Whether it’s for work or leisure, you might find yourself seated at your desk for hours at a time.  As you pile hours upon end every day at your desk, you’ll likely start to feel the repercussions if you’re not mindful.  Bad posture, wrist pain, and other ailments are just a few negative effects of prolonged periods seated at your computer.  In time, these issues can affect your productivity and stress levels.  Even playing your favorite game can wear on the mind and body if you have the wrong setup.

Without a concerted effort to make desk working easier with things like cable management and the proper office chair, you run the risk of damaging your physical and mental health.  Luckily there are several things you can do to improve your computer desk environment and turn it into an oasis rather than a cell.

Invest in a Good, Ergonomic Chair

Whether you work from home all day or you’re relaxing in for a night of gaming, you’ll need a good chair to combat the strain of sitting for extended periods of time.  It’s worth it to invest in a good, ergonomic chair to avoid the list of body aches and pains that can arise from poor posture.

With different shapes, materials, and customizable features, not all chairs may be suitable to support your body.  Shopping around for the right chair to fit your exact preferences and budget for your office or gaming setup may take some time, but the benefits of better posture and support will make your efforts worthwhile.

Take Frequent Walking Breaks

Another way to combat sitting at a desk for long periods of the day is to take plenty of breaks to stretch your legs.  About sixty minutes of activity per day will balance out many of the negative side effects associated with sitting.  Consider taking your coffee break outside for a walk around the block.  Go for a run during your lunch break or, if you live within walking distance, swap your daily commute from the car to your feet.  Parking a few blocks away can also help you build a little more exercise into each day.  If you work from home, even standing can provide you with a little relief from sitting at a desk for hours at a time.

Make the Space Your Own

Half of the dread of working a desk job can be coming to the same boring cubicle every day.  Even those who work from home can come to resent the space.  Just because you’re confined to one space throughout the day doesn’t mean that you can’t make the most of it.  Make the space your own by bringing in decorations that liven the space and add a bit of your personality to it.  Whether it’s photos of your friends and family or art pieces that spark joy, there’s a lot to be said for a little decoration.

Our sense of sight needs to be stimulated just as much as our other senses do.  Consider stimulating multiple senses at once by bringing in some new greenery to your space.  A fresh plant is an easy way to brighten up your desk or gaming setup and may actually improve the air quality.  Just make sure to get a plant that you can keep up with maintaining, as the last thing you want is a wilting Philodendron at your desk.

Keep Things Tidy

Clutter makes us uneasy and sends our stress levels sky-high.  Whether it’s your gaming setup or a desk in your home study, you’ll want to keep the space as neat as possible in order to have a clear mind.  Have a wastepaper basket nearby for scraps, and try and make sure that all of your cords and cables are out of the way.  If you’re gaming using a home entertainment system, then a cable management product like the Cable Station Pro can help you keep all of your cords organized and out of the way wherever you need them.  You can also write on it to make sure you know which cord belongs to which system in case you need to unplug or move anything.

You can also use D-wings to hold and guide loose cords across any flat surfaces like the wall or your desk.  This cable management product can help you keep those chargers and power cables out of sight to allow for more desk room to work with.  Without cables cluttering up your limited desk space, you’ll be able to spread out instead of feeling uncomfortable and cramped.

Organize, Organize, Organize

In addition to keeping the space tidy, you’ll want to make sure that it’s well-organized.  Having a tidy workspace means nothing if you’re just shoving everything in a desk drawer to keep it out of sight.  Consider using a file organizer to keep your files in order whenever you need them.  A cable management product like the In-Box Charging Station is another great tool that you can use to organize all of your different devices while they charge.  Your smartphone, tablet, and Airpods can all charge in one convenient area while you work, staying within reach for whenever you need them.

If you’ve got an entertainment system with a bunch of different devices that all go together, then a cable management product like the Cable Slinky can help you keep the cables organized.  These flexible strips can wrap around multiple cables to keep them all together, making it easier to organize the cables based on which device they belong to.  The next time you decide to plug in your smartphone to charge next to your desktop computer, you won’t have to worry about confusing the cord amongst the several other cords all crammed behind the desk.

The computer desk may be unavoidable, but it doesn’t have to be unbearable.  The next time you’re feeling the strain of being at your desk too long, try a few of these ways to make things a little more comfortable.