Desk setup and small office essentials: layout, storage, lighting and cables

Quick answer: set the chair and screen first, then organize around what you reach for most. Put the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level and roughly an arm's length away, keep the keyboard close enough that your elbows stay near your sides, and give paper a single home. Add a task light, gather the cables under the desk and keep a short list of office basics in one drawer.

A desk rarely becomes difficult to use all at once. It collects a charger here and a stack of mail there until there is no room left to write. A setup that works is less about buying a lot of accessories and more about deciding where things live, so that clearing the surface at the end of the day takes a minute rather than an afternoon.

Start with the chair and the screen

Everything else on the desk follows from how you sit. OSHA's guidance on computer workstations offers a useful baseline: feet flat on the floor or a footrest, thighs roughly level, and the top of the monitor at or slightly below eye level, about 20 to 40 inches away, which is roughly an arm's length. If your chair has to go up to meet the desk and your feet no longer rest on the floor, a footrest closes the gap. The BlissTrends under-desk foot rest has two heights and a washable cover. Chairs, seat cushions and carts are in office chairs, cushions and carts.

A laptop on its own puts the screen low. A tall stand lifts the screen to eye level, but then you need a separate keyboard and mouse. The LOXP aluminum laptop stand is a lower option for times you type on the laptop itself, with a 2.6-inch rise and a built-in wrist rest for 9.3- to 17.3-inch laptops. If you use two screens all day, place the main one directly in front of you and the second to one side at the same height.

Zone the surface

A simple way to plan a desk is to split it into three areas. The area directly in front of you holds what you touch constantly: keyboard, mouse and a notepad. The area within easy reach holds what you use several times a day, such as a phone stand, pens and a water bottle. Everything else belongs at the edge of the desk, on a shelf or in a drawer.

A desk mat marks out the first zone, gives a mouse a consistent surface and protects the desk from scratches and rings. Sizes around 31 by 12 inches fit a full keyboard and mouse side by side; the Brecoy desk mat is 31.5 by 11.8 inches with a non-slip base.

Give paper one home

Loose paper is what makes most desks feel crowded. Use one tray for incoming items and one for anything waiting on someone else, and file or recycle the rest once a week. A stacked unit keeps the footprint small; the Sinboun 5-tier letter tray holds paper and folders on pull-out trays, and spare tiers can take supplies. Inside the drawer, an expandable divider stops pens, clips and cables from sliding into a single heap, and the Marbrasse mesh drawer organizer has 10 compartments. Browse the full range of desk organizers and accessories.

Light the work, not your eyes

Overhead light alone often leaves shadows across the desk. Add a task lamp on the side opposite your writing hand so your hand does not shade the page, and angle it so that it does not reflect off the screen. Dimmable lamps with adjustable color temperature let you shift from bright, neutral light during the day to warmer light in the evening. A clamp model frees up the desk surface. Compare models in desk lamps. Try to place the screen at a right angle to a window rather than directly facing it or backing onto it, which reduces glare.

Bring the cables under control

Cables are the part of a desk people notice last and resent most. Mount a tray under the rear edge of the desk, run a power strip inside it and let only one cable per device come up through the gap. The Scandinavian Hub under-desk trays come as a 17-inch two-pack with adhesive mounting, so there is no drilling; check that your strip fits the tray length. Keep at least one outlet and a USB-C charger reachable from your seat for phones and headphones. Power strips, surge protectors and cord covers are in power strips and cord covers.

A short list of office basics

A small office does not need a supply closet. A handful of items cover most days:

• A sturdy stapler and a box of staples. The Swingline 747 is an all-metal desktop model rated for 30 sheets.
• Two or three favorite pens, a highlighter and a marker for labels.
• Sticky notes and a notepad for quick lists.
• Scissors, tape and paper clips in one drawer section.
• A wall calendar or planner, if you prefer to see the month at a glance.

Keep planning visible with a small board near the desk; tasks written where you can see them are harder to forget. Sizes and magnetic options are in whiteboards and bulletin boards.

A five-minute reset

A desk stays usable when you reset it before you leave. Put pens back, file the day's paper in its tray, wipe the mat and plug in anything that needs charging. Done daily, this takes less time than clearing a week's buildup on a Friday afternoon, and the desk is ready to use the next morning.

Before you buy: a short checklist

• Measure the desk surface and the space under it before ordering anything.
• Check your seated eye level against the screen height.
• Decide which items you use daily and which can live in a drawer.
• Choose one home for incoming paper.
• Plan where the power strip will sit before you mount a cable tray.
• Add a task lamp if your overhead light casts shadows on the work.

Common questions

How high should my monitor be?

OSHA workstation guidance suggests placing the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level and about 20 to 40 inches away. If you wear bifocals, you may prefer to place the screen a little lower.

Do I need a laptop stand?

If you use a laptop for long stretches, a tall stand brings the screen closer to eye level. You will also need a separate keyboard and mouse, since the built-in keyboard ends up too high once the laptop is raised. A low riser keeps the keyboard usable but lifts the screen only slightly.

How do I stop paper from piling up on my desk?

Give it one home. Use one tray for new items and one for things you are waiting on, then file or recycle the rest once a week. Limiting the number of trays keeps the habit simple.

What size desk mat should I get?

Measure the width of your keyboard and mouse together, then add a few inches. A mat of about 31 by 12 inches suits a full keyboard and mouse on most desks.

Keep browsing

Supplies for your desk sit within our Office & School Supplies department. If your phone and tablet share the desk, read our guide to chargers and USB-C power, and see every other department on shop by department.

Other Center ships every order to U.S. addresses with free standard shipping. Orders leave us within 1–3 business days and usually reach you 3–7 business days after that, a little longer for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Unused items in their original condition can be sent back free for 30 days from delivery using a prepaid label. See shipping and returns for the details.