My Desk Setup

TL;DR

• Starting Items
  • Motorized Standing Desk
  • Mesh Net for Cable Managment
  • Under-Desk Headphone Hook
  • Desk Wheels
• Devices/Webcam Setup
  • MacBook Air M2
  • Dell S2722QC
  • AirPods Max
  • Tripod Mount MagSafe Stand
  • Dell S2722QC Tripod-like mount
  • iPhone 14 Pro
• Extra Items
  • MagSafe iPhone/AirPod Charger
  • Xbox Series S
  • Xbox Controller Stand
  • Water Bottle

Step 1: Define Requirements

• Quickly switch between standing and sitting
• Easily move around the house
• Clutter free (as much as possible)
• One computer to use at home and on the go

Step 2: Computer and Desk

First, I need a computer. With my requirement of using the same computer on the go and at home I need a laptop. Any laptop would due as long as it supports charging and an external monitor via a single USB-C cable. I choose a MacBook Air M2.

Next is the desk. I just got a sturdy and cheap Motorized Standing Desk on Amazon.

I didn't want a bunch of cables hanging off the back of my desk and I didn't want anything too complicated so I got a Mesh Net for cable management. It made it easy to just shove a bunch of wires in there and not worry about it.

I wanted to be able to roll my desk around so I got some Wheels.

I also wanted to have a nice spot to hang my AirPods Max headset so I ordered a Under-Desk Headphone Hook.

I've actually already achieved all of my requirements, but I think I can do better.

Step 3: Bigger Screen

While I can do all of my work on a 13-inch laptop... I would like a bigger screen.

I wanted a 4K monitor but I wanted to continue to plug just 1 wire into my laptop when I sat down at my desk. I found some good USB-C docks but I was dreading the cost as well as the extra wire clutter it would cause.

But then I found the Dell S2722QC, a 27-inch 4K USB-C monitor that will both charge my laptop and work as a second display with a SINGLE cable. Perfect!

Step 4: Webcam

Consumer webcams suck. Since I was using macOS I was able to use my iPhone as a webcam through the "Camera Continuity" feature. I needed a good way to mount my phone above my monitor but I could't find any great options online.

For convenience, I wanted to magnetically attach my phone. So I designed and 3D printed this mount for a Tripod Mount MagSafe Stand that I found. It fit perfectly on the back of my new monitor.

Step 5: Mostly Final Setup

This is my final-ish setup, realistically my desk is not going to be this clean looking. I'm missing a few extras.

Step 6: Actual Final Setup

I added a wire to charge my headset and a MagSafe iPhone/AirPod Charger.

I had this nice 4k monitor that I didn't want to go to waste, so I hooked up my Xbox Series S on my desk and to my monitor. Now I can use my monitor as my an extended display for my laptop or the console.

Underneath the desk still looks pretty clean and I still just have a single power cable going out the back of my desk.

Mission accomplished.