When working from home, the usual choices are couch or bed. Let's look at how we can set up a designer's desk to improve your productivity.

The Designer’s Desk: How to set up one at home?

The Designer’s Desk: How to set up one at home?

With the COVID- 19 lockdown, the world has opened up doors for a lot of companies and organisations to work from home but for designers like me, this wouldn’t make much of a difference. At some point, we all freelance and a big chunk of this work happens at our home. When you work from home, it is natural to start off to work on your couch or worse, on your bed. Let’s look at how you can set up your own Designer’s Desk to improve your productivity by making use of your workspace at home.

SITTING MATTER

When you have a good mood to design, you are probably going to need a comfortable chair, so you don’t get backaches and pains later. Bean bags are a big NO! Find a comfortable chair with neck support so you don’t slouch.

GO CLUTTER-FREE

Apart from the essentials, including your laptop, monitors, keyboards and styluses, always keep your designer’s desk free of clutter. This would definitely help in keeping your mind open and sane. Wires coming out from all the gadgets can be a big mess, so have a cable box to pack them all in one place. If you’d like to have a buddy like a house plant or a favourite toy, they can add a bit of colour to your desk and honestly, it’s always nice to have some company!

ORGANIZE YOUR WORK

Before starting your day, pen down your task list on some sticky notes, a notebook or your personal laptop. This will include a list of things you need to get done along with the deadline. This is a way for you to keep a tab of things that need to be done priority wise. A lot of creative ideas keep coming to our mind and it’s nice to have a habit of writing it down. As days and months pass by, you can refer to these random spurs of ideas when you have all your thoughts penned down. If you like to have it jotted down digitally, there are a lot of apps, such as Trello, that help to manage your projects.

KEEP YOUR PHONE AWAY

It’s tempting to scroll through your social media profiles and like your favourite celebrity’s picture. It’s completely fine to have a look at a few memes and have a laugh when you think you’re having a design block or when you think you need a break. When you know you’re in a good mood and ideas are pouring in, it’s best to keep your mobile away, probably in another room (in case of lower self-control).

EAT ON TIME BUT AWAY FROM THE DESK

Keep food as far as you can from your workspace. It helps you eat better and also keeps your desk free from food crumbles. Try not to skip any meal because we definitely need the best and healthy version of ourselves now that we are facing a pandemic. Keep a bottle of water nearby so you remember to keep yourself hydrated.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE A BREAK

It’s important that we take regular breaks. Be it just getting up to a few stretches or having a good tea break with your family and spend quality time. It relaxes your body as well as freshens up our mind.

MANAGE YOUR WORK TIME

In the world of design, having a fixed schedule may be difficult for some since some like to work late nights when it’s silent while others like me are okay to work even under chaotic situations like your parents watching TV or your dog barking and having a conversation with her neighbourhood friend. Be it morning or late nights, it’s best that you have a fixed work time as much as you can. It helps us to be more productive every day than working for long hours and getting exhausted the next day.

ARE YOU MUSIC-FRIENDLY?

With no work friends around, surround yourself with a good podcast of your choice or pick your favourite music which would help you concentrate on your work. It helps immensely in coming up with better ideas and keeping us in a good mood.

SEEK INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE

As a designer, we are always looking out for inspirations. But who knew one of the best places to find this inspiration would be your home. Be it the tile design you find in your bathroom or the beautiful colour combinations on the packaging we buy. That’s one reason to keep your workplace always clean and clutter-free. Have a board beside to pin your ideas too! It might help you in the future.

These are some insights I have gained from the last few months of working from home. Let me know your insights/suggestions for organising your designer’s desk.

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