This has been one of the most creative setups we’ve seen. Making your real wallpaper as your computer wallpaper too? With this ingenious desktop setup, the monitor looks like it’s a part of the wall. We had to do a double-take to figure what’s going on in this picture. You’ll need to have the monitor wall mounted to pull this off as successfully as this poster.
Small spaces do not necessarily mean a cramped and unproductive environment. Tiny spaces are actually pretty cozy and help to block off distractions to achieve Flow. This clean white minimal setup proves the point.
Perfect aesthetically pleasing yet functional and practical. The usage of a wireless mouse, keyboard, and headphones helps reduce the clutter. The color palette flows well even down to the peripherals. Having an accent wall gives a nice splash of color without the need to decorate with photos, again minimizing distractions.
We love clean Desktop setups and this is one of the best ones we’ve seen for maximum productivity. Inviting earthy tones and pine tree wallpaper with this setup brings a sense of forest bathing and calm. Add a hint of Star Wars with the posters and you have yourself a setup that can’t beat that!
Ambient light sets the mood! With Phillips. Hue LED Light strips you can dial it up or down. Blue light has been researched to promote wakefulness while yellows and reds are good towards the evening. The BenQ Led Lightbar also has an adjustable temperature. As pictured this is the perfect wind-down lighting to set the calm mood for a long day working from home.
Desktop Setups can be conducive to achieving the Flow State while working from home. Flow is a mental state where you are so engulfed in an activity; you lose the sense of time and self. It’s what athletes sometimes define as being “in the zone.” We’ve all encountered it at some point in our life where we go on and on working on something, and your mind automatically blocks off all distractions. Nothing else seems to matter other than the task you’re focused on.
“Flow” has been researched extensively by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi . We won’t go into what Flow is in this article but will go over how optimal desktop setups can help you achieve Flow while working from home (WFH).
Why Is Flow Important while Working From Home (WFH)
Studies have shown while executives are in Flow, they are five times more efficient and productive. Wouldn’t you like to finish your work in 25%th the time? Being in Flow helps you tune out distractions as well.
While Mihály has outlined conditions to trigger Flow, including setting goals and challenges, we’ll focus on setting up a work environment that eliminates distractions. These external factors can contribute to and trigger Flow.
Flow While Work From Home
One of the things that ruin your Focus, as HBR identified, is a cluttered and messy desk. Setting up a dedicated office and having a clutter-free desk is imperative to Focus. An excellent guideline to de-clutter would be Marie Kondo’s Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Flow is key to enhancing concentration, creativity, and success while working from home. Whether you are coding, a writer, designer, or performing any job really, Flow can help you achieve it more efficiently and creatively.
Limit Distractions & Complete Concentration
Distractions are the greatest barrier to obtaining Focus and flow at work. A comfortable work environment will limit external distractions. We don’t want to limit distractions, but we want to set up an environment that gives you joy. The perfect Desk Setup will make you want to do work. Sounds ridiculous, right? A Cluttered desktop can cause distraction. There are quite a few researched triggers that induce Flow and are collectively known as “Flow Trigger”.
According to a UC Irvine study, it takes 25 min to regain Focus on your original task once you’ve been distracted. Science. Compound that with regular distractions, and you’re going to have an unproductive day.
Our Work from Home Desk setup goal is to replicate your work environment as close as possible at home. All this while eliminating any distractions that lead us away from work.
Desk Setup For Flow:
Great lighting
A desktop setup with great lighting helps prevent “Computer Vision Syndrome” that leads to Headaches and eyestrain. All factors impact your ability to concentrate and achieve Flow.
Set up close to Natural Light if possible
Minimize light reflections and glare from overhead or behind the monitor
Good Cable Management. Cables are like hairs; once tangled it’s hard to untangle. With all our connected devices, cables can become unsightly. Hide your cables and it can provide a soothing and clean environment.
Proper Ergonomics for less strain
Standing Desk to provide the right and adjustable height
Properly adjusted monitor and keyboard
Have the right tools for the job
Not having the proper tools and setup for work from home can cause frustrations and distractions. Many companies provide stipends for desk setups while working from home. Get the proper tools you need to reduce distractions and maximize Flow and overall success while working from home.
Comfortable and ergonomic keyboard
Proper mouse and mousepad (prevent carpal tunnel)
WiFi speeds to support Zoom and video calls – Place router in close proximity to your computer.
Limit Interruptions and automate everything
Automate everything you can to limit interruptions. Set up a docking station to make starting up work easy. Fewer hassles mean fewer barriers to getting going.
Noise-canceling headphones Helps remove distracting noise. Playing white noise can also help to filter out signals that might distract you.
Smart home assistants – Adjust lights and environment with minimal input from you.
Plants and greenery for Flow
Plants have been researched to improve your concentration and focus. What better way to enhance your desk aesthetics while improving work from home flow and concentration?
Music to maintain Focus
Music has also been researched and shown to have positive effects on study and concentration. The right kind of music can help us concentrate. Music helps to block out noise and distraction. Lo-Fi music has been all the rage for study and concentration. Music without lyrics help to keep distraction to a minimum.
Additional tips to Optimize Flow in your Work From Home Desk Setup
Distraction Journal – A popular productivity method that helps identify and track what causes distractions. This self-reflection exercise to jot down different distractions during your workday will help determine what causes those distractions. Once you have identified different distractions, you can modify your desk setup to eliminate the distraction.
Creating the perfect desk set up for Flow at home is an iterative and constantly changing process. What might work this month would not work the next. Some research has also shown that switching up your environment helps with motivation and learning. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4138787/
This predominately white IKEA setup is nice simple and organized. The white Ikea tabletop, baskets and pegboard blends in with the white walls to provide a sense of spaciousness. A lack of clutter helps to amplify the spaciousness.
The IKEA pegboard and pull out baskets helps sort and keep all the accessories in place. While everything blends together to provide a spacious feel, the LED lights and a poster help add some color and decoration.
Using a 48 inch OLED TV as a monitor? We’ve seen these setups quite a few times already. At first, we thought it was ridiculous, using an entire TV as a monitor! It turns out the LG OLED TVs have all the specs that you would want from a monitor, but bigger. The only issue may be the depth of your table and setup. This user has tastefully designed this desktop set up to make it work. Would you consider it?
OLED TVs are becoming more and more popular as monitors. They are not only great for watching TV shows, but also for gaming and office work.
The major benefit of an OLED TV is that it has a much higher contrast ratio than any other type of TV. This means that the black is really black, and the light colors are really light. OLED TVs have a lot less glare than other types of TVs, so they’re easier to watch in bright rooms or outdoors.
We are amazed by this customized desk and setup and professional woodwork. If you have an oddly shaped space or nook, a customized desk may be the way to go. This particular setup gives a floating table look with plenty of space to separate work and play. Soundproofing foam helps mute the echoes and extra noise during those zoom conference calls while working from home. Overall this is quite the cozy work from home office setup.
This setup has it all an LG OLED tv (CX48), RGB lights, and a star projector. The TV setup is great for productivity and gaming. However, the desk pad and mouse pad take up quite a bit of space if you’re trying to optimize for productivity and work.
Since OLED TVs are made of organic light-emitting diodes, they produce deep black levels and vibrant colors. This means that they are perfect for gaming or watching movies, but they also make great monitors because of their high contrast ratios.
This simple desktop setup is perfect for minimal distractions while working from home, featuring a NZXT Case and IKEA LINNMON Table Top. A coiled USB cable for the keyboard helps minimize clutter.
