Notice: None of the links provided are sponsored. I bought the items at my own expense and am only sharing at my expense.
🍎 When the quarantine started in March ’20, I started working from my bed, remoting into my work machine. I didn’t put much effort into my work situation, thinking I would be back in the office within a few weeks.
🤦♂️ Boy, was I wrong.
🦠 As WFH started getting extended, I started investing into my home office, moving from my bed to the dining table, using a monitor, etc. However, once WFH got extended till August ’21, I decided it was time to get a proper functioning office to work efficiently.
🏡 I slowly started making my desk at home similar to the setup I have at the office. I made improvements to the look, feel, and comfort of my new office. I tried to follow a minimalistic approach, keeping only the essentials. I set a budget, and got everything to my liking while staying within it. Everything is (almost) matte black, like my aesthetic.
🧼 I am very nitpicky about my setup and the way things are arranged. If I ever find that a monitor is not at the perfect 90° angle to the table, I drop everything to fix it. I even position the mouse the same way every day after work. Unfortunately, cleaning and arranging my table does take up a small chunk of my day.
Here is how I styled my home office:
- 🖥 I haven’t mentioned my monitors here as I got mine from the office. I do not have much info about them.
- 🌍 SmartDesk 2 from Autonomous. It is a good standing table, going from 29.5" to 48.4" with 4 programmable buttons. It is strong and sturdy. It is the right size to house all my necessary things comfortably. It doesn’t have motor sensors, which means if you forget the chair is stationed under it and you lower the table, it will not stop. My major complaint with the table is that the tabletop is very scratchy. Keeping any metal on it can scratch or dent it. I bought a desk pad to solve this issue, but I still have to be careful when I’m moving things not on the pad.
- 🔌 I also bought the Cable Tray. It made managing all the wires really convenient. A power strip rests there, powering all my devices, and in turn, me. I bought a couple of cable management tools as well.
💻 The Mac Pro, aka the trash can. It was provided to me by Salesforce. I put a piece of paper under it to avoid it from scratching the tabletop with its metal base.
⚡️ A 10W wireless charger for my phone. Even though I don’t use my phone often, I like keeping it at my desk. Placing my phone vertically allows me to glance over important notifications without picking it up and wasting time on social media. I can also keep the phone horizontally to charge it.
☕️ Working from home also means that I can’t get up every 30 mins to go to the cafe or hang out at someone’s desk. Staying at my table for so long started making my wrists stiff.
- ⌨️ I switched between a couple of ergo keyboards, but I finally settled on the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic. The keyboard is comfortable and has perfectly clicky keys, while being decently sized. The mouse is super cozy. My hand just hugs the sphere and doesn’t want to let go.
- 🖱 I use the mouse to move the cursor/click on things since I like having something physical to move around with. The Magic Trackpad on the left is mainly for multi-finger swipes, to change between windows, tabs, or the classic Mac functions. It makes switching super-efficient taking my productivity to new levels. I would highly recommend getting a trackpad on the side; it has made my life 100x better. With a tippy-tap I can do a lot of basic functions (ctrl+t, ctrl+w, cmd+alt+→ , etc.), saving me 1/10 a second every time. #efficiency 😁
- 🧽 Like I mentioned before, my major complaint with the table is how easily scratchable the surface is. I bought a desk pad for the mouse and keyboard to prevent them from scratching the table since they move so much. I did splurge a little on this and bought one which lights up(and has dabbing skeletons). The lights are unnecessary, and I don’t use them much, but sometimes it’s just fun to have dancing lights on my tabletop. Having a cushiony pad also makes the surface soft and reduces the strain on my hands.
- 📺 I am a massive fan of The Office. I can recite any line from any episode and season and nail it perfectly. Fun Fact: I have gotten a 100% on every BuzzFeed Quiz about The Office. My friends got me the Funko Pops, and I just had to put them up. They give a fun and festive feel to my table.
- 🗝 Hidden behind are my YubiKeys. I don’t need them every day so they are tucked away in the back. Hidden away from the common eye, adding an extra layer of security. HA!
- 📒 I keep a uni-ball roller gel pen (for the smooth roll and thick mark), a pack of sticky notes, and a notebook to quickly jot down tasks, notes, questions, or things I know I will forget 10 seconds after being mentioned. It is the one thing that takes the most amount of time rearranging cause the pen sometimes randomly decides to roll off, threatening to scratch the uncharted table tap.
- 📸 Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam. It is a superb HD 1080p webcam for meetings and always auto-focuses on the best features of my face. 10/10 recommend for business use.
🍵 A tiny souvenir I got in a care package from Salesforce. A wooden coaster in the shape of the topological map of Mt. Adams. It is classy, and honestly, the perfect cute little coaster for my midnight coffee.
🎧 ANC headphones are almost necessary now. I got the Sony WH-1000XM3 a couple years ago, and they have been my most loyal companion. I use them virtually the entire day for meetings, and playing white noise from Spotify’s Brain Food on shuffle.
🗜 Headphones take a lot of space on the table when not settled on my head. I got a headphone holder that hangs by my side, and it has been an incredibly useful management tool. It holds my headphones and a charging cable, while also blending in my setup.
🪑 My chair. Honestly, I have no idea which one it is. I bought it a few years ago from FB Marketplace. It is sturdy, comfortable, and has good back support. No complaints. I did buy a seat cushion for a comfier seat for the long days.
💆🏽♂️ Just as important as the things on the table are the things off of it. They are equally necessary for providing a relaxing experience when working.
- 🕳 A plastic chair mat from Costco, to avoid the carpet underneath from getting worn out from the roll.
- 🦶🏽 A footrest: much needed for my restless feet and makes sitting on the chair more relaxing. The platform has a pimply surface and tilts, keeping my legs active.
- 💡 I placed an LED strip around my new office. They are tucked away behind the curtains to give off a subtle glow. I turn them on occasionally to get a cozy feeling while working at night.
- 🌱 Having plants at the desk has been proven to reduce anxiety at work. I got a few succulents and hardy houseplants to decorate around me. It makes me feel more with nature.
- 🗑 A simple trash can I got from Ikea. I only put dry waste and recyclables in it, as that is the only trash I generate around my work station.
- 🧪 For cleaning my keyboard and the tiny dust particles around it, I bought the cleaning slime thingy, which I dab around the dusty areas. Simple and easy.
