Office workers (or anyone who works at a desk) are always looking for ways to increase their productivity, whether it is through personal development classes or books, computer hardware or software that helps them get the job done quicker or some kind of tool that will aid them. The one thing that often gets overlooked is the desk itself and having the right desk will certainly help you work smarter.
It is my opinion that an L shaped desk is the best for getting work done. A regular rectangular desk has a few limitations that hinder your work throughout the day. The biggest problem with this type of desk is that everything needs to be right in front of you and your keyboard and mouse are often competing for desk space with files, folders and papers.
With an L shaped desk you have two planes that are equally accessible. This allows you to have your keyboard and mouse directly in front of you while still having quick and easy access to your paperwork by turning your body or chair just a bit. Having two surface areas allows you to spread out more and that alone makes you more efficient.
The extra space on this type of desk also allows you to have a printer or scanner within your reach, instead of having these peripherals on another piece of furniture such as a nearby filing cabinet or table. Even a cheap l shaped desk provides enough room for these types of items to be kept closer to your “home base”. The less you have to get up out of your chair to leave your desk the better.
Let’s examine the anatomy of the L shaped desk. It is simply a normal, rectangular shaped desk combined with a second piece called the return. You can have either a left return or a right return, depending on which side you want it on. Less expensive desks tend to be made of two separate pieces that are joined together underneath by screws. This leave a visible seam on the desktop which some people will not like. Sometimes there is a third triangular piece that fills in the gap between the other two. This provides more desktop area and gives a nicer look when the desk is against a corner so that there is not a big hole in the corner. Higher quality, more expensive desks will have one solid desktop in the shape of an L. This provides a nice smooth surface area on which to work and you don’t have to worry about having perfect alignment between the two pieces.
There are many styles to choose from and you can get a contemporary l shaped desk or an antique looking model from most any office supply store. Personally, I tend to like lighter colors so a black l shaped desk would not appeal to me as much as one with a pine or oak finish. But the black l shaped computer desk remains one of the most popular styles and a quick internet search will reveal more models than you can possibly imagine.
I hope you can see from this discussion why an L shaped desk will help you be more productive. It’s as simple as having more surface area to work on and the ability to reach more of what you need without getting out of your chair. I prefer these desks to any other and can’t imagine working without one.
