My 2023 desk setup

ByJason O'Donnell

Over the 2002-2023 winter holidays I was gifted with two weeks off. Without any travel plans or other ideas, I found myself adrift in the realms of home-automation Youtube and, well, it is a slippery slope my friends. While I know enough to stop myself from rabbit-holing too far down the HA space, I ended up diving deep into desktop setups. Knowing I wanted to improve the functionality of my environment as well as the quality of my daily meetings, I had some clear targets and even a few guard rails to keep me on-track.

My goal was to increase the functionality and quality of life in my home office, while simultaneously increasing the quality of sound for my meetings. I wanted to do this all without going full-bore pro podcaster levels, and avoiding the associated expenses therein.

What I ended up with, after a few weeks of Youtube research into recommended gear (along with diving into detailed Amazon reviews and comparisons), was a lower-cost but not bargain-basement setup. I think I got about 80% of the way to sounding professional at a serious fraction of the cost. If I’d gone with all the gear based off of recommendations from Youtubers I’d have easily spent 5 times as much for only a minimal extra gain.

Following are the before and after photos of my setup. I recognize to many it still seems cluttered, but it is a grand improvement from where I started this journey. Iterative improvements are, after all, the path to realizing success. 

 

The overall office

Before:

  

 

And After…

 
While I am about 80-90% of the way done, the final stretch is taking me a lot longer than anticipated (especially since this was supposed to be just a 2-week holiday project). The cable management is still a bit of a mess, and the back of the desk is still just as visually cluttered, but the big improvement has been on the worktop. More streamlined, open, and functional, THAT has been worth the effort alone. 
 
With a bit of additional gear brought into the mix, it feels more efficient and professional, less slapdash and temporary. This entire setup now feels like I can grow into it, rather than feeling like I’ve already grown out of it. It provides me ease of opportunity and transition into a multitude of uses without feeling hacked together. Purpose-built for flexibility, I can more readily pivot to a number of uses based on demand. 
 
So, what am I using? What cool stuff have I added to make my home office work so well for me? Well, here you go….  I’ve added a table full of (non-affiliate) Amazon links to the major pieces of kit now in use. I either already had these items, or I bought specifically for this updated setup. And in some cases, I purchased multiples where needed:
 

