So, you got yourself a standing desk. Now what you have to keep in mind is that using a standing desk isn’t as simple as it seems. If you don’t use it correctly, there’s no point because you won’t be taking advantage of any of its ergonomic properties.

To use a laptop correctly, your elbows need to be at a 90-degree angle, and your eyes should be able to see that screen without you having to strain your neck or look down. Your spine should be straight, and your shoulders need to be pinned back.

Here’s how to achieve that:

Tip 1: Consider Getting A Standing Desk Designed For Laptops

Yes, there are indeed laptops designed specifically for standing desks. Although it’s preferable to use PCs if you’re going to be using a laptop you need at least a fully customizable desk so it can suit your work needs.

Everybody is built differently, so buying a desk with multiple features fitted to every kind of height and body type is the best way to go about the process. It’s easier than having to later make modifications to the kind of computer you use or the desk itself. Get the right thing in the first go.

Here’s how to know how to get the right standing desk for your laptop:

1. Keyboard Tray: Although laptops usually don’t have a detachable keyboard, it might be worth it to consider a standing desk that comes with a keyboard tray because these are best designed to maximize ergonomic benefits, minimize strain, and be easy to use. A keyboard tray will put your arms in a comfortable position for work, and you’ll have to put less effort into keeping your hands up manually. It might even feel more natural to use a keyboard tray. Bonus points if the keyboard tray is also adjustable and can be pulled in or out or moved up and down.
2. Adjustable Height: We’re going, to be honest here, to get a standing desk whose height you cannot adjust is, quite frankly, not much more beneficial than just sitting at a desk. A suitable standing desk needs to be able to move you and down to fit the operational needs of every user, and a “one size fits all” desk usually isn’t the best at that. Around 4 to 20 inches would be ideal since it can bring the laptop right to your eye level and is higher than a regular ergonomic desk. The height adjustability of usual desks fits people between the height of 4’’10’ to 6’’2’.
3. Ample Working Space: One problem many standing desk users might fall victim to is not selecting a desk with a proper workspace. If it is not big enough, or too close to your face, or not close enough for your liking, all these problems can affect the usability of the desk, and you might as well just go back to using your regular old desk. You’ve got to keep in mind that the computer screen should be 22 inches from your face at the very least. A workspace of about 30 inches is usually comfortable, but it should at least be over 20 inches to work.
4. Weight Capacity: You need to get a standing desk that will support the weight of your laptop or computer. On average, a desk with a minimum weight capacity of at least 30 lbs should be good for the average computer user.

Tip 2: Get A Laptop Stand To Place On Top Of Your Desk

Suppose you’ve made the unfortunate mistake of already getting a laptop stand without entirely doing your research on it and are now regretting it because it doesn’t suit your adjustability needs. In that case, you might want to consider getting a laptop stand. By placing the laptop stand on top of your standing desk, you have further room to make modifications to truly customize your workspace so it can fit your needs ideally. You can even turn a regular desk into an ergonomic one using this stand. It’s designed to lift the laptop up to your eye level, so you don’t strain your neck or eyes looking down constantly.

Research shows that using a good laptop stand correctly can reduce the strain on your neck by 32%, and it can increase comfortability by 21%. Before you make the same mistake twice, here is what you need to know before getting a laptop stand.

1. Size And Shape Of The Stand: Make sure to get a laptop stand that will fit the dimensions of your laptop comfortable
2. Features: It is also essential to get a laptop stand that’s easily foldable. This makes for good portability and can help in saving space for those it may concern as well. Height adjustment factors are also to be considered. Its adjustment range should be within your standard usage references. Your stand should be thin and lightweight to be carried around easily. You might also want to consider if you want to get a stand that has an articulating arm or not. You need to first sort out your priorities to decide which features carry the most importance for you.
3. Weight Capacity: Its weight capacity should at least be 6 to 8 pounds because most laptops fall within this weight range.

Tip 3: Set the Right Height

Now that you have the right stand or desk, the next step is to learn how to properly utilize its ergonomic features in order to take full advantage of them. The first thing that you need to adjust right is the desk height.

