10 Work From Home Desk Setup Ideas That Boost Productivity
Whether you are a working professional, home business owner, or freelancer having a work desk that is functional is a must for you to be focused and productive. Here are Work From Home Desk Setup Ideas to get you started. You may think you do not have enough space for it or you work from the office so a few hours of working at home from the couch is not a big deal. But your work desk can bring enormous change to your work life. It makes you systematic, focused, and productive. Your work desk is your home for work at home and with a few personal touches can be motivational and improve your wellness.
I work from the office but occasionally would work at home too and when I started this blog it became more necessary for me to have work space. And in this post, I am sharing Work From Home Desk Setup Ideas and all the things that I learned and experienced making a small work desk for myself that is my productivity hub in my bedroom.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
10 Ergonomic Desk Setup Ideas
Here are 10 essentials that you must consider when setting up your Work From Home Desk
1: Chose the right location
Choosing the right location for your work desk can make a big difference to your productivity and overall well-being.
Here are some things that you must consider when choosing your desk location.
Natural light:
Ideally, it is a good choice to place your work desk somewhere you have enough natural light. Studies have found that natural light is more desirable and people work best in natural light. It is also found to reduce stress. So look around for a corner near a window or balcony with sufficient daylight.
Distraction:
The location of your work desk must be quiet and have fewer distractions. You should choose a place where the movement of people is less and is away from common distractions like television and phone.
Resources:
You must also ensure that the place selected for your desk setup is enough for the resources you would need such as power points and a good network.
Good ventilation:
Ensure the place you select has good air movement so that you have enough fresh air, studies have found stale air during work reduces productivity.
2: Lights play a big role
While selecting the work although you should give preference to a place with natural light. But if it is not possible you can definitely set up your desk by supplementing it with artificial light. If the light is not sufficient it can stress your eye and also affect your posture and focus. A simple way to identify if the light is sufficient is to see if you feel comfortable reading and writing without any difficulty or stress to your eyes. As per the recommendation, 60-watt light bulb is good for working on computers.
Even if you set your work desk in a place with natural light. Ensure to have good artificial light availability too. As during the evening or while working at night you may need it.
You should also opt for a desk lamp in case you work late and share the space with others or your desk is set up in the bedroom to avoid disturbing others.
Avoid light falling on your computer screen as the glare can cause stress to your eyes, in case it is unavoidable use an anti-glare screen to avoid the discomfort from the light glare.
3: Make yourself comfortable
While setting up your Work From Home Desk, prioritize your comfort. Select a desk of a height that feels comfortable to you and does not make you hunch or stress your neck.
Ensure you have sufficient space to move your feet and legs comfortably.
Invest in a good ergonomic chair and adjust it to the correct height such that your arms are at a comfortable angle when working.
You can also consider adding a footrest to help you adjust your sitting position if needed.
Have enough space on the desk to keep your routine essentials, a cluttered desk can hinder your movement while working and result in neck and hand stress.
Prioritizing the ergonomics of your work desk will go a long way to reduce strain and discomfort, and help you work more effectively and when required for long duration without aches.
P.S. For more details on prioritizing yourself while working you must read my post 10 self-care at work tips for your wellness at work.
4: Have the right work tools
Having the right work tools for your work desk is essential for helping you stay organized, productive, and efficient throughout the workday. It will make your life easy and help you focus well on your work.
Some of the tools that you must consider while setting up your work desk are:
Laptop/ computer accessories:
You should consider the latest technology to make your work desk more effective. It can be a wireless Bluetooth mouse or plugging an additional keyboard into your laptop to make it more convenient for you to work. Or a simple mouse pad can be helpful too.
Stationary:
Make sure to have all the stationery that you need for your work available at your work desk or near buy. Simple stationery like notepads, sticky notes, pens, highlighters, paper clips, and a stapler make it easier to work and help you stay focused on work instead of getting distracted to search for them.
