Changing things up

For some reason, about every 6 months I feel the need to change the way my desk is set up. Generally, this means I either add back my external monitor, keyboard, and mouse or I put them into the closet for another six months and have a much emptier desk setup. This week felt like time to put them away again and move back to the simpler setup. Here’s what my desk looks like now (thanks to my wonderful wife for giving me the bamboo to bring a little life to the room).

Each time I change my desk set up I tend to think of it as a way to improve me my productivity. When I’m bringing the monitor back out I usually feel like a bit more space on the screen — room to view two documents side-by-side or more space to look at code and documentation and run-time results at the same time — would help me be more effective. When I’m putting the monitor away I tell myself I want to stop multi-tasking and being distracted, it’s easier to have the same visual setup whether I’m at my desk or in a meeting or on the road, or that it just takes up too much space on my desk.

But I’ve begun to think that maybe what I really feel is the desire to just make a change. Sometimes we all feel a little stuck in a rut and want to change things up. Perhaps changing my desk setup is just a way to kick myself out of a rut and just change my mode of thinking. Interestingly whether I’m adding or removing the monitor, I tend to think of it as a freeing-experience — either more screen space or more desk space.

I’m not sure if I will ever stop messing with my desk setup — I may just be someone who likes to have an occasional change in their environment. But I’m pretty sure the bamboo is staying either way!

Originally published at https://jeffkeltner.com on February 4, 2019.