In the pre-pandemic world, it was quite common to have large office spaces. And, of course, when there's ample space in the room, there's no harm in keeping a big desk that can serve as your workstation.
However, over the last few years, particularly amidst the pandemic, there has been a significant shift in organizational culture. Today, office spaces have shrunk, and employees with screen jobs are no longer working in the office. Even despite the end of the pandemic, there's still an increasing number of employees who are still working from home.
However, one of the key limitations of remote working remains the amount of desk space. It is not possible to have large desk spaces at home, which is why there's a need for remote workers to optimize their limited desk space.
Are you wondering how you can optimize limited desk space and make the most of your desk?
You can make small changes to your desk and your workstation's configuration and you can notice the significant impact it will have on your overall health and well-being.
In what follows, we look at several ways you can make the most of your available desk space at home.
#1. Invest in a Footrest for Optimal Posture Support
If you have a small desk that makes it difficult for you to sit in a proper posture and focus on your tasks, we recommend investing in a footrest.
But what has a footrest got to do with limited desk space?
According to research, the use of a footrest aids in improving your posture while you are sitting. It ensures that your feet are well-rested and are firmly placed on a flat surface instead of hanging in the air.
With the use of a footrest, you can experience improved blood circulation and maintain a healthy posture. Moreover, a footrest allows you to regularly move your ankles without taking up additional space below your desk.
Since the use of a footrest aids in optimizing posture support, it allows you to maintain focus and helps you keep productive regardless of the desk size. Even when you have a small workstation with a footrest under your desk, you can enjoy better posture support and enhanced focus and concentration that reflects in improved overall productivity.
If your small desk size doesn't allow you to place a footrest under your desk, you can consider investing in other accessories like the Under Desk Foot Hammock that serve the same purpose as a footrest.
The fully adjustable, Portable Under Desk Foot Hammock is easy to install and remove. Moreover, it provides complete support to your lower back, thighs, and calves and aids in preventing knee pain, back pain, and foot pain.
With its flexible yet robust construct, the hammock allows you to adjust your feet's resting position regularly during the workday and make the most of your small desk space.
#2. Optimize Your Screen Placement for an Improved Ergonomic Setup
Do you work on a desktop?
Surely your screen and other computer accessories must be taking up a lot of your precious desk space.
If you are looking for ways to optimize your limited desk space, you must consider the placement of your screen to improve the ergonomic setup. It is even more critical if your job requires you to work on multiple screens at the same time.
One of the solutions you can implement to optimize your screen's placement is to invest in a monitor arm.
A monitor arm like Intelligent Monitor Arm with Docking Station MD01 by FlexiSpot can be conveniently attached to the end of your workstation. Featuring easy installation, this useful workplace accessory allows you to expand your workstation and maximize the use of limited desk space.
Apart from saving space on your small desk, a monitor arm also allows you to ergonomically position your screen and help you maintain an optimal posture while working.
#3. Store Your Keyboard Below Your Desk
The other most critical computer component that takes up a lot of desk space is the keyboard. If you use a desktop with an attached keyboard or work on a laptop featuring an extra ergonomic keyboard as an attachment, you need to optimize its placement to make the most of your small desk.
But where can you place your keyboard?
One of the best places for attaching your keyboard is under the desk using a clamp-on keyboard tray such as Clamp-on Adjustable Keyboard Tray by FlexiSpot. The easy-to-attach clamp-on accessory ensures you save a lot of precious space on your desk. Moreover, it also ensures that the keyboard is placed in an ergonomic position so you can work conveniently without having to rearrange the placement of other essential equipment and accessories on your small desk.
The easy-to-attach keyboard tray can fit on any desk of up to 2.1". The attachment of the tray doesn't cause any damage to your workstation and is easy to slide below your worktable when not in use.
#4. Maximize Your Storage
When there's limited space on the desk, where do you keep all your office essentials?
That's where the need to maximize your storage arises.
To optimize your limited desk space, you need to invest in accessories that can be placed under or over your desk and provide you ample storage space for convenient storage of your workplace essentials.
One of the convenient under-desk storage cabinets you can conveniently place under your desk is the Under Desk Cabinet S02. The space-saving storage solution can be attached under your small desk through screws that you can tighten for quick and easy assembly. The convenient storage solution can hold up to 22 lbs. Moreover, its dimensions are such that it makes efficient storage that doesn't interfere with your leg space.
The cabinet also features a security lock to ensure that all your workplace essentials are conveniently stored in the right place.
A pegboard is another accessory that can help you optimize a limited desk space in your home office. FlexiSpot offers Pegboard that allows you to fully use the limited space above your desk and can store multiple workplace essentials, including keys, stationery, and more.
With convenient storage and pegboard, you can optimize your limited desk space with ease.
#5. Create Some Cord Control
The cords on your table may not appear to take up a lot of desk space, but in reality, the clutter can render the space on your workstation unusable.
Therefore, you must keep the cables and cords from getting out of control to save valuable desk space. You can find several accessories like under-desk power sockets and power strips that allow you to optimize the placement of your cords and cables so you can make the most of the limited space on your workstation.
#6. Stick to An End of the Day Clean Desk Policy
When you have limited desk space on your at-home workstation, you need to stick to an end-of-the-day desk cleaning policy.
When you have a large workstation, cleaning every bit of your desk may seem like a daunting task; however, it's not as difficult when you have a smaller workstation. Make sure you get rid of all the papers, notes, articles, and any other elements of these sort before you wrap up your workday.
With an end-of-the-day clean desk policy, you can look forward to a small yet clean and optimized workplace every day.
Concluding Thoughts
When you don't have a large enough desk at your home office, don't be disappointed because you still have a small amount of space below and above your desk. Moreover, you can find several ergonomic office accessories that can help you optimize limited desk space. By investing in accessories like monitor arms and keyboard trays, you can conveniently and ergonomically place your computer essentials without using any desk space.
Furthermore, storage accessories like under-desk cabinets and pegboards help you conveniently store your workplace essentials beyond your desk.
Lastly, with an end-of-the-day cleaning policy, you can ensure that all your everyday home office essentials are in their proper place so you can look forward to an optimized desk space every morning.
