Next month I am changing jobs. 80% of my time will be spent piloting a desk.
I have never had a desk job in my life. I have been at my current position – in which I am on my feet and moving a great deal of the time – for 26 years.
I am comfortable with my decision, but a small part of me is concerned about a few aspects of the job.
1. I’ll be less physically active and will have to take measures to avoid GAS (Giant Ass Syndrome).
2. How do I maintain my focus and prevent my eyes from glazing over and drool from hitting the desktop?
3. Is my workday going to assume a snail’s pace with such a dramatic decrease in activity?
So, if you work at a desk all or most of the workday, I’d love to hear some strategies, challenges, or anecdotes that will give me some insight in to what I’m in for.
In my last cube farm, I had a coworker who had her desktop raised so that she was standing to work, so that’s one option. She also had one low section and instead of a chair, she sat on a big ball - there’s another option.
It’s important to get up every hour and either stretch or take a little walk - running to the bathroom or getting a drink will get your blood moving.
As to the pace of work, that entirely depends on what you’re doing. I’ve had assignments when I worked thru lunch because I lost track of time, and others where I was sure the space-time continuum had collapsed. Some tasks can’t be made exciting, despite your best efforts.
For excitement, there’s always rubber band wars - assuming you’re working in a cube farm.
I too went from physically demanding, active jobs to sitting at a desk. I once vowed to never have a desk job because I liked to move around and do stuff, but I found it’s a lot easier to transition than you think.
Yes. Join a gym or sign up for a sport or just run a few laps around the block after work. You will be amazed how quickly you can put on weight when you’re just sitting around all day.
Important: Resist the urge to snack. It’s incredibly easy to get bored and go get a soda and a bag of chips or whatever. Before you get up to head for the break room, ask yourself “Am I actually hungry or just bored?”
If your work and/or supervisor permits it, listen to podcasts/music/radio/audiobooks (with headphones, assuming you’re in an open office with other people around).
Take regular breaks every hour or so and have something besides work around your desk to do. Get some desk toys to play with. Click over to the web and read the news online. Get up and walk around the office and chat with whoever’s around. Go copy something. The point is, break up your day with different activities so you’re not just sitting at your desk staring at your computer all day.
If it’s not Giant Ass, it will be Giant Stomach or Giant Thighs. And it will creep up on you before you know it.
In addition to more intense exercising, I take on-top-of-the-hour physical activity breaks. I close my office door, whip out my yoga mat, and do some moves. Sit-ups, push-ups, planks. Some yoga asanas. I don’t break out into a sweat, mind you, but it’s enough to get the blood flowing, wake me up, and take my eyes off the computer. I also think it makes the day go faster.
Caffeine is the only consistent thing that works for alertness. It doesn’t matter if I get a full night’s sleep; without caffeine, I will doze off.
Exercising on off-hours is important, and since you’ll be well-rested, it will be easy and appealing to do it. Getting up from your desk frequently is important too. Coffee, water cooler, bathroom, or stopping by the IT guy’s office to shoot the shit are good survival strategies. Getting out of the office for lunch when possible helps maintain sanity.
I already belong to a gym, but I currently go in the morning. Won’t be able to do that as easily in the new position (not impossible, just not fun). I’m thinking I’ll go three days a week after work; I’ll get home around 6:30 those days.
Hmm…maybe I’ll give the pre-work workout a shot and see how that goes.
My options (on further reflection):
Get up around 5:30 am and get home from work around 5:30 pm
Get up around 6:30 am and get home from work around 6:30 pm
Keep an eye on your eyes. Eyestrain is a bitch, and causes all kinds of issues that initially appear to be unrelated. If you have nothing but fluorescent lighting, grab a cheap desk incandescent desk lamp to steady out the flicker.
Every Monday I bring in enough fruit to have about two pieces a day for snacks (usually around 8 bananas). The key for me is to have it in sight as my first snack option. Plus, “trained monkey” jokes with my co-workers.
I like my CamelBak insulated water bottle, too. It keeps condensation off my desk and papers.
I’m not a health nut, but whenever I find myself staring at the snack machine, I tell myself it’s nothing but bags of fat, salt and sugar. That usually breaks the spell.
I found a single-ear earbud is nice for me to listen to music on my computer while staying engaged with the rest of the office. If someone stops by my desk, it’s much easier to quickly remove one earbud vs. being surprised or having them repeat their question because I was zoned out with two earbuds in.
My desk toy is a slinky/tennis ball combo. The tennis ball fits in the end of the slinky, and I’ll suspend it at the end of the slinky and see how close I can “bounce” it without touching the floor. I like the contrasting textures of the tennis ball and the slinky. Good toy to play with while on hold.
This is a big one for me. I try to be strategic about making sure that some parts of my day are away from my desk, even though it’s pretty much the definition of a desk job. I think face-to-face meetings are important, both to break up the day and to maintain professional relationships (although I try not to impose meetings on other people who would clearly rather get the business done via email or phone conference). And not to sound too snooty, but I am at the point in my career where I can pretty much tell most people to come to my office … but rather than do that, I will ALWAYS offer to go to their office so that I am up and moving.
I have a small table and chair in my office as well as my desk, if I am doing a task like proof-reading a long report, I’ll move over to the table just for a change of pace.
Another thing to mention is to figure out early on how you like your desk organized. If you are not naturally obsessive about a clean desk, it can be easy for things to get out of hand. I tend to be a “crazy piles of paper person” – okay, first let me say that despite the fact that we are supposed to be moving to an essentially paperless office, there is still a TON of paper, wtf? – and even though I know where everything is, it still looks very unprofessional so I try hard to keep it under control.
I’ll third or fourth or whatever the advice to get up and stretch every once in a while. I usually go fill up my water bottle or coffee cup, hit the restroom, and maybe walk up and down the stairs a couple times. If I don’t have time to walk the stairs I’ll do a couple yoga stretches.
90% of the time, I make sure to do this. I find that if I don’t get out of the building for at least a little bit, I lose my concentration by the end of the day. Run some kind of errand, take a walk around the building. Keep a book around and sit in the sunshine and read a chapter. Something.
