Member-only story
My Simple and Productive Desk Setup
After multiple experiments, this is the setup that I fell in love with that helps me do my most productive work.
I have been obsessed with desk setups for quite some time now.
Having lived in more than six different places in the past eight years, I was forced to construct and destroy multiple desk setups.
Most of these setups had one flaw or another.
I have tried it all — use a 43” LG Monitor, 34” Ultrawide, two monitors set up, you name it.
All of these failed in one way or another.
I realized that the best desk setup that lets you do your most productive work is a simple one.
The one I settled with here in Toronto has been my most productive one so far. It’s simple, helps me focus better, and gives me the fewest distractions.
A desk setup cannot do your work for you. It will just enable you to do your best work. At the end of the day, you will have to execute. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter.
Just Enough Screen Real Estate
I always thought that the bigger the monitor, the more I could fit, and the more work I would get done.
That’s why my first setup included a 43” LG Monitor (or TV?!). Bad idea!
Turns out, the first victim in such a setup is your neck! You have to move it a lot to be able to see across all sides of the screen.
Next, I experimented with a 34” Ultrawide. My primary workflow was programming and video editing, so it made sense to maximize the horizontal real estate.
Once again, bad idea. Most things looked “weird” because of the aspect ratio. The “look” of every app ended up being a distraction.
Such specialized setups were difficult to replicate when traveling. It took some adjusting whenever I wasn’t home and I used that as an excuse to only do important work when I was home.
All that said and done, I found that the best monitor for me was a 4K 27” Dell monitor.
The 4K resolution lets me fit enough content while keeping the aspect ratio more natural.