The way you arrange your home office or work desk can say a lot about you as a person. In some ways, your desk set up should be a command center that ensures you can remain productive throughout the entire workday. With almost one-third of our lives spent working, guaranteeing you use this time efficiently will depend on your setup.
To help you get your ideal setup for Work from Home (WHF), on the go, or the office, you should use products and accessories that don’t take up a lot of space. You should also declutter your desk frequently, removing items that you no longer need to get through your daily tasks.
Five Tips that will Make Your Desk Setup More Productive
Although every person is unique, studies have found that your desk arrangement can influence your productivity. An organized and minimalist desk setup helps you remain focused and limits distraction. To ensure you can work productively from anywhere, here are five tips for arranging your desk for maximum efficiency.
1. Clean Your Desk and Declutter Regularly
Clutter tends to build up over time. If you don’t address the issue, it can start influencing your concentration and distract you from your tasks. Paper documents you no longer need, an army of outdated post-it notes, pens that no longer work, all these add up to a messy desk that reduces your efficiency.
You can set a specific schedule for decluttering and cleaning your desk. If you no longer need an item, trash or shred it. If you still need it, make sure you put it in the place where it belongs to avoid creating a distraction.
2. Create Dedicated Spaces for Certain Equipment and Accessories
For the items you regularly use, set up a space on your desk that’s within reach without being in the way. You can use a cable management system to hide your wires and create a clean, minimalist workspace. For pens, markers, and other stationery, find an arrangement that suits your daily workflow without becoming a visual distraction.
If you use a second monitor on your desk, the Organizing Monitor Stand will help reduce clutter and allow you to keep your essential stationery close by without creating a messy desk. You can adjust the height of your monitor and have access to paperclips, pens, scissors, or any other stationery you use every day.
3. Optimize Your Available Space for Efficiency
Consider what space you have available and maximize its use to help you be productive. If you have a wall accessible, set up a whiteboard to keep track of tasks. You can also create a stationary wall where you can hang all your equipment to keep them handy without piling up in one of your drawers.
For a home office, you can create a filing system against the wall and keep important documents close by without having stacks of paper on your desk. Depending on your daily workflows, organizing your desk according to your tasks will provide a better work/life balance.
4. Don’t Forget to Declutter Your Computer Files
Keeping your computer organized is just as important as your physical desk setup. Take time to arrange your digital files in a way that makes logical sense. Saving all files to your “My Documents” folder will decrease your productivity as you may end up having to spend hours looking for the files you need.
Remember to practice good electronic document management by naming and versioning your files correctly. Practicing good computer file hygiene will make you more productive and organized.
5. Invest in Accessories that Improve Your Health and Productivity
To keep you healthy, you should consider the ergonomics and convenience of your desk setup. You may want to invest in products that support your long-term health and your posture during every workday.
Consider the following items to optimize your desk setup:
- Monitor Stands – A monitor stand allows you to align your screen to the right height, helping reduce neck and eye strain. With a range of monitor stands available, you can choose one that suits your individual style and helps you arrange your desk without adding clutter to your workstation. You can also opt for a solution that improves your health, like the CoolView™ Wellness Monitor Stand with Desk Fan or Air purifier.
- Footrests – A footrest will help maintain a healthy posture and improve blood circulation in your legs even when working behind a desk for hours at a time. Kensington’s Rocking Footrest promotes movement and stretching while you sit behind your desk, improving circulation in your legs and reducing the effects of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). With its sleek and versatile design, it will fit under your desk without taking up a lot of space and provides 360° swivel movement that will improve your ergonomics by supporting your lower back.
- Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse – The devices you use most during the day should also maintain your long-term health. An ergonomic keyboard with wrist rest will reduce repetitive strain injuries from using your input devices for hours at a time. Our Pro Fit® Ergo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse is easy to connect, provides greater comfort, and will keep you productive for longer.
- Space-Saving Monitor Arms – A monitor arm can help reduce clutter on your desk and free up some real estate at the same time. Kensington has both single and dual monitor arms available that will create the ultimate minimalist desk arrangement and ensure a productive, healthy work setup. You can use a monitor arm to adjust your screen to the ideal height and change the alignment for a more comfortable setup.
Using our Wellness Configurator to Declutter and Optimize Your Desk Setup
For the best desk setup, you can use our Wellness Configurator tool to design the best home or work from anywhere office. By selecting the environment where your work regularly, Kensington can recommend the tools and accessories that will keep you productive and healthy. The Wellness Configurator will help you find the products you can use to make your work/life balance more efficient and provide you with all-day comfort from any work environment.
To ensure you can remain productive and limit the clutter on your desk, our Wellness Configurator is the tool that can help optimize any workspace. Whether you work from home or the office or need to stay productive on the go, you can design the ideal work environment with Kensington’s latest products.
