For those of you who are relatively new to this site, you may be wondering to yourself why there is an entire site dedicated to the “modern desk”. As the namesake of this site, we thought it would be very prudent to discuss explain what the term “modern desk” means to us, and why it is so important in today’s day and age. To start off though, we need to describe a history of the American workplace.
Back in the 20th century, a lot of work was of the blue-collar variety, especially in places such as the rust belt. Jobs such as coal mining or factory and assembly line work were the most prevalent jobs back then, rather than jobs that relied less on manual labor and more on working with numbers, such as accounting or banking. However, this mentality when it came to the labor force slowly but surely shifted over time, mainly due to the automation that developed though scientific breakthroughs and developments. Instead of having a person do the manual labor for you, it became much more cost effective to have a machine do all of the work for you. In addition, the world has become increasingly more environmentally conscious over the years, leading to a decreased reliance on fossil fuels and an increased reliance on renewable energy, the biggest example of which is solar power, but there are also other forms as well such as wind power or hydroelectric power.
These various factors equated to less manual labor across the board over time, leading to the white-collar job being the much more common job type as of late. These jobs, even without the invention of the computer or the internet, involved sitting at desks and doing various tasks such as filling out paperwork, making calls on the phone, and everything in between. By this point, we have established a huge reliance on the desk as a significant component to the work life equation, so to speak. However, the real reason this site is called the “modern” desk is not just about the desk itself, but about the way technology has morphed the simple desk into a truly integral part of work life, rather than just a small component of the working white-collar experience. And it all starts with your computer.
The biggest technological advancement in the history of the world, in our opinion, was the invention of not just the computer but the internet to connect everything together. This made our lives easier in so many ways. For example, emailing became the new and improved way to communicate with peers efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, in a way that documented everything in the electronic “mail” itself. And the internet in general became our go-to source for whatever information we needed, all at the click of a button. Even the simple act of clocking in and out of work was made simplified by the use of a computer employee timecard system. In short, for many jobs, the computer allowed you to do everything you needed to do at the comfort of your own desk.
And that last sentence is the real key to understanding the importance of the “modern desk”. You see, when everything you could ever possibly need can now be accomplished right at your desk, it becomes even more important to not only make your working space more comfortable, but to also make it as efficient as possible, not only for your work productivity, but also for your overall health. Going back to the original example of accounting, a lot of times accountants would walk back and forth to file paperwork or even to setup meetings with various coworkers down the hall. But now everything is stored online and is essentially filed electronically and setting up meetings can all be done through email or through a simple phone call, since everyone at this point now has their own personal phone landline right at their desk. And other random technological advances that seemingly have nothing to do with office life in reality play a key role. For example, with up-and-coming apps such as Uber Eats, you don’t even need to leave the office to go out and get something to eat, meaning more time spent at the office and therefore at your desk.
As much as we all would like to deny it, the fact of the matter is that for most of us, everything we do is centered on sitting at a desk all day. And when a huge chunk of your day is dedicated to such a lifestyle, it would be a crime to not maximize that lifestyle to its fullest potential. And that is where “The Modern Desk” site comes into the spotlight. Here, we provide the best tips not only for enhancing your desk and making the most out of desk space, but also various tips and tricks when it comes to working in general. The desk after all is really just an extension of your work life (and a big one at that), so it makes sense not just to focus on the desk itself and how to improve that aspect, but to focus on other aspects of working in general.
By reading through our site, you not only will achieve much higher work productivity than you ever thought possible, but also a much better sense of comfortability (emotionally and physically) when it comes to working in general. The reality of today is that so many people claim that a lot of the stress in their life comes from their work environment (due to various reasons), but in all cases, by making a few simple changes, you can lower stress levels and ultimately lead to a happier person at the office, while at the same time still being highly productive overall. Realizing the importance of the “modern desk” is the first step in the process, so hopefully you now have a clear understanding of why it is such a big deal in the first place, allowing you to really make the much-needed changes to your desk and overall working conditions with enthusiasm moving forward.