How to Set Up a Small Home Office

A tidy timber desk with a felt desk mat under the keyboard and headphones on a walnut stand

A small home office is still an office. It might be a desk in the corner of the bedroom, a nook under the stairs, or the end of the dining table. The space is limited, so every object on the desk has to earn its place.

Here is a calm, practical way to set up a small workspace that works hard and still feels good to come back to.

Set up for your body first

Before anything else, get the basics of the set up right. Workplace safety guidance is consistent here, and none of it needs a big desk.

  • Screen at eye level or below. WorkSafe Queensland recommends setting your monitor at eye level or below, depending on the glasses you wear.
  • A separate keyboard and mouse if you raise a laptop. Comcare suggests that if you raise your laptop to see the screen, you also use an external keyboard and mouse, so your arms stay in a neutral position.
  • Change position often. WorkSafe Queensland suggests aiming to change your posture every 30 minutes.

For more on screen height, see our guide to laptop height and neck strain.

Give the work a defined place

In a small space, the desk tends to fill up with everything at once. A desk mat draws a line around the working area. Inside the line is the work. Outside it is everything else.

The Felt Desk Mat is 90 by 40 cm, which suits most desks 120 cm wide and over. Not sure about the size? Our desk mat size guide takes a few minutes and a tape measure.

Get things off the surface

Surface space is the scarcest thing in a small office. The fastest way to win some back is to stop things lying flat.

  • Headphones. Hang them up. The Headphone Stand has a 21 by 11 cm footprint, and the base takes a phone, keys or a pen as well.
  • Today's list. Stand it upright. The Note Card Holder keeps one card in view at 10 by 3 cm.
  • The cup. Give it a coaster in the same place every day, so it stops wandering across the desk.

Choose pieces that pack away

If your office is also the dining table, the set up has to come and go. Pick pieces that pack down quickly.

The Laptop Stand is two separate wooden supports. They raise the back of the laptop to a gentle typing angle, stay open underneath for airflow, and pack away in seconds when dinner arrives.

Keep the list short

A small desk has no room for a long to-do list in a pile of sticky notes. One card, a few things, standing where you can see them.

The Daily Cards come in three tiers: Today, Next and Someday. Our guide to a simple daily planning method shows how to use them.

Reset at the end of the day

The last few minutes matter most in a small space. Before you leave the desk, put each thing back in its place. Headphones on the stand. Cup off the desk. Tomorrow's card written and standing up. Pencil beside the keyboard.

It takes a few minutes. The next morning you sit down at a clear desk, which is a different feeling from sitting down at yesterday.

A short list for a small office

  • Screen at eye level or below, with a separate keyboard and mouse if you raise a laptop.
  • A desk mat to define the working area.
  • A stand for anything that would otherwise lie flat.
  • Pieces that pack away if the space is shared.
  • One card for today, and a reset at the end of the day.

Everything in the Settl range is held in Brisbane and dispatched within 3 business days.

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