I have a habit of standing while I work so I use a standing work desk.

This habit started from my days as a retail pharmacist. When I was practicing as a pharmacist, I spent a good portion of my working hours standing at the pharmacy counter. We have a tall stool for the pharmacist, but it was usually uncomfortable. Moreover, I disliked having to perch myself on it, only to step off to serve a customer. Sometimes we get a bit too comfortable sitting there too.

I prefer to be on my feet and ready to step out to talk to customers. I didn’t want to be sitting all day at work. Besides, standing helps to burn off some of those calories. Thus, I developed the habit of standing during working hours.

I got a standing desk for RMB 169. The desk area is perfect for my 16″ and 15″ MacBook Pros with space for me to write on a notebook and plug in some external drives. The downside of this desk is that I can’t work with both laptops on the desk. It is tempting to get a larger desk but I can live with swapping the laptops around in exchange for a smaller footprint.

Caught Xiaobao red-pawed snooping on the MacBook Pro I left on the floor. One moment he was munching on kibble, the next he was punching on the keyboard. Alright, I kid. He knows better than to touch my stuff. I also count myself lucky that he’s such an angel and doesn’t touch any wires or cables.

When I sit too much, I get lower back pains. Standing has a lot of benefits. I’m on my feet and I shuffle around when I’m in the flow, or when some upbeat music comes on. Motion helps to keep my mind jogging. I thrive when I work standing.

My standing desks are at the optimal height for me so my arms are at a comfortable angle to work on my laptop. If the desk is too low or too high, my wrist would start to hurt. Think of the carpal tunnel risk!

Since I work barefooted at home, I have an anti-fatigue standing mat to support my foot arches. I was skeptical when I saw this RMB 90 mat on Taobao, but it is given how pampered we are with making the returns here in China, I didn’t really think twice to order it. You can return most products bought off Taobao with no questions asked, and the seller or Taobao itself will bear the cost of return shipping.

The quality of the mat is superb and well worth the money spent. I’m comfortable standing at my desk. It has also become Xiaobao’s preferred place to laze around while I work. It’s also one of the few spots in the house where he would gladly land his diva bum on during winter.

The mat is surprisingly thick. It is soft enough to be comfortable to stand on, yet firm enough to provide ample support. The tapered sides help make it look deceivingly thin. The mat is heavier than I expected. Its material is very sturdy and once you put it on the ground it is hard to move it without lifting it up, so you don’t have to worry about it shifting.

I’ll leave you with a couple of photos to show how Xiaobao has claimed the mat as his.