Tips For Choosing A Home Office Desk

Choosing the right desk for your home office is vital. If the desk is too small you run the risk of working in a cramped environment which means a drop in productivity and clutter.

If the desk is too large it won't fit into your work area or will be so cramped in there that again your productivity and general happines is going to suffer. Choosing home office furniture is not something to be taken lightly especially when you're working for yourself and have to stick to a budget. Mistakes can be costly.

There are hundreds of different types of desks manufactured by thousands of different companies. From the super executive marble slab models to the DIY $30 budget computer desk.

There is one single and simple secret to choosing a simply superb office desk. Space. Lots of flat, clear space. Look at any modern office and you'll notice lots of flat space with no obstructions. When shopping for desks most home office consumers forget they're going to be putting a computer, mouse, keyboard, mousemat, printer, modem and possibly a scanner on top of it. That seemingly huge desk will quickly disappear underneath all of that. Then all you're left with is a clutter of wires and not even room for a cup of coffee.

Do yourself an enormous favour and do not purchase one of those two tier, 5 drawer, 3 shelf, built in keyboard tray type of desks. You spend more time losing stuff whilst sitting at one of these cramped workstations than you do getting any real work done.

My own personal desk is approximately 50 inches long and 30 inches high. This allows adequate space for my computer and its peripherals but still leaves space for making notes on paper and keeping specific documents close to hand. A smaller desk would still suit me but you need to find your own comfort level with whatever desk you intend to work with. Just stick to the flat working surface ideal and you'll be fine.

You don't necessarily need to spend a fortune to get a good desk - it's more a matter of choosing carefully from the selection on offer. Most people will buy a desk because it looks good as opposed to how functional the desk would actually be in their home office.

Here's some tips for picking a good desk:

  • Clear desktop work area

  • 1 deep drawer for documents

  • 1 drawer for pens, paper, staples etc.

  • Avoid built-in shelves

  • Always over estimate your space requirements

  • Make sure you have adequate leg space underneath the desk


One final word of advice. Do not try to use a kitchen or dining room table as your office desk unless you absolutely have to. You'll constantly get interrupted, things will get knocked, moved and lost. It's generally not worth the heartache or the headaches.

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