c/designer-desk-setups

My brother-in-law saw my standing desk and asked why I never sit down, and it made me realize I was overdoing it.

Just lost $80 on a 'cable management box' that doesn't fit under my desk

My desk went from a mess to a clean setup in 3 months and it's all because of a single rule

For years my desk was just a dumping ground for cables and random papers, it was honestly embarrassing on video calls. About three months ago I saw a setup post here where someone said 'if you don't use it at your desk at least once a week, it doesn't belong on your desk.' I started moving everything off that wasn't my laptop, monitor, and one notebook. The difference is crazy, I actually want to sit down and work now. Has anyone else had a simple rule that completely fixed their space?

My neighbor's comment about his 'standing desk regret' got me thinking

He said he bought a fancy motorized one last month but now his feet hurt and he's back to sitting all day. I've been saving up for a standing desk myself, but his story made me pause. Has anyone found a good middle ground, like a specific anti-fatigue mat or a schedule that actually works?

My desk in Seattle faces a window and the afternoon glare is killing my eyes

Last month I moved my home office to a room with a west-facing window, and by 3 PM the sun is directly on my screen. I tried a basic pull-down shade, but it just makes the room feel like a cave. Has anyone found a good middle ground, like a specific type of blind or film, that cuts glare without making everything too dark?

My change of heart on those little monitor light bars

I thought they were just a fad for streamers, but my wife got me one for my birthday. After using it for a month, my eyes feel way less tired during late work sessions. It lights up my desk without any glare on the screen at all. Has anyone found a good way to hide the cable for the control switch?

The quiet shift away from giant curved monitors on my feed

Three years ago, my whole feed was just massive 34-inch curved screens. Last month, I noticed more 27-inch flat panels in setup photos. Then last week, a designer I follow in Chicago posted about switching to two 24-inch monitors side by side, saying it saved her neck from constant turning. She mentioned the total cost was under $500 for both, which got me thinking. Maybe the mega-screen trend is cooling off for actual daily work. Has anyone else moved back to smaller or dual flat screens recently?

Question about monitor height and neck pain

For years I just stacked some books under my monitor, but my neck was always stiff after a day. My wife walked in yesterday and said 'your screen is way too low, you're looking down like you're reading a book.' I raised it 4 inches and today was the first pain-free day in months. Anyone else have a simple fix that took way too long to figure out?

I finally gave up on the 'clean desk' look after a month in my new apartment

I used to think I needed a totally empty surface to focus, so I hid everything in drawers. Last week, I read a blog post from a designer in Seattle who keeps her most used tools out on a small tray. I tried it with my Wacom pen, a notebook, and my phone charger, and now I actually start working faster. Has anyone else found that a little bit of clutter helps instead of hurts?

I had my monitor arm mounted wrong for two years and only noticed when I got a new chair.

My desk was a mess until I tried a $12 trick from a friend in Austin.

I had cords everywhere and kept knocking things off my desk. My friend suggested using a cheap plastic cable tray and mounting it under the desktop with command strips. It cleared up the whole area in about 20 minutes. Do you think hiding cables is better, or is a visible, neat cable tie system more practical for quick changes?

My friend said my desk looked like a 'cable management crime scene'

I was proud of my setup until a buddy visited last week and pointed at the jungle of cords under my desk. He said, 'Dude, that's a cable management crime scene waiting to happen.' It was a mess of power strips, monitor wires, and charger cables all tangled together. The next day, I bought a $25 pack of velcro straps and a cable sleeve. After about two hours of work, I routed everything neatly along the desk legs and under the surface. It looks SO much cleaner now and I'm not kicking cords all day. Anyone have a good tip for hiding a bulky power strip without mounting it to the wall?

I thought the 'ergonomic foot hammock' under my desk was a total gimmick, but my partner got me one for my birthday and I've used it every day for 3 months.

Question about monitor arms vs. stacking books for height

Used a stack of old textbooks for years to raise my monitor. Switched to a Vivo single arm last month. The difference in neck strain is huge, plus I got my desk space back. Anyone else find a cheap upgrade that fixed a long term problem?

My wife told me my new Herman Miller chair looked like a 'futuristic praying mantis' and now I can't unsee it

She said it while walking past my office, and now every time I adjust the lumbar support, I just picture giant insect legs. It's a great chair, but the visual is stuck. Has anyone else had a piece of gear permanently redefined by a casual comment from a non-designer?

Hot take: that $200 'ergonomic' keyboard tray was my biggest setup mistake

I mean, I bought it last year thinking it would fix my wrist pain, but it just made my whole desk feel shaky. The mounting hardware was cheap and it couldn't hold the weight of my keyboard and mouse pad without sagging. I ended up taking it off after two weeks and now it's just collecting dust in my closet. Has anyone found a solid keyboard solution that doesn't feel like a wobbly afterthought?

Appreciation post: Switched from a single big lamp to two smaller ones

I had a big architect lamp on my desk for a long time, but I kept getting a harsh shadow on my drawing board. Last Tuesday I tried two small, cheap LED lamps from Ikea, one on each side. The light is way more even now and I don't have to squint. Has anyone else tried this trick with their task lighting?

My studio's new 'minimalist' layout is a total trip hazard after dark.

Redid everything last Friday, but now I keep kicking my subwoofer walking back from the kitchen at night. Anyone got a good low-profile speaker mount they actually use?

Heads up if you're thinking about a standing desk... I tried a cheap $200 one for 6 months and just switched to a more solid model.

Swapped my monitor arm for a cheap VESA stand and the noise is gone

I got a secondhand monitor arm that had a faint hum, so I grabbed a $25 VESA stand from Amazon as a quick fix. Turns out the solid base completely killed the vibration noise I didn't even know was stressing me out. Has anyone else fixed a weird desk problem with a super simple swap?

My brother convinced me to finally mount my monitor arm after I argued it was just for looks

He came over last week and pointed out how my 34-inch ultrawide was taking up half my desk space in Portland. He said, 'You're paying for all that real estate just to have a monitor stand on it,' and that hit different because he's right. I mounted it yesterday and the extra room for my sketchbook and tablet is a total game changer. What's one small change that gave you back a bunch of workspace?

My buddy told me to ditch my standing desk after I complained about back pain. He was right.

My desk faced the window for years, but I finally flipped it around last week.

I was tired of the glare on my screen and chose to face the wall instead, even though I love the view. Now I just have a small mirror propped up so I can still see the skyline. Has anyone else done something similar and found it helped them focus?

The day I moved my desk away from the window

For two years, my desk faced a big window looking over my backyard. I thought the natural light was perfect, but I was always squinting at my screen. Last month, I finally turned my whole setup around so the window is to my left side. The change was instant. My monitor glare is gone, and I can actually see my colors correctly now. Has anyone else found that a simple turn of the desk made a huge difference?

Showerthought: I moved my desk away from the window and my focus went way up