Small Desk Setup: How to Maximize Space [4 tips]

How Do I Make Room at My Small Desk?

To set up a good small desk, you can use:

• Foot rest.
• Adjustable monitor.
• Trackball.
• Wireless compact keyboard.

Working in an environment with limited space isn’t impossible, but it can be counterproductive. Feeling cramped when working from your home office can influence your mood and health. The good news is that if you optimize your setup, you’ll be able to focus on tasks and finish your day still feeling fresh and healthy even in a small space.

Way before being an efficient and productive remote worker became a necessity, you could still create an ergonomic setup if you used the right tools and accessories. If you do not have a defined office space and can only spare a dedicated desk to work from home, you’ll want to maximize the use of your available space and create a comfortable, ergonomic set-up. Below you’ll find some tips and solutions that can help you optimize your desk at home even when working with limited space.

How to Optimize Desk Space for Working From Home: 4 Tips

You can make small changes to your desk and workstation’s configuration that will have drastic effects on your health and wellbeing. Hunching over a laptop for hours can influence your long-term health, and resorting to using any available space as a makeshift workstation may compound the issue. Here are four ways you can make the most of your available desk space at home.

1. Support Your Posture with a Rocking Foot Rest

One of the ways that you can increase your focus and remain attentive is with the Rocking Foot Rest. This helps you concentrate and maintain a healthy posture. While fidget spinners were a craze a few years ago, psychologists agree that promoting movement and circulation with your feet can help with focus and relieve excess energy while performing complex tasks.

The Kensington 360-degree swiveling foot rest ensures continuous movement of your feet even while sitting behind a desk. You’ll also be improving blood circulation and maintaining a healthy posture.  Using a rocking foot rest promotes a healthier sitting position that helps your feet in supporting your body. It also allows you to regularly move your ankles without taking up additional space below your desk.

The Kensington™ Rocking Foot Rest helps you by:

• Promoting movement and stretching your feet muscles while staying seated.
• Providing a 360° swiveling bar to change your feet’s resting position when working.
• Supporting up to 300 pounds or 136 kg of weight with its sturdy and stable design.
• Reducing the effects of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) and increasing metabolic rates.

With its discreet, low-profile, and robust construction, you’ll be able to adjust your feet’s resting position (or fidget with your legs) regularly during the workday. Using the elevated ridges on the raw color aluminum bar and its full 360° swivel action, you can support your back, neck, and lower body even when you only have a small amount of space available below your desk.

2. Optimize Your Monitors for an Improved Ergonomic Set-Up

Having an additional monitor is great for productivity, but only if it doesn’t cause strain to your neck or eyes. To align your monitor to the ideal height, you can use the SmartFit® Ergo single extended monitor arm. You will be able to free up some space on your small desk by mounting your extra monitor and configuring the angle, height, and position for different tasks.

Benefits of the SmartFit Ergo single monitor arm include:

• Uses Kensington’s SmartFit system to help you find the ideal height for your extra monitor.
• Provides a 90° swivel action and 180° rotation that allows for a variety of positions and adjustments to accommodate different tasks.
• Also gives you the ability to tilt the monitor according to your precise sitting height and desk alignment.
• Has an extendable arm with a moving distance of up to 399mm (or 15.7 inches).  

The SmartFit Ergo single extended monitor arm is easy to install, requires limited desk space, and is suitable for monitors of up to 34 inches. To maximize your space, it comes with an integrated cable management system and can support a monitor weighing up to 8 kg (or 17.6 pounds). In situations where you have to remain productive but can’t find a place for an additional monitor, the SmartFit Ergo gives you greater versatility and helps you find an ergonomic, comfortable desk set-up.

3. Minimize Movements with a Trackball

Compared to a regular mouse, a trackball can do wonders when you have a tiny desk and have to limit your input device’s movement. As you don’t need to move the trackball while navigating, scrolling, or reading documents, you can set up a dedicated and consistent area for your customizable input device.

The Kensington Pro Fit® Ergo vertical wireless trackball provides ease of use while also requiring less space at your workstation. You can connect to it using the wireless 2.4GHz Nano receiver. As you work with the thumb-operated trackball, you will be able to glide through different tasks with greater ease and limit repetitive strain injuries from certain kinds of mouse-grips and wrist positions.

With the Pro Fit Ergo vertical wireless trackball, you gain:

• A consistent wrist position that follows the natural contours of your hand.
• Precise and exact control of your pointer even if you have limited desk space.
• Quick and easy installation with plug and play capability, including customizable button configurations using KensingtonWorks™.  
• All-day comfort and lasting battery life of up to 18 months with two AA batteries.

A trackball provides precise control and comes in an ergonomic design that reduces repetitive strains common with individuals who spend long hours using a PC and mouse. To clean the trackball and remove any accumulated dirt after use, there’s an eject button to access this area.

4. Wireless Compact Keyboard

A wireless compact keyboard is easy to take anywhere and great in tighter workspaces. The Kensington Multi-Device Dual Wireless Compact Keyboard will ensure you a comfortable typing position without having to rearrange your entire desk, is easy to install and can fit on any desk of up to 1.5 inches (or 40mm) thick. 

What Do I Need for My Desk Setup? Summary

If you’re working in a new environment with limited desk space available, you can still operate efficiently and productively using Kensington’s solutions. For any kind of home office configuration, having these items will optimize your small area and keep you comfortable for longer when sitting behind your desk:

1. Rocking Foot Rest.
2. SmartFit® Ergo.
3. Kensington Pro Fit® Ergo vertical wireless trackball.
4. Multi-Device Dual Wireless Compact Keyboard 

To see how you can create the perfect homeoffice, check out these Kensington products.