Even though the entire office may affect you in a way, the truth is that your field of vision tends to be limited to the items that are right in front of you. What we’re talking about is your screen, as well as your desk (desktop, to be more precise). This is why knowing how to set it all up for optimal productivity may give you some incredible results. Here’s are a couple of neat tricks that you need to take into consideration.

The position of the computer

This here is a complex task that consists of several different aspects. You see, if you have the laptop, you need to pick a spot that gives you a great height ratio when it comes to the position of your eyes relative to the location of the screen, as well as the distance of the keyboard from the edge of the desk. When it comes to a desktop setup, you have more options, seeing as how you get to address these issues separately. Other than this, if your desk is next to the wall, you can mount the screen up on the wall (again, watch out for the height), thus freeing up more space on your desk.

Keep your dominant hand in mind

The next thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that you have a dominant hand and that the plethora of items that you use (a mug, a pen or a stapler) need to be on your dominant hand side. This means that, depending on whether you’re left or right-handed, the layout of the desk may differ. Well, it’s a mirror image, right? Well… not necessarily. You see, a lot of left-handed people still control the computer mouse with their right hand, which might create a bit of a mobility issue. On the other hand, there are some who suggest that putting your mouse on the opposite side does have its benefits. All in all, this is something that you need to test out before making up your mind.

Careful management of available space

One more thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that desks tend to differ in sizes. For instance, a traditional office desk may have several times more surface than a standing desk, which means that you need to be smart when it comes to its management. First of all, you need to make a list of all the items on your desk and figure out which of them absolutely has to be on the desk. All the rest should go in a drawer.

An item of personal significance

Anyone who has watched the iconic U.S. TV show The Office knows about Dwight Schrute’s habit of keeping bobblehead dolls on his office desk. This is a perfect example of how you can personalize your work area, as well as take ownership of it (in a sense). A similar thing can be done with a traditional concept of keeping a photo of your partner or family members in order to keep you going through the day. Also, you can order flowers online. This way, you keep the place fresh and personalized at the same time.

Area for sticky notes

You can use one corner of your desk to post self-sticking notes to yourself. Sure, sticking them to the monitor screen is a more effective (visibility-wise), nonetheless, you need to be aware of the fact that you’ll have to take them down as soon as you start working. In other words, unless the notification is meant for the first thing in the morning, this method won’t be very effective. If you were to install a small board to stick these notes to… well, this would have been an entirely different thing.

Group similar items

Even though your desk might not be a vast space that’s hard to navigate, it still might be worth your while to thematically divide it by grouping similar items together. It’s only natural that your screen, keyboard and mouse might take the central part. Next, the dominant-hand side of the desk may be reserved for functional items like writing kit (pen, notebook, etc.), a cup or something similar. Lastly, you can use the opposite side of the desk to group the items of aesthetic value or documents that someone might request of you throughout the day.

Drawer dividers

So far, it might have seemed as if we’ve focused exclusively on the surface of the desk and didn’t even mention the drawers. However, this storage system is the only way for you to keep all the items that you have in your possession at your hand’s reach. In order to maximize the level of organization within the drawers, you can A) organize the folders in them alphabetically or B) get drawer dividers for smaller (more compact) items.

Keep it clean

The last thing you need to understand is the fact that your desk setup doesn’t handle the question of the organization on its own. Keeping the place clean and well-organized is a task that requires an effort on a daily basis. Books and documents that you don’t use, you should either store, shred or take home. Other than this, you need to keep in mind that, in the work process, things get misplaced all the time. This means that you need to reset your desk to the optimal layout each day before heading home. This way, you can have it ready and set tomorrow as soon as you arrive.

In conclusion

The last thing you need to understand is the importance of an unbiased evaluation of the situation. What this means is that you have to make an estimate of the overall efficiency of the setup, ranging from your own satisfaction all the way to the frustration with the distance of certain (crucial) objects. Based on this, you’ll be able to make adjustments/improvements to this scenario as a whole.

Also, Read   7 Powerful Goal Setting Techniques to Increase productivity