7 Simple Upgrades to Super-charge Productivity

Our productivity is often only associated with the quantity or quality of our work, but as work takes up a lot of time in our modern lifestyle, how should we invest in improving the time we put in our work?

What if I tell you that work can become more enjoyable, or at least more bearable, with just 7 simple upgrades?

Before having my current desk setup, I often found it hard to continue with working on my essays just because of the pain my body felt. I struggled to present my best work and got me into finding more about ergonomics (the study of how to adapt machines or work space to human needs).

This article is about why a dedicated desk setup is beneficial and how you can get started on building yours.

Reasons why you should have a desk setup

Having a dedicated desk setup is helpful to have tools that cater for our bodies. If not, then our bodies would have to cater for the desks and chairs that were mass-produced to fit everyone.

It can also remove the barrier to getting started on work. It helps our brains to get ready and associate the desk as the place for working.

Rules of Thumb

1. No need to have everything right away

I believe that most of us can get started on some of the items needed and then add on what would serve us the most over time.

2. Avoid costs of replacement

Cheap items or flimsy supplies aren’t the best for the wallet or the planet. It is not a must to buy branded items, but it surely would be worth getting quality ones.

If possible, searching for electronics that are future-proved in specs, like having type-c ports, Bluetooth functionality and 4K monitors, can save you from replacing parts too frequently.

3. Invest in your productivity!

The last thing is that we should not worry too much about investing in ourselves.

Some products do not really add values to our lives but we somehow are inclined to spend on those. I think if we could find what serves us, it is absolutely worth it to get them.

This is especially true for the three basics I recommend below, which will potentially cut future medical expenses down the line.

Getting Started: The Basics

While we all have different needs and work in different fields, some suggestions may help you get an idea of how to get started on your setup.

1. Chair: Adjustable for the optimal height

It’s the best for our shoulders and wrists to have an adjustable chair that lets us sit at our desk and let our forearm and upper arm form a 90-degree angle when we type or write.

If our feet cannot firmly step on the ground, a footstool helps us get enough support.

2. A Laptop / Monitor Stand: Eye-level comfort

It should be adjustable that it can raise the monitor so that the top of the screen is at eye level. This helps us prevent neck pain down the line and helps improve our posture and avoid slouching in our chairs.

For laptop users, having an external keyboard and mouse would prevent you from reaching for your keyboard and trackpad when it is on a kickstand.

3. A Simple Desk: Best partner of your chair!

For the desk, I recommend having one without drawers right under the desktop. For one, most of us only reach for a few most used tools throughout the day, which do not require constant under-desk storage. For two, having the drawer can interfere with the height adjustment of our chairs and hence the ergonomics.

Nice-to-haves

There are others outside of the basics that can improve your desk setup for maximising the health benefits and productivity.

1. Blue-light Filtering Glasses: Your eyes deserve protection

The glasses help block the blue light emitted from the screens around us, which helps reduce eye strain and actually lets me stay focused for longer in my personal experience.

I personally do not wear prescription glasses, so I leave mine at the desk, which is helpful to those of you who are wearing contacts as well, but if you do wear prescription ones, getting a separate pair or having clip-on blue-light filtering lenses would help.

2. Light: Screen bar & backlight

To reduce contrast in brightness, reduce eye strain, and keep the workspace well-lit, it’s nice to have a light bar on the monitor to light the workspace up, and a light strip behind the monitor to bounce light off the surface behind the screen.

3. Cable Management: Keep clutter out of mind

I think the key is to make the space look neat enough that is not distracting or making you hate the setup. Some simple strategies can already change everything. Some people use cable management boxes with wire covers to hide the cables, while some install a rack under their desks to hold their power strips and cables.

4. Microfibre Cloth: Wipe the surfaces down each day for 20s

Wiping the surfaces down each day after work takes just 20 seconds, which saves you from dedicating time for cleaning after a month or a season when the mess is getting uncontrollable.

After all, we put the effort into building the setup for productivity and having a work environment that motivates us to work. I think it is fair to give it a bit of attention to maintain it each day.

Thanks for joining me today. I write about productivity, digital minimalism and adulting.

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