My second office. The raised desk at the Starbucks in Edina, MN.

It’s been three months since I converted the desk in my home office to a standing desk.

There are many expensive solutions out there, some even starting in the upper $800 price range. These desks have motors that raise the table up and down.

I’m too cheap for that.  Why spend $800 on a desk when it could be spent elsewhere (or saved for a future home)?

How did I do it?

I went to Home Depot and bought four cinder blocks for $2 each.  These cinder blocks raise any standard desk to a suitable height for someone 5’11″.  My solution cost me less than $10.

The Verdict

Here’s the summary of my reflections at the three month mark:

• I need a good bar-stool or raised chair.  Just as the human body wasn’t designed to sit all day, it also wasn’t designed to stand in one place.  You need a good balance of alternating between sitting and standing.  I’m looking for a good quality steel chair like the one in the Starbucks near my house.  Must be sturdy.  Wobbles need not apply.
• I have less back pain.  Standing for a few hours at a time helps my back get the movement it needs.  I’ve also experienced better digestive function (wink…wink…) which I believe is partly related to standing.
• It feels good to be done with work at the end of the day.  I’m not a farmer like my ancestors of old, but  I can now appreciate the thought of sitting down for dinner with the family at the end of the day.  Standing makes me feel like I’ve actually done something during the day instead of simple crawling from a bed to a chair in the morning.

I’ll post another update once I have my chair in place.  If you’re interested in changing things up, give the raised desk idea shot.  If you follow my model, it’s a cheap experience that could have long-term benefits.

This year, I’ve decided to focus my available study time in three main areas:

• Master of Business Administration (MBA). As if getting my CCIE Voice wasn’t enough, I’ve decided to slowly pursue a master’s degree.  Understanding the business drivers in the technology industry will help me produce designs that more closely align with customer needs.  It will also prepare me for management later on in my career.  On top of that, my employer will provide free money to get it.  It’s a no brainer.
• Renewing my CCIE status. It’s hard to believe it’ll be two years in August.  I need to study the new CCIE Voice written content, which means exploring the 8.x SRND in closer detail.
• Expanding my expertise into the video space. My employer asked me to delve into UCCX or Video.  Since I’m already fairly proficient at UCCX, Video was the next best choice.

Looks like it’ll be another busy year with plenty of content to share on the blog.

We’re already in February! What are YOUR study plans for 2012?

East of Target Field

The past two weeks have been incredibly busy.  I’m working on a UCS B-Series based project that includes CUCM, CUC, CER, CUPS, and CUEAC (what I call The Iron Fist).  I only had nine working days to get the environment to the point where users could train on test phones.

In a perfect world (i.e. non-reality), nine days would be plenty of time.  In a perfect world, the phone system would arrive pre-configured on a pallet.  Position it in the data center, plug it in, and you’re done.  Hmm…welcome to reality.

Let me just say, deploying a unified communications platform is not simple.  It gets easy over time, but that doesn’t simplify the process.

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