My Productivity Desk Setup (2026)

This might be my favorite desk setup yet. I've put together a lot of desk setups over the years starting back in COVID when everyone was working from home and I still spend a lot of time at my desk, whether it's filming YouTube videos like this, editing, doing work for my corporate job or other personal projects. So in this video, I wanna give you a tour of my current productivity desk setup and what makes this my favorite setup so far. Also, I'll be moving soon, so this is a way for me to document this piece of my life. All right, let's start with the desk itself, which is obviously the most important part of any desk setup. But lately, I've been using this maple hardwood standing desk from Vernal. And honestly, this might be the nicest desk I've ever used. The first thing that stood out to me was actually the depth of the desk. Most people just focus on how wide your desk is, which is important too, but what will really make the difference as to whether or not the desk feels cramped versus comfortable and spacious and open is how deep it is. And I also really like the material that the desk itself is made of, which is this beautiful, solid maple hardwood that just looks amazing in person. Vernal offers a bunch of different desk sizes from 48 to 78 inches. I went with the 70.9 inch version, and it's also about 29 and a half inches deep, which is just the perfect size for my space. A lot of standing desks out there only come in these laminated tops, which work fine if you want a more budget-friendly option. But there's something about having a real solid hardwood desktop that just takes the setup to another level. And of course, this is a standing desk, and since I work a lot at my desk, whether it's for my YouTube channel, personal projects, or my corporate job, having the option to stand for part of the day goes with energy, posture, and breaking up long stretches of sitting. The stability has also been great, which is essential given all the expensive tech and gear that I have on my desk, which I'll show you throughout this video. Feels secure even at full standing height, and it can support up to 350 pounds, so I can literally sit on the desk and raise it with no issue. The keypad is also really well-designed, which I appreciate. You can set three height presets, and since it sits flush at the edge of the desk, it stays out of the way so it doesn't accidentally get bumped. It also has these wheels on the bottom, which make it really easy to move the desk around the room if I need to film at different angles, or just if I need to move to an entirely new space. If you want a premium standing desk that is built to last, I highly recommend checking out Vernal. Their prices start at just $429, but you can click the link in the description and use my discount code to get an extra 6% off. Now for the desk, the next most important part of any setup is definitely the chair. I've been using the Steelcase Leap V2 for a few years now, and it's been great. I got it used off of Craigslist for like $150 when it retails for over a thousand, so pretty good deal. Back during COVID, there are all these office buildings closing and getting rid of a bunch of chairs, so it seemed pretty easy to get a good deal on a nice quality chair like this or a Herman Miller. I don't know if that's still a thing, but it's definitely worth checking out if you are on the market for a new chair. Unfortunately, one of my cats also loves this chair quite a lot, maybe a bit too much, and has kind of scratched up a lot of the cushioning, which is definitely a shame. Maybe I'll get it replaced one day, but for now, I guess the job done. Now powering this entire setup is my 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip. This is my main computer that I use for all my personal work and editing all these YouTube videos. I've also got a dbrand black leather skin on this thing, which makes it that much nicer. I got this thing back in 2020 or 2021 whenever the M1 line of chips came out, and so far, I've resisted my shiny object syndrome and urges to upgrade this part of my setup, but to be honest, there hasn't really been any need to. These silicon chips from Apple are just so good, and so this thing is still a beast, but if I do end up upgrading sometime in the future, I'll probably end up getting the Max chip just because I've been doing a lot more intensive video editing lately, and so it would be nice to have those faster render and export speeds, and if slash when I do upgrade my laptop, I'm tempted to downsize from the 16-inch to the 14-inch. Although I love the bigger screen, it's just so heavy and hard to fit in some bags, so I'm thinking maybe 14-inch next time, but when actually working at my desk setup, my laptop usually lives in clamshell mode sitting in this dual laptop holder that can also hold my ThinkPad, which I use for my corporate job. My laptop connects to my main display, which is this BenQ MA270U monitor. This is a pretty solid monitor that won't break the bank. My favorite part is that it has pretty good color accuracy, and all the colors are similar to the built-in MacBook display, which is crucial for video and photo editing. It's also got a nice selection of ports on the back as well, so depending on your setup, there may be no need for an external docking station. Now, a few cons with this monitor is that the speakers aren't that great, so I don't find myself listening to music or anything out loud on the monitor, and also there's no built-in webcam, so I just have to stick this cheap little Logitech webcam on top or open up my laptop to use the built-in webcam anytime I have a meeting. This monitor will probably be the next thing that I upgrade for my setup. I've been considering getting the Apple Studio Display, which I know is super expensive, but rumor has it that Apple's gonna release the second version of the Studio Display with 120 hertz refresh rate and all this other fancy new stuff, so I'm probably gonna hold out for that. But my current monitor still gets the job done and looks great while sitting on top of this beautiful solid wood desk shelf, which is also from Vernal and matches the desktop. This desk shelf is nice and wide while not taking up too much space on the desk. It's got this mini shelf drawer on the side where I can easily store my iPad, journal, or other notebooks. It also gives me room to display additional items on top, like this cool light bulb lamp thing I got from Ikea and this digital timer, which I'll often use anytime I start a deep work session. I also have this Daruma I got in Japan a few