The Gear

ImageLink
Apple 2019 MacBook Pro with 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 (16-inch, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (Renewed)Apple 2019 MacBook Pro with 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 (16-inch, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD Storage) – Space Gray
Elgato Stream Deck – Live Content Creation Controller with 15 Customizable LCD Keys, Adjustable Stand, for Windows 10 and macOS 10.11 or Later
IOGEAR 4×4 USB Sharing Switch with USB-C Adapter, GUS404CA1KIT
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface for Recording, Songwriting, Streaming and Podcasting — High-Fidelity, Studio Quality Recording, and All the Software You Need to RecordFocusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface for Recording, Songwriting, Streaming and Podcasting — High-Fidelity, Studio Quality Recording, and All the Software You Need to Record
Behringer XM8500Behringer Cardioid Microphone XM8500
Donner Boom Arm, Mic Stand Adjustable Tube Style Suspension Scissor, Heavy Duty Microphone Arm with Desk Clamp, 3/8'' to 5/8'' Screw Adapter for Live Streaming, Radio, Podcasting, Gaming-MS 1Donner Boom Arm, Mic Stand Adjustable Tube Style Suspension Scissor, Heavy Duty Microphone Arm with Desk Clamp, 3/8” to 5/8” Screw Adapter for Live Streaming, Radio, Podcasting, Gaming-MS 1
PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5" Near Field Studio Monitor (Pair)PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5″ Near Field Studio Monitor (Pair)
UPGRAVITY Single Monitor Desk Mount for Ultrawide 13"-34" Flat/Curved Screens, Gas Spring Computer Monitor Arm Holds up to 30.8lbs, Fully Adjustable Heavy Duty VESA Mount Stand w/ Clamp/Grommet BaseUPGRAVITY Single Monitor Desk Mount for Ultrawide 13″-34″ Flat/Curved Screens, Gas Spring Computer Monitor Arm Holds up to 30.8lbs, Fully Adjustable Heavy Duty VESA Mount Stand w/ Clamp/Grommet Base
OOWOLF Monitor Light Bar with Remote Screen Light Bar,CRI≥95 Desk Lamp for Eye-Caring,No Glare,Dual Light,Filter Blue-Light,3-Color Mode,Memory Dimming,e-Reading Task Lamp,Computer Light for DeskOOWOLF Monitor Light Bar with Remote Screen Light Bar,CRI≥95 Desk Lamp for Eye-Caring,No Glare,Dual Light,Filter Blue-Light,3-Color Mode,Memory Dimming,e-Reading Task Lamp,Computer Light for Desk
WD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive - Portable External Hard Drive HDD, Compatible with Playstation, Xbox, PC, & Mac - WDBA3A0050BBK-WESNWD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive – Portable External Hard Drive HDD, Compatible with Playstation, Xbox, PC, & Mac – WDBA3A0050BBK-WESN
Crucial X8 2TB Portable SSD – Up to 1050MB/s – USB 3.2 – External Solid State Drive, USB-C, USB-A – CT2000X8SSD9Crucial X8 2TB Portable SSD – Up to 1050MB/s – USB 3.2 – External Solid State Drive, USB-C, USB-A – CT2000X8SSD9
Logitech C922x Pro Stream Webcam – Full 1080p HD Camera – Background Replacement Technology for YouTube or Twitch Streaming
Sceptre 35 Inch Curved UltraWide 21: 9 LED Creative Monitor QHD 3440×1440 Frameless AMD Freesync HDMI DisplayPort Up to 100Hz, Machine Black 2020 (C35
OMEN X by HP 35″ Curved Display Sold by Woot, no longer available
ENUSUNG Dual Monitor Stand with Wireless Charging and USB 3.0/2.0 Ports, Steel Monitor Stands for 2 Monitors, Metal Computer Stand Riser for Desk, Office, Laptop, PC, iMac up to 32 Inches (Black)ENUSUNG Dual Monitor Stand with Wireless Charging and USB 3.0/2.0 Ports, Steel Monitor Stands for 2 Monitors, Metal Computer Stand Riser for Desk, Office, Laptop, PC, iMac up to 32 Inches (Black)
VOCOlinc LED Light Strip Works with Apple HomeKit Siri Alexa Google Assistant 5050 RGB Strip Smart Wi-Fi Multicolor App-dimmable Voice Control No Hub Required (LS2 SmartGlow Starter Kit)VOCOlinc LED Light Strip Works with Apple HomeKit Siri Alexa Google Assistant 5050 RGB Strip Smart Wi-Fi Multicolor App-dimmable Voice Control No Hub Required (LS2 SmartGlow Starter Kit)
MHQJRH Aluminum Headphone Stand Headset Holder for Sennheiser, Sony, Bose, Beats,AKG, Razer Headphone Display Stand (Black)
MacBook Pro Docking Station, COETECH 12 in 2 Docking Station Dual Monitor 4K@60Hz Triple Display Compatible for MacBook Pro/Air, Dual HDMI, DisplayPort
Logitech Trackman Marble Trackball – Wired USB Ergonomic Mouse for Computers, with 4 Programmable Buttons, Dark GrayLogitech Trackman Marble Trackball – Wired USB Ergonomic Mouse for Computers, with 4 Programmable Buttons, Dark Gray
Mechanical Keyboard HAVIT RGB Backlit Wired Gaming Keyboard Extra-Thin & Light, Kailh Latest Low Profile Blue Switches, 104 Keys N-Key Rollover HV-KB3
havit HV-F2056 15.6"-17" Laptop Cooler Cooling Pad - Slim Portable USB Powered (3 Fans), Black/Bluehavit HV-F2056 15.6″-17″ Laptop Cooler Cooling Pad – Slim Portable USB Powered (3 Fans), Black/Blue
TP-Link ER605 | Multi-WAN Wired VPN Router | Up to 4 Gigabit WAN Ports | SPI Firewall SMB Router | Omada SDN Integrated | Load Balance | Lightning Pro
NETGEAR Renewed R7000-100NAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router with Open Source Support, Compatible with Amazon Echo/Alexa
Starlink Residential Satellite Internet
Ambient Weather WS-1001-WIFI OBSERVER Solar Powered Wireless WiFi Remote Monitoring Weather Station with Solar Radiation and UV
Power Strip , Tcstei Surge Protector with 12 Outlets and 4 USB Ports, 6 Feet Extension Cord (1875W/15A) for for Home, Office, Dorm Essentials, 2700 Joules, ETL Listed, (Black)Power Strip , Tcstei Surge Protector with 12 Outlets and 4 USB Ports, 6 Feet Extension Cord (1875W/15A) for for Home, Office, Dorm Essentials, 2700 Joules, ETL Listed, (Black)
Don Quixote figure from the Tower Windmill mechanical model kit – Ugears

If you missed Don Quixote in the broader images of my desk setup, you’re not going crazy. He now sits behind my shoulder on a shelf on my wall of ego… standing watch and reminding me every day to be the greater fool and lean into those quixotic ideas. 

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