I renovated my gaming desk to improve my mental health – and it really helped
Whether it’s the way I’m wired or a lazy trait I’ve yet to conquer, I’m messy at the best of times — as my mother would surely agree after years of dealing with the hole that was my teenage bedroom.
But, across the many lockdowns, many house moves, and mental health games I’ve been through since 2019, I’ve fallen into particularly bad habits with my office in particular.
I got a Nitro Concepts D16M gaming desk during the pandemic so I could comfortably work from home and finally join the PC gaming race after years of living in a console-only abyss, and while it’s not one of The best gaming desksIt was one of the best choices I made.
It’s where I play, where I do my art and where I work – and until recently, it was also the bane of my existence. Up until last week, I could barely move my mouse amidst the utter chaos of my workspace, so I decided to see in the new year with a major office overhaul, maximizing surface area and ensuring everything had a home.
But something interesting happened to my mental health during the realignment process, and it made me think a little differently about how my brain works when I sit at my workplace.
Fresh clean
First, here’s how I handled the gigantic task in front of me. I may have caught my childhood obsession with Disney’s “Little Mermaid” too much, but either way, one thing was clear; The first move should be good old fashioned.
Between my dual-monitor setup and laptop stand, an old, wire-heavy sound system and all my peripherals, it was already a battle for real estate, but I knew I needed to start small—my desk looked like the tech hoard it was a field day at the local office supply store (which it did). Basically… within a few short years).
“I have a lot of tools and tools, I have a lot of people and what they have… Do you want cool stuff? I have 20”
Ariel, the little mermaid
That’s how it started. Do I really need four of the same type of micro-USB cable in 2023? No, maybe I wasn’t in any previous year. The same goes for other wires I’ve been holding hostage for years, random broken gadgets I swore to fix and ended up replacing, half-filled notebooks I rarely use and the assorted small portable speakers given out as freebies on seemingly insignificant occasions. A bee in a tin can.
After a few days of procrastinating and getting rid of the critical mass of junk I had acquired, I realized it was time for the big task – erasing the registry. during black friday, I’ve made a number of purchases to help me tidy up my desk Marie Kondo styleto make the most of the available space and make sure I always have access to the things I need – although in the end I need to buy quite a few pieces after the fact.
I set aside a day and, with my friend’s help, cleaned the floors and made my new set, including a keyboard tray, two monitor risers and an under-desk shelving unit.
Once these things were in place, I played around with the design of the desk, which had to be very dynamic and flexible to meet my various needs. I switch frequently between my work laptop and gaming computer, so the hardest task here was sorting out the keyboard and mouse, which needed to reach both my new USB extension hub and my USB dock to work from my keyboard tray without running over the cables hanging everywhere. To help, I used self-adhesive wire clips on the underside of my desk.
Finally, the daunting task of sorting out the rest of my wires, feeding them through the desk’s three cable holes, began. Once I had them all set, I started grouping them by destination and zipping them into my new arrangement of waterproof cable dusters. It’s still kind of a jungle out there, but at least now it’s easier to maneuver wires around when I need to clean up.
All that was left to do was re-basic to fit in and around the main components of my setup; Stationery, frequently used gadgets, and two corgi plushies to keep the grumpy away.
I can clearly see now the wires are gone
With a big sigh, I finally reclined in front of my glorious and improved desk space, and for the first time in months, I felt peace as I turned on my computer for work the next day.
Over the next few days, I noticed that the process wasn’t just improving my experience while in my office. You’ve probably heard the phrase “tidy house, tidy mind,” or its office derivative “a cluttered desk is a sign of a messy mind,” and in my case, there’s definitely truth to the old adage.
Cleaning out my desk has actually changed some of my habits already. For one thing, I’m now more aware of what’s stored on and around my desk, and I instinctively throw things away immediately instead of setting them aside to inevitably be stored away and stored somewhere.
More than that, even some of my practical life habits started to change. In general, my focus has improved significantly. I work at my desk all day, instead of moving to the couch to curl up on a ball and work there when I feel low and unproductive.
It even improved my sleeping habits. I go to bed early because I don’t see tidying up my desk as a task for procrastinating as the day ends. Previously, the mess was so bad that I’d commit to cleaning it up before I went to sleep, then stay up until I got muddled up in the never-ending cycle of messes.
I don’t snack a lot on my desk, and if I do, it’s much healthier – which I didn’t think much of until I saw this The Huffpost article suggests that more tidy desks can lead to healthier life choices.
One thing I also found interesting about this article is the suggestion that clutter facilitates more creative and out of the ordinary thinking, and I definitely notice that during creative tasks my desk gets (and stays) more messy. This is why the organizing part of this project is just as important as the arrangement for me, if not more; Now, at least, there’s room to put it all away and a more manageable baseline from which to build.
Can I guarantee that it will always be as clear as it is now? No, I am neurodiverse, prone to periods of depression and live where I work. However, I’ve definitely seen the benefits of a more organized desk yet, and I know it’s going to be much easier to keep it that way.