years ago. I've yet to fill in the other eye, but I keep it on my desk at all times to remind me of the goal that it represents. And another thing I mentioned briefly in my everyday carry video is this daylight lamp, which I'll usually store at my desk and turn on in the mornings to help set my circadian rhythm and increase focus and alertness. By the way, if you're new here, my name is Myles and I'm a content creator in my mid-20s. And on this channel, I share parts of my everyday life and my favorite tech and camera gear and just other simple things that I enjoy, like food, coffee, and living a good life. If that sounds like something you're interested in, definitely click subscribe. Underneath the desk shelf, I've attached my CalDigit TS3 docking station with some command strips to keep it in place. I got this thing a few years ago and I remember doing a bunch of research to find the perfect docking station that had all the ports I needed to power my entire setup. I'm sure they have newer versions of this by now, but this one gets the job done for me and allows me to use just one cable to connect my computer to multiple external hard drives, monitor, webcam, headphone jack, SD card reader, and my XLR microphone. Now, there's a few other things I keep within reach at my desk, such as my pocket notebook, which I use for jotting down ideas, writing out to-do lists or plans for the day. I also have my Leuchtturm journal, which I've talked about in other videos on my channel. I also keep these blue light blocking glasses from Roka at my desk and I try to wear these anytime I'm working on my computer in the evening so that the bright light doesn't mess up my sleep. And these really do work. You know, if you put them on in the evening, I at least start to feel a little calm, maybe a little bit drowsy, and you don't necessarily have to get this exact brand. Just make sure that if you do get one of these glasses, that you get the ones with the orange lenses so that they block all these other ways of light, not just blue light. For my keyboard, I've been using this Keytron K4HE for quite a while now and is by far my favorite keyboard. Obviously feels super satisfying to type on, as does any Keytron keyboard. My favorite part of this one is simply how it looks. It's got this nice, minimal, warm wood aesthetic, which I think pairs perfectly with my desk and other furniture in my home. I also really like how they spaced out the keys on this one. You have the normal keyboard on the left, but you also get the number pad as well, but the whole thing is still pretty compact, unlike some other larger keyboards that I've tried in the past. I'm not the greatest with interior design, fashion, or aesthetics quite yet, but I'm trying to get better little by little. And so right now I'm going for this sort of natural wood theme in my home. I've got the wood desk, this wood tissue box holder, wood pen holder, trash can, and various other things in my home too. But I'll be moving to a new apartment early next year, so I'll get another chance to intentionally design my space again soon. I've also still been using the Logitech MX Master 3 for about three years now. I know Logitech recently released the MX4, so if you have that and think it's worth the upgrade, definitely let me know down in the comments. Underneath the desk, I've attached a drawer, which actually came with the desk from Vernal and matches the solid wood desktop, which is a really nice touch. There's a lot of space in this drawer for storing miscellaneous items, but also the front of the drawer can flip open and it can act as a tray for my keyboard and mouse if I ever want to keep the main desktop clear from my notebook or tablet. For now, I've just been keeping some random accessories in here along with these vinyl-shaped coasters, but I've considered getting into 3D printing and creating some sort of custom organizer thing for the drawer. I've seen a lot of other people do that in their setups. It seems like a cool idea and would definitely help me keep my desk more organized by giving everything a dedicated home to be put away to, but I have yet to make that leap and I'm also a little concerned about breathing in loads of microplastics, but if you've tried 3D printing and you think it's worth the investment for various DIY projects, definitely let me know down in the comments. Now, as far as cable management, I'm pretty happy with how things look thanks to a few key items. I've got this charging station from JoyROM, which has these retractable USB-C cables and additional USB ports, so if I ever need to quickly charge random things like my iPad, phone, headphones, mouse, camera batteries, et cetera, I can easily pull out one of these cables to charge the device and hide it away when I no longer need it. Underneath the desk, I have an Anker PowerStrip, which sits on this cable management tray that also came with the desk from Vernal. This tray has made it super easy to organize the different cables and keep them tucked away with minimal effort, and if I ever need to adjust things or access a particular cable, I can do so easily thanks to its open design. I've also hooked up my entire desk setup to a smart plug from Philips Hue, so I can instantly power on or off my desk using my phone by clicking this smart button that magnetically attaches to the desk legs. On the side of the desk, there's a built-in headphone rack, so I can easily store my current favorite headphones, the Sony WH-XM6s. Now, let's briefly talk about my YouTube filming setup, because as you can see, this desk is also where I film a lot of the talking portion for my YouTube videos. First up, I've got my main camera, the Sony a7C II, which currently has the Sony 16mm f1.8 lens that sits on this little tripod in the corner of my desk. I've played around with this setup over the years, but lately, I've really enjoyed using this wider 16mm lens, because it means I can just keep the camera positioned within arm's reach at my desk. I've also got my Shure SM7DB microphone, which sits on this Elgato mic arm, which I use to get this nice audio for my videos. For my light, I have the Amaron 100 XS and the Godox CS50D Lantern Softbox, which I use to supplement the natural light that I get from my window. Click here to see what's in my camera bag and all my essential camera gear that I use to make my YouTube videos. I'll also leave a link in the description to the exact desk that I've been using from Vernal, and you can use this code to get a nice cheeky discount. I'll see you in the next one. Have a great rest of your day, and happy new year. Peace.