5 Ways to Improve Your Office Desk

You may think your office is an efficient place, but what about your office desk? While environment is important, in the workplace, a desk is typically where all the action is. It's important to make sure yours is as efficient as possible. Ergonomic devices, lamps, and even something as simple as an office plant can drastically improve your productivity, mood, health, and comfort at work. Here's a list of the top five things you can improve your desk space with  to live a better work life!

Office Plant

Simple, affordable, and easy to manage if you get the right kids, desk plants can work wonders for your  whole office. They make excellent little companions that liven up any dull office cubicle without noise, or obtrusive motion. Plants like golden pothos, lemon balms, spider plants, and gardenias all emit wonderful scents to brighten the mood, but they can also improve your brain power too. All four of them range from super easy to moderate in their care needs, and each one is highly adept at removing toxins from the air that can worsen mood and cloud brain function. NASA and universities like Rutgers, Penn State, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa have all conducted studies that showed the strong power these plants have developed at removing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from indoor air. The oxygen the plants put off in place of the VOCs is excellent for health and breathing, which is why so many people with respiratory issue adore these little beauties. However, if you're prone to allergies, your workplace doesn't allow plants, or you don't want the responsibility of watering every once in a while, healthy air purifiers for office use make great replacements.

Monitor Arm

If you've ever experienced neck pain at the office, it could be because your computer screen isn't where it should be. Neck aches can be caused by a number of things, but chief among them are ill-placed computer monitors. When a person keeps their head in an unnatural position for a long enough time looking at their computer equipment, the muscles can shift slightly, causing pain. The muscles that get used become stronger while the ones that aren't used become weaker. If the head isn't in the ideal, upright, face-forward position, the weight distribution on the neck becomes lopsided. With time, this can result in upper back pain, sciatica, and even spinal curvature. The good news is that all this can be solved simply by adding an adjustable monitor arm for computer use to your desk space. These handy devices can mount either to a wall or desk to hold up a computer screen. Users can adjust them any way they like, but ideally, they should be aimed at eye level, about a foot and a half or so from a user who is sitting upright and looking straight ahead. They're great because they are highly ergonomic, and they also save desk space! If your office desk doesn't have one, you're really missing out.

Ergonomic Keyboard Tray

Choosing popular keyboard trays with ergonomic features like adjustability is a great decision many office workers have been making recently. These nifty little devices are great for many of the same reasons monitor arms are, namely, health and convenience. Like monitor arms, ergonomic keyboards save desktop space by mounting underneath the desk. The typically glide on retractable arms, and can often tilt for easier access. The best keyboard platforms have a mouse pad space built in or attached to the right of the keyboard. This allows users to switch between the keyboard and mouse efficiently, without having to reach on top of the desk to click and then under to type. Keyboard trays are excellent with arthritis and joint problems in their wrists as the ideal placement (parallel with the arms, wrists, and hands) allows increased blood flow to reduce swelling. If your desk is crowded by books, phones, and sticky notes, an ergonomic keyboard tray may just be your new best friend.

LED Desk Lamp

Anyone who's experienced "computer eye strain" at work (which is just about everyone) would likely agree that they work better without feeling that their eyes are about to shrivel up an fall out. Almost everyone recognizes the pain as being caused by their computer, but that's only part of the problem. The other part is bright overhead lights. For those that work on computers all day, ambient light actually does more harm than good since human eyes are only meant to take in so much light at once. That's why we recommend turning those big lights off, and replacing them with something a bit smaller. Going with smaller LED lamps for office desks can help keep eyes healthy by emitting less light, but still enough light to write and work by. Not only does keeping the bright artificial lights off save power, but when employees work with the right amount of light, both mood and productivity improve. The best part about having a lamp at your desk is that you can have your own control over it, turning it off when it isn't needed to save your eyes stress!

Desk Storage

If you feel like a messy person because you sit at a cluttered office desk, don't worry. We've all been there. One of the best features of working at a quality desk is the sturdy shelf-like top. The only problem is that desktops practically invite things to be set upon them, and if you're not a neat-freak, overtime you will run out of space to put things. That's why adding office storage is one of the best things you can do to improve your office desk. Metal file cabinets are great for those in health facilities that may still rely heavily on traditional filing systems, but modern large cabinets for office storage have excellent versatility. Bookcases are ideal for readers of all kinds, and small pedestals for office desk use definitely make handy tools for those who don't have them built into their desk. Mobile file carts and shelving save tons of space all over the office as well. Overall, storage devices are perfect additions to any desk. They clean up the space and keep everything right at hands' reach!