My Medium friends can read this story over there as well.
My workspace is quiet, clean, and functional enough that I actually want to sit down and write. Or stand. Or now, ideally, walk.
Here’s my current setup. Every piece is something I use daily, nothing extra, nothing pretty just for show.
The Foundation
A few years ago, I gave into the hype and bought a standing desk*. Best decision ever.
I don’t have a fancy home office. It’s a small room, next to our living room. But the standing desk lets me switch between sitting, standing, and walking (more on that in a sec).
It’s just stupidly simple, but so effective. I wonder why we invented non-standing desk in the first place. Standing makes so much more sense. And they’ve gotten pretty cheap over the years. If you’re in the market for a (new) desk, just get a standing one. You can sit as much as you want.
The Heart
My MacBook Pro 16-inch* is my workhorse.
I write, edit, design, and occasionally pretend to be a video editor on it.
The big screen means I don’t need a secondary monitor all the time — but when I do, there’s one waiting.
It’s also so powerful, it’s ridiculous. No need for anything bigger, in my eyes.
The View
If I need a second monitor, I have one. A pretty affordable but cool Samsung M8*.
It’s not as fancy as an Apple Display, but it gets the job done and it’s a full-fledged TV as well, which comes in handy from time to time.
The M8 is also pretty sleek, minimal, and surprisingly elegant next to the MacBook. And at $599, it’s quite affordable as well.
The Feel
I am not fancy when it comes to keyboard and mouse. No mechanical stuff that’s trendy.
I just use the Apple Magic Keyboard* and Magic Mouse*. Both in dark gray. They’re not perfect, but I like them both.
The Sound
Quietness is important to me. But this doesn’t always work.
So I put on my AirPods 4 with noice cancelling*, and boom. Quiet.
These are my portable focus bubble. It’s just nice. And it helps a lot with the next thing I am going to talk about.
The Secret Weapon
This is where things get fun.
I write my newsletters and blog post while walking now.
Slowly, like 2–3 km/h. Just enough movement to keep my brain awake and my legs engaged. I am burning calories (quite a lot) without really noticing.
This is the power of my new walking pad*, a small slow treadmill that fits right under my standing desk, and folds up to the wall if I don’t need it.
This inexpensive device (mine was around €80) is the best purchase I’ve made in a long time. If you want to know more, I wrote an entire article about it.
Why It Works
This setup isn’t cheap. But it’s lean. Everything has a purpose.
No cable mess, no decorative nonsense. Just gear that helps me stay focused, comfortable, and moving while I work.
I’m not saying you need the same setup. But if you spend most of your day at a desk, these are worth it.
*this is an affiliate or SparkLoop* partner link. I’ll get a commission if you decide to sign up.