Upgrade:
If your budget allows or gradually over the period consider upgrading to better options based on your work need. Depending on your work need,
consider adding an additional monitor to work effectively. Upgrade your computer performance or update to the latest version of software you use.
By investing in the right work tools for your desk you can boost your productivity and make the most out of your time.
5: Organize your work desk
A clean and organized work desk will make you efficient and help you focus better at work. A clean desk gives you a clear mind. An organized desk saves your time, reduces distraction, and avoids overwhelm. It also helps you to be organized with your work too.
Use simple organizational tools to help you maintain an organized desk and make things accessible.
Here are a few ways to help you organize your work desk.
- You can add a cost-effective tabletop organizer like this to organize your stationery on your desk.
- Use drawer organizers to keep your draw well organized. I like to use this from Amazon.
- Have a safe place to keep your important documents protected and organized. In case you do not have a drawer at your desk or cabinets you can use a file cabinet like this to keep them safe. I used this file cabinet to keep important things away from reach of my kid.
I have a detailed post on organizing a work desk with things to consider while organizing and tips to keep your work desk organized, you must read 14 Tips to organize your work desk.
6: Deal with Noise
One of the aspects to consider when setting up a productive work desk is dealing with distraction. One of the major distractions that can affect your focus and concentration is noise. It is better to avoid setting up desks at a place that may be prone to a lot of noise is better but in case that is not the option you can try earplugs or invest in noise-cancelling headphones.
7: Have essentials reachable
When setting up your Work From Home Desk don’t just set up your computer but also get all your work-related essentials organized at your work desk or around your work desk. While you should keep most of the work surface open. Keep your work-related documents, and reference books handy to refer to while working. Keep your specific work tools, hard disks, etc within your reach so that they are accessible to you easily and you do not waste time looking for them.
I highly recommend keeping a bottle of water nearby to stay hydrated as dehydration can lead to fatigue and make you lose focus.
8: Deal with cables
One of the things that really annoys me while working is power cables falling off the desk. They are potential safety concerns too. It’s best to organize the cables while setting up the work desk as they will later get tangled and gather dust making it difficult to deal with.
Here are some ways to deal with cables.
Use cable ties ( such as these) to avoid them entangling.
Label all the cables at the plug point so as to easily identify them
To avoid them dangling use a cord organizer like this to keep them stuck at the wall or your work desk.
If you have fewer power points, use an extension cord and keep it an organizer like this to keep the cables neat, safe, and tangle-free.
Tip 9: Bring on Motivation
Now that your Work From Home Desk is almost set it’s time to add some final touches. Add some motivation to your work desk. It will help you deal with exhaustion and tiredness at work. Motivation makes you more productive and sparks ambition and creativity.
You can add motivation in various ways and bring your personality to your work desk. It can be adding motivational quotes, inspiring artwork, plants, etc. I however like to place my vision board for the year at the work desk. It serves as a reminder of my goals and helps me get going to manifest my vision board.
P.S. You can read my post Steps to Create Vision board that manifest your dream life to make your own vision board, it has free printables included to help you get started.
Tip 10: Add some flexible option
This one is for those who don’t like to sit at a work desk the whole day and working moms who cannot work all the time at a work desk like me to have some flexible desk option. At times my kid would want me to play with her or watch cartoons with her and I would have something important to complete. In such cases I use this lap desk I can easily sit with her on the play mat and do my work while she plays and at times sit in the bed and work while she falls asleep. I have really found it very helpful and spend a quarter of my work time at home on the lap desk.
Also, If you are someone who likes to sit on the floor and work all cozy this lap desk is a good option and one of my best spend.
PIN this image for later when you are setting your work desk
Conclusion
Having a well-set-up work desk is crucial for productivity and focus especially when you work from home. The 10 Work From Home Desk setup ideas shared will help you create a work desk that will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the day. So, start making your productivity hub even if you have a small space to set up a work desk.
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