How to make a productive Desk Setup

Environmental factors can either affect your work productivity positively or negatively. So, don’t underestimate the influence your surrounding has over your work output. Regardless of your dedication to work, your desk setup is one of the environmental factors to consider.

We are aware that your desk setup triggers your creative juices. Hence, we’ve compiled a concise guide on how to set up a productive desk. Ready to find out the changes you need to make? Let’s dive in.

1. Great lighting

We can’t overemphasize the importance of proper lighting for productivity. It doesn’t matter if you work late into the night or at dawn; your workspace lighting must be excellent. 

The most important thing is finding the perfect source of light, be it artificial or natural. Although, artificial light’s got nothing on natural light. 

For natural light, create a workspace in the brightest room in your house. Studies show that sunlight boosts productivity extensively because it improves your mood. Oh, let’s not forget that using natural lightening helps maximize energy consumption as well.

Consequently, it’s about time you located the big window in your house and worked a beautiful workspace around it. 

However, different work types require varying lighting grades. For instance, the lighting that works for someone with a nerve-wracking spreadsheet to deal with maybe erroneous for someone who edits videos. 

So, for varying options, we’ll recommend an adjustable desk lamp like Flexispot’s task lamp TA1004BK. This way, you can access different lighting shades for diverse work activities.

2. Spice it up with some green 

The benefits you accrue when you put plants on your desk are numerous. Besides productivity, this also improves your health. How? 

Do you know working indoor for hours cooped up in spaces with poor air quality is a big dent in your health? Even more so when you have health conditions like asthma or dust allergies. 

Having plants in your workspace will refine the air quality. It hews and filters toxins like trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and benzene. Then it leaves the air toxins free and with clean oxygen.

You can also get a myriad of aromatherapy benefits when you decorate your space with various floral plants. What’s more?

Plants can improve your mood, and it’s also known to strengthen the mind and improve sleep patterns. Research by the University of Exeter proves that plants improve work productivity. We guess that explains why greenhouses workers tend to be happier and productive.

Now that you know that plants are excellent desk buddies, it’s time to figure out how to use them right. It may seem easy, but in practice, it could go south. It gets even worst if you can’t tell the difference between pesky weeds and great plants. 

You don’t need to be a green finger to understand the creative side of putting plants on your office desk. Taking a cue from experts can help get the hang of it.

3. Get a perfect office chair to complement your desk

Because you spend a lot of time in your office chair, you need an ideal chair to complete a professional and productive desk setup. It’s more than the aesthetics value of the chair; you need a chair that adds ergonomic values to your workstation. Not just for productive workflow, but for your wellbeing as well.

Or how can you get productive with back pain or neck discomfort? That’s why it’s necessary to source for an ideal ergonomic chair. 

There are some factors to consider to make your ergonomic chair a right fit for your office desk setup.

• Your ergonomic chair must help you keep a perfect posture to avoid back and neck pain
• An ideal ergonomic chair should have a height that keeps your legs at a 90-degree angle and your thighs parallel to the floor.
• Your monitor should be at a distance where you can effortlessly read without slouching or bending
• Your eyes must be on the same line as the top of the monitor screen while sitting upright.
• Your elbow should be at a 90-degree angle from your laptop or desktop. 

An ergonomic chair may not fit your design expectations, but it must improve your work positively. Flexispot has a slew of ergonomic office chairs that will suit your design tastes. 

Frankly, there’s always a chair that suits every personality and work type at Flexispot. Scan through our website to scoop one that catches your fancy.

4. Move around

Sit, stand, and repeat is a strategy that helps ease work stress. It works all the time. Sitting all day is enough to make anyone frustrated. 

So, when you hit a dead-end and creativity seems to elude you, it’s time to take a walk. Sometimes, a short walk can trigger an insightful perspective on your work. 

Buy a standing desk with great adjustability features to keep you active while working. According to medical experts, it’s advisable to stand for 10-20 minutes after sitting for one hour. In short, when you sit for one hour, try to work on your feet for the next 10-20 minutes. 

The best way to achieve this feat is by investing in the best standing desk. Luckily for you, we have diverse sit-stand desks for home offices and professional offices. We also offer access to standing desks that tend to various needs. 

Moreover, you need to pay attention to the transition of the standing desk. Investing in a standing desk that allows you to move from a seated position to standing with the press of a button helps your work focus. Finally, a standing desk gives you an opportunity to try a few exercises while you work.

