A Writing Desk Changed My Writing Experience For The Better

Writing requires a lot of sitting and many writers aspire to have a home office. It doesn’t have to be an entire room. A functional corner with a desk, ergonomic chair, stationery, and a reading lamp will do but sometimes money and space don’t allow it.

I started writing on Medium last year, managing websites in 2017 and blogging in 2016. Throughout this time, I never had a table. I worked from a communal study area in school, the school library, my parent’s dining table, and my bed.

Most times, my bed has been my working area, fully equipped with pillows, snacks, chocolates, and masala tea.

Have a Vision Board. Write Down What You Want To Achieve, and Get To Work

In one of his articles, John P. Weiss says,

Redesign your studio, redesign your life.

This sentence really created an urge in me to have my own working corner, if not a home office. At the time I was reading this, I was on my bed doing some research on how to start a blog while keeping up with favourite Medium writers. I wanted to have a writing corner of my own so bad and I decided to take action. Here’s what I did:

I put the image of the table I wanted on my vision board which I made on Canva.

I added the table to my secret board of writing desks which I have since made public. This is the table I chose and pinned on my vision board as well as my Pinterest secret boards:

I had the table made for $45 and on Pinterest, it goes for $189.99. I earned the $45 from Medium and decided to have a desk made. Thanks to everyone that reads and claps for my stories, I bought a desk. The design of the legs is different from mine for durability reasons. It’s a strong heavy table and is made of Cyprus wood. Before you freak out about the price, I live in Nairobi so that explains it.

Whatever you want to achieve, write it down, create a vision board and work hard to achieve it. It shows you what the ideal situation could be and inspires you to take daily action to achieve it.

Where



No

How a Working Studio/Home Office Will Change The Game For You

It’s easier to focus on the tasks at hand

When you work from your bed or couch, there are many temptations like Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook. Working from the bed feels a little less serious and your mind drifts from task to task without concentrating on any tab.

When I sit at this desk, I follow my to-do list to the latter. I don’t find it a comfortable watching environment.

It’s healthier and More Comfortable

For the longest time, I have had chronic back and shoulder pain brought about by commuting, sitting long hours writing, and bad sitting positions while working on my bed, regardless of the number of pillows I use.

A working table will save me from my chronic back pain. If you are a writer and have chronic back pain, put in place a great working environment like a desk, and long walks.

I also leave my laptop at work, carry it on weekends to write and keep up with my second job, Medium and watch my favourite Netflix shows. Leaving my laptop has done wonders for my back.

Break Tasks and Take Breaks

If you struggle with concentrating on tasks, a desk will change everything for you. Sometimes I sit at my desk and wonder, ‘What I’m I supposed to do?’ Other times I hit the ground running.

Writing on your desks allows you to take breaks and track progress as opposed to writing on your bed where breaks never end and a break can mean you’ve finished working for the day. I have been on an almost two-week break from writing on Medium and on my blog, and I chose to come back when my desk arrived.

Final Words

Writing is a job like no other. It takes time, work and energy and needs you to be fully healthy. Getting a desk, creating a small working office for you, exercising, eating better, going on a digital break from social media can do wonders to your work experience.

If there’s something you need to do to amplify your writing/work experience, do it.

This article first appeared on Medium. Enjoyed this article? Like, share and check out my course on how to create a week's or a month's worth of social media content. It comes with a content calendar, social media tips and instructions on how to create a content calendar as well as tracking your campaigns.