My Desk Setup for Productivity

I love a desk setup video.

I've watched countless of them. There is something so satisfying about a clean workspace that is purposely designed to facilitate productivity.

My current job allows for hybrid working and I never really worked from home. I think it was due to my previous experiences when working from home and I never really got into the flow of work.

My working from home spaces were cramped with not enough room to think, let alone work, and so I spent the majority of 2022 going into the office and working.

I had a desk setup at home. In fact, it was one of the first things that was purchased when moving into the flat I currently live in with my girlfriend.

We both wanted a space in the flat that could be used for productivity.

So what did we do? We had all the essentials in and asked ourselves 'where can we fit a desk in?'

This resulted in a fairly inexpensive desk that was bought to fit the space it was given and VOILA. A workspace was born.

It was an OK desk. It was sturdy, it had built in shelves on the left to house nicknacks.

It did OK.

But it wasn't quite what I envisioned my workspace to look like. Especially since comparing my setup to the ones I see on YouTube.

So at the start of this year, I managed to convince my girlfriend to optimise our space so that we both could have our own productivity setup, without breaking the bank.

Welcome to my new setup.

The Laptop

This was the most expensive item in the desk setup obviously.

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Book 2 15 inch model.

It has an i3 core processor, 8GB of Ram and 256GB of storage, comes with Windows 11. I don't know what any of that means.

Is it the greatest laptop ever? No. Is it significantly better than my old laptop? ABSOLUTELY.

It's comfortable to type on with it's flat surfaces, my only complaint is that sometimes it double taps and I write two letters instead of one.

Perhaps that's my supersonic typing speed.

However, in this setup, I use a wireless keyboard which I will get onto in a minute.

The Monitor

The monitor I've combined it with is the HUAWEI AD80HW 24 inch monitor.

I don't know much about the quality of resolutions or what that means for certain use cases so I will copy and paste the features on the product listing here:

24in LCD display.

Full HD (1080p) display resolution.

Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Full HD Display.

60Hz refresh rate.

5 ms response time.

Brightness 250cd/m2.

Contrast ratio 1000:1.

Pixel pitch 93mm.

Suitable for wall mounting.

Other than the wall mounting, which I have taken advantage of, I don't know much else in terms of quality.

What I can say is that it works beautifully for me, it really increases my desktop real estate and allows my productivity to be much higher than just using one screen.

I think it looks really slick and has all of the necessary ports I need.

The Monitor Arm

The monitor arm I use is the HUANUO Laptop Monitor Mount with a laptop tray.

The laptop is what makes this work for me so I don't need room for a large PC to sit anywhere. I enjoy the dual-monitor setup as it makes me feel more productive and allows me to segment my work out.

I bought this monitor mount as it was the cheapest I could find with good reviews. It's fully adjustable, rotational etc.

It's a little creaky to get going and one of the laptop tray screws didn't fit in cleanly, but I've had no complaints since it has been put up!

I've never doubted it and it holds my laptop and monitor comfortably.

Again, I think it looks smart, improves the desk real estate and is a great entry item into the world of desk setups.

The Desk

The desk itself is actually a kitchen top. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the model as this was a freebie from my girlfriend's workplace.

They sell kitchens, this worktop had minor fraying and cut edges and was unsellable so we took it for free with my intentions of turning it into a desk eventually (what a steal).

It sat in our garage for 6 months until the transformation came.

It's very reliable, bigger than my old desk and looks really clean. It's smooth to the touch and can house all of my desk accessories.

I think the colour of the desk is super inviting and really provides an air of warmth and professionalism at the same time.

This one worktop is both mine and my girlfriends desk simultaneously, separated by some alex drawers and legs which I will talk more about now.

The Bottom Half

To hold up this 2+metre desk we have one set of Alex drawers from IKEA (would it be a desk setup if there wasn't an Alex drawer?) and 4 Adils legs also from IKEA. The legs and drawers are the same height (obviously) and so we attached the 4 legs to the 4 corners of the desk and placed the alex drawer in the middle to combat any sag.

