Every day we sit down to write, but…where? And with what? Freelance writers don't have a mold regarding their workspaces; especially after the pandemic upended our personal and professional lives.

We sit at a makeshift desk in our bedroom, in a coffee shop with our laptops, at an official desk in an office, or anywhere we can do our work. You might even be among the few who can work from the beach (but, sand. We kinda doubt it.)

Our setups help us maintain productivity. Our desks are unique to how we like to work, from our decorations and accessories to our devices and chairs. Let's get into some recommendations for those who want some design inspiration for your office (wherever that may be these days).

Kaleigh's setup

Picture a perfectly curated Pinterest board for desk space. That's Kaleigh's workspace. A desert palette of sage green, peach, and teal surrounds her. Not only is it a soothing combination of colors, but it also matches her sage green desktop computer.
Loyal to Apple's clean, minimal, and fast interface, Kaleigh is set up for success on an L-shaped desk in a spare bedroom (from her home office in Illinois). It's an uncluttered ecosystem without distraction. But that's not to say it doesn't have a few decorations. Plants, books, a table lamp, and a reading nook make Kaleigh's office cozy.

Let's not forget the key lights (those two square lamps behind the computer) for optimal Zoom calls. In a corner lacking abundant natural light, it's essential to ensure your space has adequate lighting.

“I always like to start the day with my desk clean. It gets really messy throughout the day. I'll have three or four cups and some snacks everywhere, and I have a paper to-do list spread out over the desk, but I try to clean it up at the end of every day.”

Emma's setup

While Kaleigh's is modern and minimal, Emma's setup is vintage and maximalist. Working from her bedroom, thanks to California real estate and COVID, Emma calls her workspace a “corner of chaos.”

She lives in a mid-century modern house in San Jose. When the pandemic hit, Emma worked part-time while her husband worked full-time. At the time, she had an office in the typical sense of the word, but she sacrificed that space to accommodate her husband's temporarily more demanding schedule.

“Right now, I am working out of our giant master bedroom, which is not an ideal working space. But I think it's important to talk about because that's the reality for many people now.”

Armed with a 2017 Mac desktop (and its new RAM) and Logitech keyboard and mouse, Emma designed her space for comfort. While Apple's keyboards can be clunky and loud, Logitech has a softer touch.

Her desk is currently scattered with a mug of pens, a hairbrush, a Japanese wooden clock, a tray of knickknacks, and a shoebox full of taxes, among other random items.

What's the right desk setup for you?

The answer to this all depends on what gets you in a productive headspace. Do you travel frequently? Or are you a homebody? Maximalist or minimalist?

“Your workspace is dependent on your personality and your work type. If your desk is clean or messy, it doesn't really matter. There's no one size fits all. It's just what makes you most productive. And a lot of that's figured out through trial and error.”

Our freelance desk and office setups: our go-to tools that keep us comfy and productive