10 Ways to Improve Your Working Setup for Better Outcomes
1. Get a Standing Desk
Total game changer. I feel like I'm 5 years behind on this, but holy crap I just installed one and it is exactly what I needed. My knees and hips take too much punishment on a seated position, so I have to minimize that as much as possible. I want to be training into my 100s. Standing desk is a shortcut.
2. Invest in a Desk Treadmill
The first time I saw one of these was in 2017 when the CEO I was working with wouldn't take any meetings or deskwork without putting in miles on her treadmill. Mind blown. Mine's in the mail right now.
3. Declutter your space
Cliche, but underrated.
4. Get some plants
Check out my list on how to keep plants alive if you want to go this route.
5. Install 2 or 3 monitors
Once saw a rookie hire at a client's firm request a new "monitor" from IT.
It was a 40" LED TV set.
Her boss was pissed. I almost passed out laughing.
You don't want to be sitting 2 feet from a TV. Get two reasonably sized monitors and divide your work content between them.
(and turn those bastards off and walk away as soon as you can).
6. Practice safe cable management
If this is your desk, you're hosed.
Buy some Velcro cable straps and get to work. There is no excuse for this rat's nest from hell.
7. Get the climate under control
If you need to insulate or caulk up windows or drafts, do it. You don't want to feel off your game when you need to be on it the most. One of the most underrated ways to create a great working environment is to have good control over your temperature and light.
8. Always have one book on your desk
Not 2. Not a stack of 10. One book.
This is a personal preference, but it gives me a simple and mindful "out" when I need to break my gaze from my monitor and also enjoy a little side reading.
9. Install a Dry Erase board
Do I need to say why? Everybody needs a dry erase board. They even make these interesting little tilted boards that you can put your keyboard on so you're not worried about a huge wall board (I have a huge wall board...)
10. Privacy notice/sign/totem
Whatever you need to do to keep people out of your sanctum when you're in the zone, you do it. I used to have an LED Light bulb on a lamp by the door that I would remote control to red when I was busy and green or blue when I was available for botheration.
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