Wheels provide multiple perspectives

My study, like most studies, has four walls and for the last 5 years, I have been facing the same wall. Why? Because that is where my standing desk is located. This is ironic considering over the years, I have slowly decorated my study with family pictures, a corkboard made from over 200 wine corks (this is a masterpiece) etc. More importantly, the north-facing side has a big beautiful window which I regularly look out for beautiful birds on my roof etc.

Naturally, due to the pandemic, my time spent inside the study has increased, and I was getting bored looking at the same wall every day. At first, I was tempted to make that a feature wall. I could paint it myself. A realisation quickly set in that I am no painter and more importantly, the patience a painter is required does not exist in me.

Randomly, an idea popped in my head to add wheels to my standing desk. Thereby allowing me to quickly reposition it in a manner that feels right at the time. This idea wasn’t too far-fetched and since my desk only has one cable it was relatively a simple idea to implement.

I purchased heavy-duty castors ($50) and within 30 minutes, I had a mobile standing desk. I also purchased a 3mitre retractable power cable, which makes moving around the study a breeze and keeps the cable tidy.

However, what happened since the hours and days after has truly amazed me. I figured, even with wheels, I would occasionally move my desk. It’s been quite the opposite. I move my desk many times (2-3) throughout the day. For video calls, I face the big window, allowing natural light on my face. In the afternoon, when I tend to run out of energy, I move the desk in a position where the natural sunlight is hitting the room but not my monitor. I feel the warmth of the sun behind me and have a glare-free monitor.

Without going into details, so far, I have found 5 different positions of my standing desk and each position provides a different perspective which has done wonders to my focus. Coupled with the perspective of standing and sitting, my study feels refreshed merely because my perspective has changed and it keeps changing multiple times day.

Another plus point is these multiple movements also ensure I am not stationary throughout the day.

My study has a thick carpet, and I was worried that adding wheels make result in a wobbly standing desk. However, this has not been an issue. Standing desk innately will have a slight wobble to them when in standing position but adding wheels, has not worsened it. Perhaps, a tiny tiny bit worse on the highest position. Certainly, not enough to bother me. Your mileage may vary.

Bottom line, taking the time to enhance your working environment can reap considerable benefits. Obviously, I cannot make any of these changes to my office (hybrid working environment where I work from home and from the office) but at home, I sure can. Another perk of working from home.

What has improved your work environment?