Editor’s Advice: Perfect Your Workspace
An important key to success in school is having a workspace that works for you. Having the right tools around you can help motivate you in your work and generally make things easier. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting everything set up and diving into homework with your new gear. Below, I have created a list of suggested items that you can use to maximize your productivity.
- Leather Desk Pad
After purchasing a desk pad similar to this one, it is much more comfortable to rest your arms on the cold desk, especially if you are wearing short sleeves. It also serves as a mouse pad, and it helps protect the desk in case you spill water on it.
2. Phone Holder
Having a place to set your phone and charge it while working makes a huge difference. Forgetting to charge your phone throughout the day can make things more complicated, especially if your phone doesn’t have a great battery.
3. Seat Cushion
Sitting at the desk for multiple hours a day is uncomfortable in the SCAD dorm chairs. Seat cushions make an instant difference.
4. Desk Lamp
We all need a good desk lamp for doing late-night homework, but having one that can also charge your phone is a huge plus.
5. Lap Desk
Sometimes we get lazy or sick, and we want to do our work in bed. Having a little mini desk that you can place your laptop and mouse on makes those sick days much more manageable.
6. Flexible Desk Lamp
This lamp is handy for students who create their work physically since they can adjust where the light. This one also has different mood light settings, which helps depending on the time of day they are working.
7. Portable Monitor
Having an extra monitor makes work so much easier. For example, when I’m doing a project in Maya, I know I like to have the scene on my main screen with the hyper shade network and UV editor on the second screen.
8. Fake Plants
This won’t necessarily help you with your school work, but having a nice-looking workspace can help reduce stress and focus on your work.
9. Rocketbook Planner
Having the right planner can help prevent you from missing important deadlines and planning your study schedule. I have used the Rocketbook planner before, and while I used it, I really liked it. What separates it from other journals is that it is entirely reusable and can be scanned and uploaded to various places, including OneNote and Evernote. In addition, the pen that comes with the Rocketbook is erasable by wetting the microfiber towel that comes with it and wiping down the page with it. Scanning the pages is very easy with the Rocketbook app, and the planner also has a little section where you can journal.
10. Desk Organizer
Desks can get clustered pretty easily. We all need something that we can use to organize our paperwork.
11. Insulated Waterbottle
Savannah gets very hot. Drink water!!!!!!
12. Desktop Waterfall
The sound of running water is very soothing to me and helps me stay on task.
13. Sound Machine
This little machine is a miracle worker. I’m the type of sleeper who needs to have a fan sound or some white noise playing while I sleep. This sound machine comes pre-loaded with other white noises, including wind, airplane noises, ocean waves, and looping piano songs. Having nature sounds playing while working helps me stay on task.
14. Cord Protector
Having so many loose cables is no fun. Wrapping them in this protector makes everything less cluttered and lowers the chances of accidentally unplugging the wires.
15. Logitech MX Anywhere Mouse
Small but mighty is the right word for this mouse. I remember feeling skeptical when I saw the $80 price tag, but once I bought it, I could see why. The battery life on it is insane, with Logitech claiming a 70-day battery life on a full charge and only requiring a minute charge time on a dead battery to get 3 hours of use. The mouse is also small, which makes transportation easy.
16. Mechanical Keyboard
We all need a good keyboard and there’s something satisfying about mechanical keyboards.
17. Webcam
With more businesses going remote, having a good webcam is essential. This Logitech one records in 1080p resolution and has a built-in microphone. I have the same webcam, and I haven’t regretted my purchase.
18. External Solid State Drive
We need a reliable hard drive that we can take to and from class. The SanDisk drive is a worthy investment because of its compact size and durability.