My Home Office Setup
I spend a lot of time in my home office. Over the years, I've done some things to make it better to work and game in. It's not as nice as the ones you would find on Pinterest, but it's got everything that I need, and is organised pretty well. In the current setup, you could spend all day in here and not go insane, so I think I did a decent job with it.
Current Setup Overview
My home office is currently in my bedroom.
I had to move it here due to a restructure, and since I’ve got a queen-sized bed, space is already pretty limited.
Right now, my main setup consists of:
- a 24-inch monitor
- a laptop on a stand
- a PS5
Everything sits on a large desk in the corner of the room, a few feet away from my bed. It's got five drawers, which has been incredibly useful for keeping things organised.
Other smaller things I have include:
- a headphone holder
- a dock
- a monitor light bar
- a phone holder
How My Setup Has Evolved
For a few years, my setup was just a laptop and a small desk. It got me through my high school days, and half of university. After Covid made us work and study from home, I was forced to upgrade. The first thing I started with was a decent chair. I had been using an older model which was not ergonomic at all. The back support and one of the wheels were broken. I don't know the exact model I purchased, but it's a basic ergonomic chair with all the necessary functionality.
My next upgrade was a second monitor along with a laptop stand. Getting this only after Covid was a fault on my behalf. It should've been part of my setup years ago. I found the monitor in my dads room. The only thing I purchased was the HDMI cable. The laptop stand I got from Amazon, which conveniently included a fan.
The next thing I noticed was my desk not being able to properly fit the new equipment. IKEA had the Alex desk which was quite large, and looked simple but stylish. It was an easy build and very cheap. It was a bit big, but I decided to use it anyways. This ended up in my favour as I later migrated my PS5 to my desk, rather than keeping it on a separate table. It saved me space overall.
I ended up at one point with dual monitor arms, but I ended up removing them and going back to a single monitor with a stand. I couldn't get the hang of two monitors and a laptop. I preferred only starting at one screen. My cable management was bad enough as it was. This was something I regretted buying early. My mistake was thinking that more screens = more productivity.
Another regret was probably the Microsoft Surface Dock. I bought it paired with my Surface laptop without researching properly, and realised it isn't compatible with other laptops. I still have it today as I still have the Surface Laptop. It's only annoying when I need to switch out with my work laptop. I end up with a straight HDMI cable from the monitor to laptop, and an unused Dock.
After those two lessons, I definitely don't jump into purchases without planning them around my setup.
Desk & Layout
My desk is fairly large. It has a bamboo surface and spans around 150cm wide and 70cm deep.
It fits nicely in the corner of my room and gives me enough space without feeling cramped.
Layout-wise:
- laptop stand on the left
- monitor in the centre
- PS5 on the right
Even with these, there’s still room for miscellaneous stuff. I have an 80x30cm mat for the keyboard and mouse. It fits nicely and separates them from the rest of the desk.
Monitor(s)
I currently only use a monitor and a laptop. Although it's common in the dev industry to have dual monitors, I only need one. It's a 24inch model with great resolution. I needed to find something to also work for my gaming.
Keyboard & Mouse
My keyboard and mouse are up there with one of my best purchases. I own the MX Master 3S and the MX Keys. Logitech integrated very nicely with one app being used to manage both devices. The mouse is incredibly comfortable. Using the Master 3S, I've never had any issues with sore wrists or fingers. What I love the most is the horizontal scrolling. As a dev, it's very useful. The MX Keys is a safe choice. Looks-wise, it may not suit everyone's setup, but the touch and feel is very good. It's mechanical but not loud. You're able to get the satisfying click feel without disturbing the peace.
Audio
I use a headphone holder from IKEA known as LÅNESPELARE. It's one of the standouts of my desk. It carries my Bose QC 35ii, which I've used for years.
I don't have any external speakers, I usually rely on my laptop. When I first opted for this setup, the sound coming from the laptop which was on the side did bother me. Eventually I got used to this though. A future improvement would be to add a speaker underneath the monitor.
Lighting
My room lighting is pretty harsh. I dealt with it for many years until I opted for other lighting instead. I have two main sources:
For both of these, I've set the lighting to be warm.
After changing these, I've felt an increase in my relaxation and productivity.
What Actually Matters
All of my purchases impacted my productivity and work to some degree. I found that the transition from a laptop to adding a second monitor helped me personally the most, as my work is in development.
The second thing was the surrounding environment. Working somewhere quiet with good lighting can do wonders. When I use my noise cancelling bose with warm lighting, I tend to feel relaxed and can focus on my work only. This was something I didn't expect to make a difference after implementing it.
What’s Overrated
Overcomplicating your setup.
A lot of people when building their home office avoid simplicity, and opt for having multiple gadgets, accessories, and screens. It may look aesthetic to some degree, but it can be detrimental to efficiency.
If I Had to Restart
If I had to restart, I wouldn't rush into purchases right away. Planning is probably the most important thing, especially if the budget is tight. Quality of the products matters, especially for long term usage. It's important not to skimp out on items which can affect the way you work.
