I recently saw a LinkedIn post where somebody was showing off their desk. It was a decent desk but for my taste still not good enough. So I'd like to share my tips and tricks on how you can improve your workspace, make it clutter-free and help you last longer as a developer or office worker in general.
An optimized desk is the first step to help you save energie and to be more productive at the same time!
I will split this into multiple blog posts. In Part 1 I'll talk about why you should upgrade your working environment and what you need for that. Part 2 will be more "hands on" and I'll show you what I did to get a clean looking desk like the one in the photos.
Why is a good desk important?
Productivity
I strongly believe that the best results are produced in a stable environment, which is:
- dedicated to work
- doesn't change
- is in a quiet place
- has little to no distractions aka clutter.
If you don't have that, you're dividing your brainpower to either block out the distractions or, even worse, towards these distractions. Doing so will lead to you to being more distracted and exhausted.
Health
Besides not dividing your brainpower, there is another important factor you should consider, and that factor is your health.
Office jobs can cause health issues too!
Of course, as office workers, we are not as prone to have work related injuries as somebody who for example is working in construction. Still, a bad desk setup can cause things like:
- back pain
- neck pain
- headaches
- eyestrain
I'm not a big fan of sitting on a couch with your laptop or laying by a pool. Been there - done that, and it sucks.
Home office
Since Corona, I have seen so many bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens etc. that I could start a career as an interior designer (and tell people what not to do!). Also, I have seen some very inappropriate things like laundry or adult toys in the background of meetings. Imagine that happening with a customer.
I believe that the current wave of "return to office" policies also has something to do with people not having an adequate work environment at home
And last but not least: As an employer, at least in Germany, you are responsible for providing a healthy work environment for your employees. If they get health issues because they have been working on their kitchen table for 8 hours a day, I'm sure you could be made liable for that.
Things you don't want on your desk
Let's get more practical, this is just a little example of what I consider clutter and should not be on your desk.
- Cables
- Tons of pencils
- Paper
- Pictures
- Calendar
As a rule of thumb, I would say: everything that has to be moved when cleaning, and you don't need for work all the time, should not be on your desk!
Things you want on your desk
Of course, there are things you do want on your desk, but the list is very short.
- Phone (if needed for work)
- Mouse/Keyboard
- Drink!
- Monitor
- Computer
The same rule that applies for the things you don't want to have also works for the things you want to have, just reversed. If you use something, not only every day, but all the time: Put it on your desk!
So I think that's enough for now. In my next post, I'll give you some more practical tips on how to achieve a clean and minimalistic workspace.