Desk Diaries 01: My New Desk Setup

A quiet record of desk days—what I’m writing, working on, and figuring out along the way. This is Desk Diaries.

So, I got a new desk.

My Ko-fi supporters got a sneak peek of it back in April, but I haven’t talked too much about my new desk setup elsewhere, have I? I was inspired to get a new, deeper desk after seeing about a hundred of them on Pinterest and Instagram. I spend hours a day at a desk for work and for play and really wanted to make it feel cozier and more spacious than my previous one (which I have now turned into an “admin” desk, not a “creative” desk).

So, after over a month of research, and then another month building it with help from my friend and brother, it all finally came together.

It took a while for me to warm to it because I had an emotional attachment to my old desk (It was a gift! My first new desk in my first apartment on my own! There was a pandemic!) and this new one felt like a stranger. In another post on Ko-fi back in March, I confessed that it takes me a while to warm to new things, and for them to feel like home. Now I can happily say I am loving my new creative space so much and it finally feels cozy and lived-in.

I think I’m enjoying it so much because I put a lot of thought and time into it before executing it. I made sure I brought back a memoboard for seasonal inspiration, as well as a pegboard I could rearrange as I see fit. Right now it is housing everything from markers to Nintendo Switch controllers, since I have a little station on the right for my console.

It was also very important to me that my new desk is as flexible as possible. It’s a standing desk, so I have the option of sitting or standing during long work hours. I even bought an HDMI switch so I could quickly and easily go from my personal computer to my work laptop to gaming in one click. Little things like that make all the difference. Then I added little decorations here and there that make me smile — like Pokémon plushes, Animal Crossing figures, and handwritten notes from friends and shops I support.

My goal — besides being more motivated to write and create at this desk — is also to bring you more content about my writing process, my bullet journal routine and supplies, and my special interests, like reading and gaming. We’ll see how that goes (my career has been taking up a lot of my time). It’s just nice to know that my desk is now a home to all of my favorite hobbies.

Some items in my setup:

Desk: Wayfair
Monitor stand: Etsy
Keyboard: NuPhy® with Rose Galcier switches
Commissioned Pokémon portrait: OnduRegion
Toaster light: Amazon
Ring light/filming lamp: Canvas
Animal Crossing dolls: Amazon
Desk lamp: Amazon
Letterboard: Amazon
Pegboard: Ikea
Memoboard: Ikea
Deskpad: Ikea

Have you made changes to your workspace or personal desk, or are you thinking about it? I’d love to know!