Optimising Your Desk Space | Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind

Having a specific area for key documents and paperwork is essential for any workstation. A spread of documents across a desk can lead to increased stress levels when you can’t locate a particular document or your pen! Even if you just designate an area on top of the desk it can help keep papers in hand. Specific filing cabinets are a great investment for businesses which require a lot of paper documents. However, if your business can migrate to digital copies this can be a great alternative – as well as being far eco-friendlier. If you don’t have any space for a designated cabinet, try to use draw space effectively or use a simple filing tray system on your desk to keep things nice and tidy. Specific piles for documents which require actioning or shredding can all be great ways to improve your desk space as well.

Getting the right keyboard set up is a must! The right keyboard can speed up performance and help prevent various strain injuries that can occur in the office or at home. Here are a few thoughts on keyboard options:

If you’re a MacBook user you’ll likely be familiar with the ‘new’ butterfly keyboards. They’ve had a huge number of issues over the years and consumers have often complained about the typing experience in general. And this goes for lots of other slim, modern laptops and keyboards which have come out in recent years. However, there are other alternatives. The best of which are mechanical keyboards. They can be a bit on the pricey side, however, they’re a great investment – especially if you’re a typist. Although these keyboards have become somewhat synonymous with gamers and developers, they’re the best keyboards to type on in many cases. Some examples of these are from Keychron, Happy Hacking, Razer and KPrepublic (where you can even build your own custom keyboard).

A well-positioned good monitor or second screen is a game-changer, and also important in preventing eye, neck or back strains. Nothing quite beats the efficiency of having one screen for notes or key info and the other for the main event. The same goes for keeping communications applications like Teams/Slack or Outlook open – ensuring you don’t miss any key messages. Independent monitors can also help with ergonomics and keeping your posture right, as you can customize the position of you monitor much more than a laptop screen.

This helps to keep your laptop at the same height as your monitor (if you are using one) and raises the screen to a better position for reducing eye strain and creating a more comfortable working environment. You can find many options for this, all with different levels of features. Laptop stands also have the added benefit of increasing airflow and in some cases providing an effective heat sync, reducing the temperate of your laptop (which in theory can also increase performance). If you don’t want to invest in a specific laptop stand, a stack of books or old boxes also works well! These might just not provide the same level of airflow or be as aesthetically pleasing. My laptop is currently stacked on a David Walliams children’s book, one of Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks and Rand Fiskins biography!

A bit of greenery on your desk can go a long way. Bringing nature into your office space not only looks great but also helps to support the environment. Succulents are a great option as they require very little maintenance. A Peace Lily is another good option to consider, these are hardy plants – so making sure your plant doesn’t die isn’t yet another thing to worry about during the day.

One task that is small but extremely effective is making sure you have pens, notebooks, post-it notes and more at hand, all helping to create a workstation that is practical to use, and even that you are proud to use. Having these ready in the same place can save time when they’re needed, and, Items like post-it notes are extremely functional whilst also adding a splash of colour to your workspace.

A good sound system and microphone can be a revelation to any desk space. Depending on where you’re working, either quality speakers or a good set of headphones can make a big difference for video meetings or conferences. Smart assistants like Alexa or Google Home speakers can be used to great effect. In communal/open planned office space you can use these types of speakers for shared Spotify playlists which can be played and added to for everyone’s enjoyment. And when working from home when you don’t need to worry about other’s music choices, you’ll be able to easily play all the cheesy 80s pop you want!

Good posture and a comfortable seating position are essential for a great workstation. When sitting at your desk for hours on end you can really notice the difference. In fact, the real sign that you’re using a comfortable chair is when you don’t think about your chair at all. A chair should be just that, a chair. Or, if it works for you, sitting on an exercise ball can have benefits! Chairs come in all shapes, sizes and price points. But you and/or your staff will be thankful for a quality investment. Some well-known brands to look into are: IKEA (obviously), SecretLab, Herman Miller, Humanscale, Steelcase and Knoll.