Famous Standing Desk users are many! The number of famous standing desk users will surprise you. The standing desk is not as new an invention as we first thought but has firm historical roots. We are not sure if Noah had a standing desk in the ark but we do know of other notables who have embraced them.
Various influential shakers and movers have used standing desks to enhance health and improve productivity. It is hard to imagine Leonardo Da Vinci slouched over a palette of paint or Winston Churchill sitting timidly in a rocking chair while the outcome of the last world war was in the balance.
Whether we are using a standing desk for more energy, better focus on tasks, or as a health measure, we can take a page from some of History’s famous standing desk users.
More Recent Famous Standing Desk Aficionados
More recently Facebook, Google, Twitter, AOL, and ff Venture Capital have all made it fashionable to use a standing desk. They must know something about productivity and office health that will hopefully pave the way for ergonomic progress. Google has an employee wellness program that allows employees to request to use a standing desk. How cool is that?
Another example of a progressive company is Facebook. When reports emerged describing how bad sitting is for you, Facebook began using standing desks. Offices and boardrooms across the world are now following suit and opting for standing desks and desk treadmills to improve energy, health, and productivity.
The Two Modes of Concentration
Having said that, sitting has a place in the standing desk revolution. Sitting and Standing work together. When do you sit and when is it best to stand? Say you are brainstorming or trying to find a creative solution to a problem, you may need a calmer more inward focus.
Perhaps you are looking for an out-of-the-box solution to a problem or planning a complex sequence of events. Sitting is more suited to this type of inward activity. However, once you find the solution and have implemented a plan for its execution, you now need the action phase to bring it to a successful conclusion.
The Doing Phase
The doing phase. This is where you may have to tough it out to push through obstacles or barriers. This is where the standing desk and the desk treadmill really shine. You will feel more energized and capable of seeing the initial motif through to a successful conclusion.
Famous Users of Standing Desks
Thomas Jefferson, according to Wikipedia, mastered many disciplines from horticulture and mechanics to surveying and mathematics.
He was an American founding father and the principal author of the declaration of independence as well as the 3rd president of the United States. He had one of the first adjustable height standing desks and it had six legs.
Napoleon, another standing desk user, was a French military and political figure and emperor from 1804 until 1814.
Leonardo Da Vinci
The universal genius of Leonardo Da Vinci is widely known. His insatiable curiosity and imagination gave birth to inventions and works of art that are still lauded today. It is a well-known historical fact that he preferred to work at a standing desk.
Winston Churchill is another standing desk aficionado. He is reported to have worked every day at his standing desk. Besides his distinguished political career, Churchill received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1953. No doubt many of his writings were conceived at his standing desk. He may have really needed the support of his standing desk after drinking his daily brandy and smoking his cigar.
Benjamin Franklin, a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat worked at a standing desk. He was also one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf is another famous user of the standing desk. She graced the world with beautiful literature including The Years, Mrs. Dalloway, and Night and Day to name a few of her masterpieces.
Woolf’s best-known nonfiction works, A Room of One’s Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938), examine the difficulties that female writers and intellectuals faced because men held disproportionate legal and economic power.
Ernest Hemmingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. He was a standing desk enthusiast who penned so many timeless works. His tight, sparse writing style forever influenced literature.
Charles Dickens wrote much of his work at his standing desk. Dickens is commonly regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.
More contemporary famous standing desk users include Michael Dell, an American investor, philanthropist, author, and founder of Dell Inc. Thomas Wolfe an American novelist of the early 20th century, and Donald Rumsfeld, an American politician, and businessman.
Famous Quotes About Standing Desks
Shakespeare: “To stand or not to stand, that is the question“
Winston Churchill: “Keep calm and stand at your desk“
John Lennon: “Sitting is what happens to you when you are making other plans“
Bob Marley: “Get up Stand up”
Napoleon: “Not tonight Josephine, I am using my standing desk”
Famous Desk Treadmill Users
I am pretty certain that if the treadmill desk had existed in the time of Leonardo Da Vinci that he would have embraced it if not invented it himself. The treadmill desk is currently getting more and more exposure as celebrities discover that they can exercise and stay fit while in an office environment.
Here is a shortlist of some of the celebrities using treadmill desks.
Steve Harvey, daytime talk show Emmy award winner.
Victoria Beckham, a fashion designer, model, singer, and member of the Spice Girls.
Susan Orlean, American Journalist, and author. Susan wrote the book The Orchid Thief which was adapted into the film Adaptation with Meryl Streep.
Jimmy Kimmel, the late show host. He installed a treadmill desk in his office in 2012.
Al Roker, NBC’S most famous weatherman.
Jeff Kennedy, award-winning romance novelist.
Jack Black, actor, and musician. Lead singer for the comedic group Tenacious-D. The album Rize of the Fenix is everything you would expect from Jack Black.
Felicia Day, actress and sci-fi icon.
Conclusion
Are the standing desk and the desk treadmill a passing fad or does it have some real validity? I am thinking that if it is good enough for Da-Vinci and Jack Black, it certainly gets my vote and two thumbs up. There are many standing desks and treadmill desks to choose from. Let me know if I have left anyone off of this list. Thanks for reading.
