Ever since I had my first desk (after college?) and then my first office space that wasnāt an office/bedroom set-up (first house), Iāve wanted to create a dream office/desk set-up. Iāve watched enough YouTube videos where desks are shown off in all their glory and now Iām ready to show off mine. I will preface this by stating that the wire situation is FAR from perfectly organized BUT as of writing this post I have the necessary tools and accessories to tame the many wires that have overtaken my desk. But thatās a post for another day! Right now, letās get into the details of my desk:
THE DESK
Let me start by saying I made the decision straight away NOT to put my desk against a wall. I wanted to have something behind me and also be able to look out the window (to my right) or at a mounted TV. I also realized my office was large enough to fit a loveseat on the back side of my desk. Itās not a usual setup (I know) but so far I have little regrets about it. This also allows me to have five bookcases along the walls.
MONITOR(S)
Yes, I have two monitors. Two LG 32QN600-B 32-Inch QHD ($240 x 2) to be exact. Took me two years to get them both but having dual monitors has been a long dream of mine and Iām glad I have them.
They are being held up by MOUNTUP Dual Monitor Desk Mount ($28) attached to my desk.
DESK
I bought my dream standing desk in 2021. I originally wanted to get an L-shaped desk but opted to go with a regular desk that I can easily swap the top and change the length in the future if I should choose. This is the Autonomous Smart Desk Core ($499). I got it with their Power Outlet accessory so I can plug some things that might have shorter cords and canāt reach the power surge protector under the desk.
PCās
My dual monitor setup is connected to two different computers. I have a Windows Dell laptop and a (new in November) M1 Mac mini. As of right now, Iām switching each monitor manually between HDMI 1 (Mac mini) and HDMI 2 (Dell) depending on what Iām working on. My goal in 2023 is to make this a lot simpler for myself by getting a Dual Monitor KVM Switch 2 Port which will allow me to connect my two computers and two monitors to one device so I can push one button to switch from work to personal PC. I found one on Amazon to do what Iām looking for, but Iām still doing more research before I take the full plunge.
M1 Mac mini - 512GB SSD, 16GB Unified Memory, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. I wish I could say I know what all of that means but aside from the first two stats I have no clue. Itās my first M1 computer and Iām just excited about that.
SPEAKER
My wife got me a black HomePod mini ($99) for Christmas and I love it! The sound is amazing and it takes up almost no space at all. Iām able to put it on my desk and it blends in to the point where you almost donāt see it.
TECH ACCESSORIES
Headphones - Audio Technica
Microphone - Blue Yeti X with the boom arm and
Web Cam - Logitech StreamCam ($169) that you can see sitting on my monitors. When I am able to use my iPhone as a webcam to show my desk, Iām going to move this cam to an arm I have next to the mic boom arm. This will give me two camera angles for future streaming.
Gaming - Elgato HD60 S+ ($159) I use to hook up my Nintendo Switch to my computer for streaming purposes. Check out my gaming streams on my Twitch channel, with VODs on my YouTube channel. I currently have the white Switch Dock on my desk along with the white Satisfye grip I use whenever I play in handheld mode.
Keyboard - Logitech MX Keys ($119.99) is a great keyboard. Iām not like a lot of keyboard enthusiasts who can talk all day long about how a key clicks and mechanical keyboards. In fact, Iām all about silence when typing. If I were to change keyboards it would probably be to get the Apple touch ID keyboard to make unlocking my Mac mini faster but thatās far from a deal-breaker for me.
Mouse - Logitech MX Master 3S ($99.99) is easily the best mouse Iāve ever used. Up until this point I was always either using a work mouse or trackpad. But now that I have a dedicated desktop computer this is the perfect mouse for it. I didnāt realize it came in three colors. If I had, I probably wouldāve gotten the white version just because Iām trying to add white accents to my office set-up where I can.
Hub - Anker USB-C 6-in-1 Hub ($59.99) that I needed to use back when my Macbook was my main desktop computer (as shown in the image above). Because the MB I have comes with all thunderbolt 3/USB-C connectors I needed a hub to plug in a few USB-A devices and for the ethernet connection, it comes with. Iām glad the Mac mini will come with way more connectors than my MB, however, I still will need to use the hub (for now) and possibly find a downgraded solution in the future because this hub is a bit more than Iāll need.
DESK ACCESSORIES
Grovemade mat desk pad extra large black ($140). I would only recommend getting this mat if you are a legitimate fan of the company (like I am). Otherwise, itās a truly unecessarry expense. Especially, when you can easily get a desk mat of varying sizes and colors for probably 10% of the cost of this one. I would do a search on Amazon and read the reviews but I do recommend having a desk mat. I got one because my desk is white and I didnāt wan to worry about scuff marks from everything I keep on the desk. If I were to change the mat I would probably get one that doesnāt cover the entire desk so I can at least access the back area where the holes are for wire management. Right now, my mat covers those holes up and makes them basically unusable. Also, when I first got this as a Christmas present in 2021 there were only two colors (blue and black), but now they come in 5 additional colors!
Lamicall headphone stand headset holder ($14.99) for my Audio Technica headphones. I like this design because I can hang my headset under my desk instead of having them take up space on my desk (like they are now).
Lamicall adjustable tablet stand holder ($9.99) for my iPad Mini. When I originally bought this two years ago it was for my iPad Pro 12.9ā that I traded in for the smaller model and it works just as well for it. Just goes to show you donāt have to get the most expensive thing to make a desk set-up work the way you need it to.
Qi-charger for all my other Apple devices (iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 5, and AirPods Pro 2).
Thatās it! Thatās just about everything I have on my desk that keeps everything going. Iām thinking the next thing Iāll share is all the programs I use on my Mac mini to keep me productive and my creativity flowing. I also have some plans to share the books Iāve got on my 5 bookshelves in my office as well as those that will go into my future library. I also plan on going into detail on how I finally am able to organize and tame the issue that is my wires. When I get that all sorted Iāll be sure to share how I did it all as well.
Till next timeā¦