This drawer then acts as the divider between my workspace and my girlfriends workspace. (We haven't quite agreed who gets the workspace above the Alex draw, at the moment, it's no mans land).

The combination of the drawers and legs are perfect. The legs are drilled in and the drawers require no extra support.

As a tag team, they work really well and I'm extremely happy with them (the legs were £5 each. Bargain!)

The Peripherals

My peripherals are colour co-ordinated because I'm extra like that.

The desk mat is a Dark Blue K Knodel desk mat. It is 90cm x 40cm and really provides a boundary to my work space.

I always thought desk mats were a bit of a farce. It's why I haven't bought an expensive one. However, since owning one, I've been proven wrong.

It's a leather finish and is really nice to roll my mouse around on.

It's super easy to clean and wipe down so water marks, crumbs etc. don't really affect it.

It's double sided so if I want to change the colour, my option is yellow. Let's hope I don't fall off the dark blue anytime soon...

It doubles as my mouse mat, coaster, writing space, everything. It's been a really smart purchase.

The keyboard is a LogitechK380. It works via a bluetooth connection of up to 3 devices so it's great for switching between my work laptop and my personal laptop.

It's really comfortable to type on and as a touch typer, I find the flat keyboard to be easy to glide across.

The typing noise is more on the quiet end, but having previously had a mechancial keyboard and struggled with the typing, I thought a flatter keyboard was the way to go.

This was also in part because my girlfriend did not want CLICKITYCLICKITYCLIKCITYCLACKCLACKCLACKCLACK 24/7 which I can totally appreciate.

Yes there is no number pad, but for the space I save, it is a compromise I'm willing to make.

The mouse is a INPHIC Rechargable mouse that's white and blue. I bought this mainly for the aesthetic if I'm being honest.

But, the ergonomic fit of the mouse and the wireless nature keeps the entire theme on point. It's actually a really comfortable mouse that I haven't had any issue with.

It connects to my laptop via dongle which is really easy to access and plug in.

The clicking is really quiet which means the set up overall is minimal and not too disturbing.

The Chair

The chair is an IKEA Matchspel model. This is surprisingly really comfortable. It really allows you to focus on your posture and ensure that you aren't slouching.

Having a chair that is height adjustable, arm adjustable and neck adjustable really triggers concious thinking when it comes to how you sit when you're working.

Unfortunately, this isn't a standing desk so if I'm going to sit for a while, I'm going to make it comfortable.

Rocketbook Fusion

Now comes my latest addition to the collection which is my Rocketbook notebook.

This is a reusable notebook that allows me to wipe a page down once I'm done with it.

I can also digitally upload the page to my cloud storages so that I don't actually ever lose them.

As a notorious notebook hoarder, I think this is a great solution to reduce clutter and keep my notes tidy.

The Rocketbook Fusion comes with different styles of paper: lined, dotted, calendar, idea list etc. It's really great for jotting all ideas down.

My initial use of it is good, the only thing I've found is that if I jot down the odd idea as a 'get out of my head' job every now and then I find it a bit of a waste to write on so I've found myslef not utilising it in that sense.

However to combat that I keep it on my digital brain dump applications so it all works out in the end.

Also, you can only use Frixion pens, which I don't mind the feel of, but it is quite one dimensional. Another compromise to make!

Speaker

My speaker is a little Creative MuVo 2c that I've had since I was like... 15. Coincidentally it is blue so goes with the aesthetic.

I've never had any issue with this. The volume is great and is plenty for what I need.

The Impact on my Productivity

Since creating this space, I've found it to be really helpful in boosting my productivity.

The reason for this has been the enjoyment I get in being in my work environment.

Having a space you enjoy sitting in actually helps when you want to get work done. You aren't dreading going to sit at the space for the next.... umpteen hours.

Being able to work side by side to my girlfriend allows us to both boost each others productivity as well.

Whilst I've managed to acquire the pieces to this setup over the years, I think it's been transformational in my approach to work and in my approach to mindfulness.

If you are thinking about getting a better desk space, I highly recommend it, even if you only start out with the basics!