More than ever before, we have learned in the last year or two to value nice desk spaces and home offices.
Being confined to our homes in 2020 meant people were forced to work at home, and conduct their social lives from a desk as well. That, in turn, encouraged people to turn even limited spaces into excellent home bases for remote work.
While the focus has rightfully been on home working spaces, there are plenty of other home activities that are better with a great desk space as well.
1. Writing
The broad activity of “writing” can mean a lot of different things. Maybe you’re one to write up lists of things to do at the outset of each week. Maybe you write for pleasure. Perhaps you like to keep up with thank-you notes. Or maybe you’ve even gotten into the habit of writing “snail mail,” which became trendy enough during the pandemic to earn an NYTimes.com write-up! Whatever kind of writing you may be doing, and whether it’s by hand or on a computer, it’s just more pleasant to do at a clean and organized desk space. With minimal clutter and a space designed to be pleasant and accommodating, you’re likely to do your best work.
2. Filing & Sorting
We’ve all been there: tossing down a box of old files or a stack of unread mail on a crowded countertop, only to wind up making more of a mess than there was to begin with. It’s not great! But it is another occasional activity (okay fine, chore in this case) that’s best on a clean desk. With a full surface in front of you rather than existing clutter, you can sort through documents, organize and file things, and generally get organized. It will go more quickly and even feel more productive than it would elsewhere.
3. Online Gaming
Moving on to something a little more fun, a great desk space also makes for more enjoyable online gaming sessions! Like snail mail (oddly) this is a particularly relevant point in light of the pandemic, which by all accounts caused at-home gaming activity to surge. Per The Washington Post, virtually all of the “giants” of the video game industry saw significant increases in business even in the first few months of lockdowns and isolation. If you’ve were a part of that spike — or if you simply like the idea of indulging in some online gaming now and then — a nice, organized desk is one of the best places to do it. You’ll feel comfortable in the space, you’ll have room for a gaming keyboard and any other accessories you may want to invest in, and you’ll take pleasure in making good use of the space. All of that yields a better gaming session than just opening up a laptop on any old surface.
4. Online Poker
Similar to gaming more broadly, online poker also saw more activity during pandemic lockdowns. And while it might be easy to assume that much of that activity took place among avid, competitive players in the few states that allow for gambling on poker, that’s not necessarily the case. As Poker.org explains, the card game is one of the world’s most popular pastimes, and its popular for both fun games and money games. That means there are several apps and websites that facilitate friendly online poker games between friends, without any betting going on. That’s just to say that anyone can get in on the latest online poker trend, and doing so from a clean and organized desk space is best. It will help to clear your mind to focus on what is ultimately a fairly demanding mental game. It also gives you space for tools and accessories that might help your play — such as a notepad to keep track of your decisions and results, or a real stack of poker chips with which you can maintain a more tangible read on your in-game chips.
5. Social Video Calls
Finally, your social video calls will also be best at a clean desk in a tidy space. Yes, we’re all a little tired of the obligatory work Zoom calls and such, but remote socialization isn’t going away completely. And when you do have occasion to hop onto a video call — be it with friends, family, or coworkers — it’s nice to be able to do it without worrying about your space. For that matter, you may even take pride in your surroundings!
If you already have a nice space from which to work from home, you might be interested in others areas of the house you can improve, which we covered in our article ‘Home Improvements That Will Transform Your Home’.
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