TL;DR: What gadgets, tools, furniture and whatnot do I need for an ideal desk setup for a tinkerer/programmer/gamer? Leave a comment and give it your all!
Image is AI generated for the lack of a better option, but I kinda like it.
New year, new everything, I guess. Yes, I know, it's June, but the last 12 months have been wild for me. I switched jobs after 10+ years, got married to my partner of 10+ years, and now we're finally moving into a larger flat after almost 10 years.
The room my wife and I have dedicated to be the "office/work/workshop" room is a bit larger than the one we currently have. More power sockets, more space, better lighting due to larger window, everything's amazing - except for my current setup.
What's there
I currently have an almost L-shaped desk with a single external monitor. On that desk I have a home-made shelf with some books, a desk lamp and all kinds of trinkets. I once added a home-made ambient light (might write about this at some point - leave a comment if you'd like to see that!) and a whiteboard foil on the desk top, a USB hub with all sorts of cables - way too many, actually - but that's it.
Across from that desk I have my little electronics/wood working workshop that's located on a countertop. An external screen for Raspberry Pis, a soldering iron and some storage space for all kinds of electronics parts and more trinkets that might come in useful at some point. Since it's a countertop, I can't put my legs underneath that, resulting in an awkward twisted position whenever I want to solder anything... Less than ideal.
Underneath the desk are stacked boxes of cables and all kinds of gadgets. Storage space is a bit of a rare commodity.
What's missing
This is where things get interesting: When I ask myself what I want and how my ideal setup should look, I don't even know where to start. When I type "Cool desk setup for programmers and gamers" on A Popular Search Engine™, I get tons of different amazing setup inspirations, with lighting that would put the Las Vegas Strip to shame, tons of angled screens, desk mats, several(!!) keyboards, you name it - But nothing really says "that's what I want".
What I do want is an actual desk for my electronics workshop with a moving arm for light and perhaps a magnifying glass, and generally more space so I can actually work.
Also, I want to move the books and cables away from my desk, ideally getting rid of the rather claustrophobic home-made shelf and moving the ambient light.
So, what is missing from my setup? I can't tell. I don't even know where to start - and that's where the DEV community comes in!
What I need
Leave a comment! What's your ideal setup as a programmer, tinkerer or gamer? What do I desperately need so I'm finally one of the cool kids? What gadgets should I avoid at all costs?
Everything goes, so go wild! Sky's the limit!