Besides having a standing desk handy, you can trigger movements by placing your scanner or printer on the other side of the room. This way, you get to stand up whenever you need to use the scanner or printer.

5. Use accessories and personalize your desk

For lovers of artworks or superheroes, here’s an opportunity to channel the happiness you get from this to your work. You can adorn your home office desk or professional desk with personal accessories that motivate you. 

Personalize your workspace and make it yours. Highlighting a positive link between your identity and workspace helps you handle stress and distractions the right way.

So, you can design your desk with your favorite sculptural piece or an image of Captain America saving the world. If it makes you happy, chances are it will boost your work productivity as well. You never can tell it could get you out of a foul mood on a dull Monday morning. But there’s a caveat; don’t overdo it.

There’s a thin line between cluttering your desk and accessorizing it. Don’t cross the line—it’s still a workspace, not a museum. Plus, if you realize you are getting distracted by the accessories, you can replace them with something less distractive.

6. Organization hack

A disorganized desk is a nest for unproductivity. It’s not rocket science. If you spend the whole day searching for every single document you need, you will end up searching for productivity as well. 

When you batter your work desk with chaos, it takes a toll on your work. You tend to get stressed, battle mental overloading; it also slows down your work immensely.

To have a decluttered desk, you need an organized storage system. Try to create a storage home for all your work tools and accessories. Having desk organizers or a filling cabinet makes storage a breeze; getting one with wheels enhances portability. 

While a filing cabinet can solve messy files, messy cables are trickier. Hence, If you are into techy activities and keep multiple displays, you can tidy your cables with cable trays—it works smoothly.

The organization isn’t limited to your desk; a chaotic desktop display can also interfere with work productivity. Having loads of unorganized files on your desktop is an invitation to headache just as much as staking tons of documents on your desk. 

Create folders for all your documents, create subfolders if necessary. This way, you won’t only boost productivity and effectiveness, you will also manage to cut down on stress levels.

7. Keep your desk simple

You can never go wrong with simplicity. A simple work desk oozes serenity which aids productivity. As stated earlier, cluttered desk space can do a lot of harm to your work culture. It never hurts to keep a modicum of accessories on your desk. Since most workplaces make the most of digital space, keep your desk free.

8. Block background noise

Background noises have a way of impairing creativity and productivity when left unchecked. For optimum attention, avoid distracting noises; this helps stay focused during working hours. 

To help create a productive desk setup, you can add noise cancellation headphones to your work arsenal. Sometimes you need sweet tunes to boost focus and aid more work coverage.

9. Dehydration yields unproductivity

Although it seems inconsequential to the subject matter, dehydration is essential to this discussion. Studies have traced the lack of productivity to dehydration at the workplace. The importance of taking water includes aiding productive workflow, so don’t work go hours without taking water.

Research has shown that 75% of Americans ignore the medical mantra “take 10 cups of water daily.” You are probably guilty of this habit.

We bet; a sizable percentage of people find it easier to down several cups of coffee while working. This fact is disturbing because coffee causes dehydration, while dehydration squashes productivity. 

That’s the link between productivity and hydration. The more dehydrated you are, the more tired and sluggish you get. 

There are a plethora of hydration apps to help you stay hydrated always. These apps develop the healthy habit of taking the stipulated amount of water daily. 

And as part of your desk setup, you can buy a beautiful water flask. Ensure you keep it full always and place it on your desk as a reminder. Ensure it’s alluring enough to make you drink water as often as possible.

Frequently asked questions

Does a great desk setup enhance productivity?

Absolutely! Your desk setup can be the missing puzzle in an unproductive workspace. It’s a great way to improve your desk productivity. Besides cutting down on stress, a standing desk is an easy way to avoid obesity.

What do you need to create a productive desk setup?

For a perfect desk setup capable of boosting your productivity, you need an adjustable standing desk. You also need a dual monitor mount hung at a convenient angle. And an ergonomic chair offers good sitting posture. These three are essential, but you also need to get office accessories particular to your job.

How can I set up my desk for optimal productivity?

The first factor to consider is the space available and your budget. Afterward, you can go through the tips above for insightful ideas on creating a productive work desk.

Final Words

Your desk setup affects your workflow. If you want an improved work output or effectiveness, put all these tips to good use. 

Keep your workspace well lit—remember that natural light is the priority. Declutter your desk always because a cluttered desk breeds unproductivity. Bring in a little outdoor spice by putting plants in your workspace. Personalize your desk, and finally, an ergonomic chair is a necessity.