This Standing Desk Totally Changed the Way I Work From Home — and It’s on Sale

At the start of 2020, I had what I thought amounted to a pretty good work-from-home setup: a small desk with a couple of shelves, plus an accent chair that was padded enough to serve me on the occasional days when I felt too under-the-weather to make it into the office, or wanted to wrap up any stories in my off hours. Then, of course, occasional work-from-home days became work-from-home weeks became work-from-home months. And, no surprise here, my minimal work-from-home setup was, well, not working.

The too-small leg space left me fidgety. The low height had me hunched over my computer, which I propped up on yoga blocks to be able to see the screen during daily Zoom calls. And at the end of every completely sedentary day, my muscles were tight and my back was aching. When I worked at the office, I could get away with a low desk—I was walking to the bathroom on the other side of the hall, meeting people in available conference spaces, and popping out for lunch or coffee. I had stretch moments built into my day. At home, not so much.

I had never had a standing desk before, but when Fully offered to send me one to try out, I jumped at the chance. The Jarvis desk could be configured to any height, so, I figured, in the worst-case scenario I could just leave it at desk height. But happily, since I’ve gotten it, there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t adjusted it down and up at least four times—and my body’s felt all the better for it.

I worried at first that a standing desk would look more high-tech than high-style, but the look of the Jarvis is sleek and simple, so it fits in pretty seamlessly with a lot of different decor. I like the look of natural wood, so I chose a bamboo top—its warm honey color goes a long way in making the desk look like an actual furniture piece rather than equipment. It wasn’t too hard to put together, either, even alone. It took me about 30 minutes to go from boxed to ready-to-use.

(Word to the wise: Fully advises putting down a blanket to prevent scratches on the tabletop as you’re putting it together. I did not do this because I was confident in the cleanliness of my floors. The result is a couple of micro-scratches on the surface where there was likely some dirt or other debris on the floor—they’re barely noticeable, but could have easily been prevented. Learn from my error.)

Once put together, the Jarvis features an automated lift/lower mechanism that can be controlled either manually—with up and down buttons—or with buttons that store your pre-selected heights. The pre-set heights are one thing that makes Jarvis special; you can choose up to four, and once they’re set, all it takes is a button push to raise and lower to your exact preferred specs.

I didn’t expect to get much use beyond “standing” and “sitting,” if that at all, but it turns out I am a converted standing-desk person. I dutifully raise my desk once every hour when my watch buzzes at me, and stand to work for as long as I can. I pop it up a few extra inches when I’m seated to give myself the perfect customized desk height for my frame. And my most astute coworkers have surely noticed my framed face slowly moving up or down as I shift up and down during long meetings. (If not, they will now.)

The other thing that had me nervous was not having drawers built-in for office supplies and other desk essentials. But honestly? I don’t miss them. I have room on top to keep the things I reach for most often—a pen and a notebook, plus a cup of water—and the rest is nestled in a file cabinet for when I need it.

Shifting my position on the regular and being able to work standing at full height—as opposed to hunched over the counter, which was my previous solve for occasional standing bouts—has been transformative. With room to stretch my legs and my back, I no longer ache and creak at the end of the day. I’ve become a Fully-vangelist, telling all my friends to make the leap to standing desks. Now through August 31, you can score your own Fully standing desk for 15 percent off with code SUMMER15. I’ve even talked at length about the advantages of the Jarvis to my dad, who told me more than once that because he is retired he does not need a desk.

“But,” I told him, “if it’s a standing desk… I think you’d use it.” He hasn’t been swayed, but if you’re still in your prime working years and confined to your home office, then trust me: You and your back deserve a standing desk.

Buy: Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk, $483.65 (normally $569)