Your desk should sit at a height that allows you to easily look at the screen without lowering your head and keep your elbows resting at a 90-degree angle. The screen should preferably be at eye level or at least close enough to it so that you won’t have to hunch over to view it. You can achieve this manually or with additional help using these tips:

1. Use Your Laptop Bag Or Books As Support:

If your stand or desk does not sport a height level that reaches your eyes, then you can simply opt for the traditional route and use either your laptop bag or some books to support it up to the right height. You can also use any other stable or sturdy material to create a makeshift structure that elevates your laptop to the desired eye level. Getting the right height level is essential; it doesn’t always matter how you achieve it.

2. Try Using Separate Hardware

By this, we mean that you can opt for a separate monitor, which can make it a lot easier to achieve that desired height level for your eyes while also keeping your arms at a comfortably rested position. A monitor arm or a monitor will be a great investment in helping you to work for longer periods of time. You can avoid neck pain and fatigue quickly.

You can alternatively try for an external keyboard or mouse, which can also help achieve similar results. Research has proven that using a laptop stand with an external keyboard and mouse can increase your productivity by 17%.

Tip 4: Lower Your Keyboard

The next thing you need to keep in mind is to keep your keyboard at a relatively lower angle so as to not put too much stress on your shoulders, elbows, and arms. Avoid accumulating too much strain on your arms as this will tire you out much quicker, and you’ll lose your drive to work once you get too tired to do it.

Tip 5: Alternate Between Sitting And Standing As You Go

What you need to know about ergonomics is that being in any position for too long can be damaging to your health. While sitting too long can be unhealthy and bad for your productivity, standing too long can also start to hurt your feet and tire you out more quickly. The best way to avoid the problems in each case is to regularly alternate between both standing and sitting positions using your adjustable desk.

The total time one can spend standing differs for everyone. Some people can go only a couple of hours in this position while others can go for half a day. The key is to find the adequate balance that works for you and stick to that so you can keep working at maximum productivity without getting too tired. Don’t stand for too long!

You can stretch in between work sessions as well for that extra boost of oxygen to your brain and better blood circulation.

Best Standing Desks And Laptop Stands for Work

All things considered, finding the right desk or stand can be a bit hard. To help you out a bit more, we made a list of the top laptop stands and standing desks we believe are going to work well for laptop users keeping all these tips in mind.

1. Ergotron Work-Fit Standing Desk Converter

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This laptop stand seems to nicely fit most of the baseline requirements we’d suggest a laptop standing desk to have.

• You can use it while you sit or stand thanks to the generous height adjustment factors.
• It can be moved 5 to 20 inches meaning it allows for a massive 15inch vertical lift.
• Its working is smooth and it does not creak. It has a stable build.
• It has a suitable workspace for your computer as well (having dimensions 35 to 23 inches). In addition to that, it also has a keyboard tray of dimensions of about 9 to 23 inches.
• It sits at the desktop level on a table and can support anything between 10 to 35lbs which falls within the standard laptop and desktop weight range.

2. ElfAnt Laptop Stand

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For our top picks in laptop stands, we have the ElfAnt Laptop Stand. We chose this stand over others because of its high adjustability factors.

• It can support laptops of sizes up to 17 inches. It can fold to support smaller laptops and devices as well.
• It has a weight capacity of roughly 15 pounds.,
• The best thing about this stand is that it can be lifted anywhere between 2.75 inches to 12.6 inches which is a lot more than most stands making this stand suitable for all kinds of heights.

3. Halter Height Adjustable Desk

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This adjustable standing desk not only looks great but gives significant adjustability factors as well.

• It has a keyboard tray and a generous working space for both the keyboard tray and the laptop. It can support up to two monitors. Its top tray is 20 to 35.75 inches, and the bottom tray is 17 to 35.75 inches. The best thing about the keyboard tray is that it is also adjustable. It can be removed when not in use, which makes things very convenient.
• Its weight capacity is 44.1 pounds and it is made of wood, giving it a very classy design.,
• Its height can be adjusted up to 16 inches.

4. ObVus Solutions Adjustable Laptop Tower Stand

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This is another laptop stand that will suit anyone’s needs well.

• It can be used sitting or standing
• It has good ventilating properties keeping your laptop cool
• It’s lightweight, retractable, and portable, which means it can easily be used anywhere and everywhere.

Conclusion

Hopefully, using these tips, you can utilize your standing desk for laptop work properly! Make your posture a priority and you will reap the rewards both in productivity and health.