly, it is impossible to stand full—time - you will get very tired and there will be no strength left for the actual work. Plus, at first it's very hard to stand for a long time — the legs are not used to such loads.

Do you understand what will happen next with the meerkats?

I am 100% sure that this is not just an office story. There are a lot of people with spinal problems, after surgery, who first of all understand the usefulness of this invention.

In general, I conceived a story about increasing productivity. That is, to "squeeze" everything from the workplace. As I have already said, each task has its own space: for urgent and urgent matters, you get up, if you need to figure something out, you sit down. And it is better to create and invent something new on the move or lying down. By the way! One more thing — standing work is also a great way to fight sleep. It is very difficult to fall asleep standing up. (Smiles.)

We kept the rack for ourselves. The very next day it was occupied by Baryshnikov, who looked in surprise at the inventor of the "meerkats" in the summer. So far, this thing arouses curiosity rather than professional interest among other residents of the coworking. Seryozha honestly admitted that he had not yet "understood" the rack. Perhaps because he managed to work with her quite a bit — he was too businesslike and often ran away from the office to meetings.

But if you are interested, you can visit us at Deworkacy and try to work standing "on yourself" or order a personal "meerkat". What if you like it?