My desk setup (and my best recommendations)

If you work from home (like me), you probably have your own personal desk setup. I want to share what mine looks like, but more importantly, why it looks the way it does and how you can create your own ideal desk setup. 

Over the years, my desk setup has evolved significantly.
I've lived in 5 different places over the last 9 years, from renting a room to an apartment to a house, and now owning a house.

As I have been moving places, I've adapted my desk setup to whatever space I had, but also upgraded my gear and changed my personal taste along the way.

It’s hard to summarize everything I’ve learned without writing a whole book, because there are so many details and aspects to think of when creating your own optimized setup. No setup is more right than the other, but two things that have always been a priority for me is to make it comfortable and practical.

As a content creator, it's important for me to have a dedicated spot for creating that doesn't involve a lot of friction (or feel like a corporate environment with desk dividers, binders, and fluorescent lights).

Content creation is the core of my business so having a setup that supports this and encourage creativity is not only convenient but also crucial. The process from idea to a finished video should be smooth, efficient, and enjoyable.

Before diving into my gear and the technical details, I want to emphasize the importance of balance in a setup. Having flashy, expensive equipment won't necessarily make you thrive as a creator. It might impress your friends and boost your ego, but what truly matters is having a space that suits your needs and reflects your personality and the way you work best.

(A complicated and too technical space can also slow you down by adding more friction to your already time-consuming tasks.) 

Adapting your desk setup to your personality could mean adding plants, posters, books, vibrant colors, multiple monitors, natural wood tones or maybe an instrument. Adjustments that make you feel "at home".

Maybe high-end gear is what you need for your work, or perhaps you just need a comfortable chair and a laptop. Your space is YOUR space.
Make yourself feel at peace when you are there.
It should give you energy and inspiration. Not take energy away from you.

Where to start?

If all you need is a laptop and phone, you don't necessarily need a dedicated desk setup. In that case, a phone tripod with a ring light and a laptop stand (to save yourself from neck pain) might be enough.

But if that sounds a bit too minimalistic for you, here's where I would begin:

1. Take measurements
Start by grabbing a pen, a measuring tape, and paper to take measurements and sketch ideas as you go through these steps. While it might seem boring to measure everything, it's essential if you want to build a functional and lasting setup. (It doesn't have to be expensive either just because you are precise and have high ambitions. We just need to set the right foundation first.)

2. Make a list
Write down all the items you want and need.
You don't have to be specific (like writing down the exact camera model you want), you just need to write down "camera" or "screen" or "plant".
Then, think about what depth, width and height you need on your desk to fit everything. (Remember that some items can be on shelves above or around the desk as well.)

3. Plan storage
Think about how much storage you need and how you want it to look. Do you want drawers, boxes on a shelf, open shelves without boxes, hooks or maybe a separate "storage room"?

4. Prioritize practicality
Once you know your "wants" and "needs", you can start looking at items that fit this criteria. This helps you create a practical space that you can make cozy, which is way easier than creating a cozy space first and then trying to make it practical.  

With all the main items in place (because this might take a while to find, gather, and afford), I would focus on lights, ergonomics, and cable management.

📐 How do you match the height of your chair, desk, and screen?
(You should be able to sit straight, look straight, and drop your shoulders when you work.)

💡 What lights do you need?
(One/two for filming, one for writing, one for working.)

🔌 Do you have enough outlets for the gear you need?
(I would highly recommend an extension cord with a switch, so that you can easily turn them all off at night, for safety.)

⛓️ How can you hide the cables so it doesn't look so messy?
(You can use different methods/tools depending on how often you need to adjust the cables.)

🪫 Where is you charging station?
(...and do you have enough outlets and power for that?)

🎨 What personal touch can you add?
(Could be a plant, a certain mug, a poster, a frame, a toy, a tennis ball... Whatever sparks joy for you.)

These are the things I would start with.
From here, you can always upgrade your screen, buy a new microphone, repaint the wall or add an extra light, but stressing through this phase can lead to frustration and unnecessary expenses later.
(Speaking from experience.) 😊

My own setup has really changed over the years.

It started with borrowed furniture (when I was renting a room) and has evolved into what I have today: a big wide desk (including a custom made kitchen tabletop from IKEA), a professional camera, a proper light, a microphone, and an expensive external screen.

Having a custom made desk may or may not feel "overkill" for you, but I'm at a point in my life now where I know exactly what I want and I want to create something permanent.
Instead of frequently upgrading my gear, I now save for items I genuinely want and that will make my work more professional and convenient.

This is the "base setup" I have right now:

Laptop & external screen
My laptop is to the left (on a laptop stand), and my external screen is directly in front. I use an external keyboard and touchpad for a seamless workflow (so that I can use the same hand movements when I work stationary at my desk as I do remote with my laptop). This setup helps me to quickly unplug the laptop (from my USB hub) and work anywhere with zero hassle.

Mounted gear (camera, light, microphone)
Behind my laptop, I've mounted a Lumix GH5 camera (connected with HDMI to my USB hub), a condenser microphone (on an adjustable arm), and an Elgato Key Light.

Elgato Stream Desk 
This device sits in front of me and saves time by streamlining repetitive tasks. It allows me to assign certain actions to buttons on the Stream Deck, reducing a lot of time in my processes. These actions could be keyboard shortcuts, links to open certain websites/programs/documents, timers or volume control for Spotify (and much more).

(For example, one button powers on my Key Light and another button sets it to a specific color temperature.)

I've started a video serie about my current desk setup. Part 1 will be posted on my Instagram account later this week. Follow me here: Instagram.com/davidlindgren89

This setup helps me to quickly create content or take video calls with great audio and light at all times. The light is plugged into the wall and the camera as well (with a dummy battery) so I never have to think about charging any batteries.

And since you can create folders on the Stream Deck as well and place folders within folders, you are unlimited in how many commands you can create on your Stream Deck. 

(Fun fact: My desk cabinets are actually placed on top of 8 hockey pucks, one in each corner, to increase the height by a couple of centimeters. A little "lifehack" that you can use if you need.)

If you're interested in the gear or software I use, the gear I want to buy, or what non-fiction books I've read (and recommend), it is all gathered on my website at https://david-lindgren.com/gear and that page will continue to develop and expand as I upgrade my content creation setup.

What was your key takeaway from this blog post?
Did you learn something new that you might apply to your own setup? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts! 
Connect with me on Instagram or YouTube by searching for: davidlindgren89

PS. If you want to see other creators desk setup, I recommend checking out this studio tour series on the YouTube channel "Orbit for Creators". 

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