I’ve been slowly improving my desk setup for more than four years now: new desks, new chairs, new lights, new accessories. When I look back at old photos, I can clearly see every mistake I was making at the beginning. Here are the five I see most often (I made every one of them) and how I’d fix each.

Mistake 1: Treating the chair (and the desk) as an afterthought

This one affects your health, so it comes first. We spend more hours in our chairs than almost anywhere else, yet the chair is usually the last thing people spend money on.

What a good ergonomic chair actually needs:

• Adjustable armrests, in more than one direction

• Seat depth adjustment

• Lumbar support you can position to your spine

• Recline and an adjustable headrest

• Build quality that lasts years, not months

I’d skip gaming chairs altogether. Honestly, I don’t like how they look, and they tend to put looks ahead of ergonomics and long-term comfort during long work sessions. My own chair is a Steelcase Gesture.

The desk deserves the same attention. For years I worked on an IKEA Karlby countertop, one of the most common desk setups you’ll see online. It’s beautiful, but for me it was simply too shallow. I was constantly short on space and sitting too close to the monitor. It was fine when I was starting out, but not for professional work. A desk of around 80 × 160 cm should honestly be the standard. I broke down why in How Big Should Your Desk Be?.

And if the budget allows, get a standing desk. Not because you’ll stand all day (I almost never do), but because adjustable height removes friction. I can sit cross-legged and just lower the desk instead of readjusting my chair. Cable management and vacuuming underneath are suddenly easy, because I just raise the desk and get the space I need.

Mistake 2: Filling the desk with things that don’t do anything

I used to do this all the time. Every new gadget, every accessory a brand sent me, even plants: everything ended up on the desk. Eventually it was covered in objects that looked nice but didn’t help me work.

The rule I follow now: think of your desk like a cockpit. You’re the pilot, and everything important should be within arm’s reach. Everything else shouldn’t be there at all.

In practice, that means every item has a job:

• A docking station with an SD card slot right in front of me, so getting footage off the camera takes seconds

• A wireless charger for the phone, watch and earbuds

• A small tray for the remotes that control my speakers and fan

Your desktop is the most valuable real estate in the whole room, so don’t waste it. This is also where a desk shelf earns its place: it lifts the monitor, hides the dock and cables underneath and gives small things a home. I compared the two shelves I’ve lived with in Grovemade vs BALOLO.

→ Browse the accessories I actually use in Desk Accessories.

Mistake 3: Relying on one light source

Lighting is the mistake that makes the biggest visual difference. The classic version is one ceiling light flooding the whole room with flat, directionless light. It kills every shadow and every bit of depth.

I think about lighting in three layers:

• Ambient: the ceiling light. It’s useful when you’re cleaning or looking for something, but it’s the flattest light in the room. If you’re replacing it anyway, get a dimmable one. Mine has a built-in fan, and in summer it’s been a lifesaver.

• Task: light for working. A monitor light like the BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 lights the desk without glare on the screen. It’s what makes late-night editing sessions bearable for my eyes.

• Accent: this is what gives the space character. A few lamps and strips spread around the room, at different heights, rather than one bright source.

Two more things made a surprisingly big difference. First, I stuck to one smart lighting ecosystem (Philips Hue), so everything stays in sync. I even put a Hue chip inside my IKEA donut lamp. Second, I covered the window with translucent frosted vinyl. It softens harsh daylight, cuts reflections on the monitor and turns the whole window into one giant softbox.

The full breakdown is in Desk Setup Lighting.

Mistake 4: Copying someone else’s setup

When we’re starting out, most of us copy exactly what everyone else is doing. I did. But what makes a setup stand out is the person sitting at it.

Think of the wall behind your desk as the backdrop of your workspace. It ties the whole room together. The rule I follow is to avoid generic decor that only exists because it looks good on social media. Display things that actually mean something to you instead:

• If you play guitar, hang it on the wall.

• If you’re into graphic design, frame the posters and prints that inspire you.

• If you love reading, show the books that shaped you.

• If you enjoy caring for plants, bring in real ones.

In my 2026 makeover, filling the wall with retro Japanese posters, plants and a few personal memories was my favourite part, and it’s the first time the space felt completely like me. In The Desk Setup Guide, I break down the formula I use to design that wall so it looks intentional every time.

Mistake 5: Letting the desk stay cluttered

We already live surrounded by distractions, and your workspace shouldn’t add to them. Keeping a desk clean starts with one habit: reset it every day. I don’t just mean dust. I mean keeping it visually clean.

• No cables across the desk. Route them into a cable tray or a box under the desk. See Cable Management for what I use.

• Move the phone away from you. It’s the biggest distraction most of us have. In my current setup, the wireless charger sits on the desk cart next to the desk, not in front of me. My devices stay charged and the phone stays out of reach.

• Don’t eat at your desk. Eat at the table, then come back to work.

• Make cleaning frictionless. I keep a microfiber cloth in a drawer within reach, vacuum the rug, open the windows for fresh air and run a diffuser so the room smells as good as it looks.

None of these habits takes much effort on its own. Together, they compound into a space that’s easier to maintain and easier to focus in.

Ergonomics, function, light, personality, cleanliness

Those five things turned my workspace from a generic desk setup into a place I actually enjoy sitting down at every morning. None of them requires a big budget. They require you to stop buying first and start thinking first.

If you want the full method I use, from building a mood board and planning the room to choosing the desk, chair and monitor and building a product list that fits your budget, it’s all in The Desk Setup Guide.

And if you want to see how all of this comes together in one space, here’s my current setup, with every product linked.

Watch the video: Top 5 Desk Setup Mistakes (& How to Fix Them)

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