Throughout life, you experience a lot of desks and a lot of desk setups. Real or virtual, at the office or at home, temporal or permanent — just a way to call it, nothing is permanent— a big one with a great office view or a small one in the dark corner of a store.

一生中，您会遇到很多桌子和很多桌子设置。 在办公室或家中，无论是真实的还是虚拟的，都是临时的或永久的-只是一种称呼方式，没有什么是永久的-可以欣赏办公室风景的大商店，或者在商店黑暗角落的一个小商店。

You may change jobs or be on a trip, taking work to vacations, having a new remote job, or living in lockdown in the middle of a pandemic. On any given day you have the task of thinking about what desk setup you would bring to a desert island. Or to your home in pandemic lockdown.

您可能会换工作或旅行，休假去工作，从事新的远程工作或在大流行期间处于禁闭状态。 在任何一天，您都需要考虑将带到荒岛的办公桌设置。 或在大流行封锁中回到家中。

Throughout the time you are going to have a basic set of things and tools that come to mind when having to set a new desk.

在整个过程中，您将不得不设置一套新的办公桌时想到的一些基本的东西。

Call me pessimistic. I prefer stoic or minimalist. But even the years I worked at a big company as an executive director and I had the privilege to have a big office with a great view, I kept things to a minimum. In quantity, type, and quality.

叫我悲观。 我更喜欢坚忍或简约。 但是，即使我在一家大公司担任执行董事的岁月，也有幸拥有一个视野开阔的大办公室，我仍将事情降到最低。 在数量，类型和质量上。

No, Marie Kondo didn’t exist in those years. But I have always preferred a simple life. I mean, life is complicated enough to add more complications.

不，那年玛丽·近藤不存在。 但是我一直喜欢简单的生活。 我的意思是，生活很复杂，足以增加更多的复杂性。

Since then, I have worked in very different environments, under several budgets, and a variety of requirements to work.

从那时起，我就在非常不同的环境中工作，并采用了几种预算和各种工作要求。

That’s why I always keep in mind a basic set of things for basic desk setup.

这就是为什么我始终牢记基本办公桌设置的一些基本内容。

趋势与本质 (Trends versus essential)

There are several trends in this topic, almost one for each element to compose your desk: desk table, desk computer or laptop, chair or bench, single or multiple screens, speakers, webcam, microphone, smartphone, and tablet support, keyboards, mouse, trackpads…

此主题有几种趋势，构成办公桌的每个元素几乎都有一种趋势：桌子，台式计算机或笔记本电脑，椅子或长凳，单屏或多屏，扬声器，网络摄像头，麦克风，智能手机和平板电脑支持，键盘，鼠标，触控板...

Some support the traditional desk but others bet for the standing table. In the middle, you may find the defenders of the adjustable height desk.

有些支持传统的桌子，但有些则支持立式桌子。 在中间，您可以找到可调高度桌子的后卫。

Let’s not start talking about chairs. Or benches, for those who prefer them. You may know that there are chairs that cost the same as a car. A new car I mean.

我们不要开始谈论椅子。 或长凳，适合那些喜欢它们的人。 您可能知道有些椅子的价格与汽车相同。 我是说一辆新车。

There are two essentials to consider no matter the trends. A table and a chair. Or if we want to see it more essential than that, a place to put your laptop on, and a place where you are going to be. The laptop can honor its name and be on your lap, and you on a couch, for example.

无论趋势如何，都必须考虑两个要点。 桌子和椅子。 或者，如果我们希望看到比这更重要的东西，那么可以放一放笔记本的地方以及您要去的地方。 例如，笔记本电脑可以记住它的名称并放在您的膝盖上，而您可以躺在沙发上。

I have worked on very expensive office chairs, but one day I noticed how productive I can be on a simple coffee chair and table at Starbucks or similar.

我曾经在非常昂贵的办公椅上工作，但是有一天我注意到，在星巴克或类似公司的一张简单的咖啡椅和桌子上，我的工作效率很高。

Your table and chair have to be ergonomic. That’s it. You can even work on the couch for several minutes, but your position there has to be ergonomic.

您的桌子和椅子必须符合人体工程学。 而已。 您甚至可以在沙发上工作几分钟，但是您的位置必须符合人体工程学。

• Your back must be straight.
  背部必须笔直。
• Your eyes and sight must be at the same height as your screen.
  您的眼睛和视线必须与屏幕相同。
• Your neck must be straight in relation to your back — your head can be a little inclined.
  您的脖子必须相对于背部笔直-头部可以稍微倾斜。
• Joints should not be bent more than ninety degrees. Blood needs to circulate.
  关节弯曲不得超过90度。 血液需要循环。
• Your forearms must be parallel to the keyboard, mouse, or trackpad.
  您的前臂必须与键盘，鼠标或触控板平行。
• These two last statements imply that the angle of your arm versus your forearm has to be ninety degrees also.
  最后两个陈述暗示您的手臂与前臂的角度也必须为90度。

No matter if you are next to the hotel’s pool in your vacation resort, a coffee shop, or your big office, try to keep this position. It’s going to save you a lot of pain. Literally.

无论您是在度假胜地的酒店游泳池旁，咖啡馆还是大型办公室中，都请尽量保持这一位置。 这将为您节省很多痛苦。 从字面上看。

(For more information on ergonomics you can check this page.)

(有关人体工程学的更多信息，请查看此页面 。)

您随时随地 (You are always on the go)

Impermanence is a thing, you know? And what about uncertainty? Well, if this pandemic crisis had brought something to us, it is a fast track course about impermanence and uncertainty, for sure.

无常是一件事，你知道吗？ 那不确定性呢？ 好吧，如果这场大流行危机给我们带来了某些好处，那么毫无疑问，这是一条关于无常和不确定性的快速路线。

You may be working from home, but that doesn’t mean that you have a dedicated area or a home office. And even if you have it, these days that the entire family is there I can assure you that you have to work on the go. Even being inside your home.

您可能在家中工作，但这并不意味着您有专用区域或家庭办公室。 而且即使您拥有了这些天，整个家庭都在那儿，我可以向您保证，您必须在旅途中工作。 甚至在家中。

I have two computers. A Mac Mini and a laptop Chromebook. The first, I use it to produce podcasts, audio meditations, or audio in general, for design or web development. Sometimes even for photo and video editing. You need a good computer for that kind of stuff.

我有两台电脑。 Mac Mini和笔记本电脑Chromebook。 首先，我用它来制作播客，音频冥想或一般的音频，用于设计或网站开发。 有时甚至用于照片和视频编辑。 您需要一台好的计算机来处理这类事情。

The Chromebook was originally a MacBook Air (the old ones), but I installed ChromeOS in it and it works marvelously. Well, at least for internet browsing and researching, writing, editing, publishing, web sites, and web apps maintenance, and even for little design tasks (thanks, Figma!).

Chromebook最初是MacBook Air(旧版本)，但是我在其中安装了ChromeOS，并且运行出色。 好吧，至少可以用于Internet浏览和研究，编写，编辑，发布，网站和Web应用程序维护，甚至还可以完成很少的设计任务(感谢Figma！)。

So, for me, I need a place to set up the desktop computer and I can use the laptop anywhere.

因此，对我来说，我需要一个放置台式机的地方，并且可以在任何地方使用笔记本电脑。

And I need it because we are four members of a family living in an apartment — two daughters, my wife and me— and now that all of us are in it living in lockdown, spaces and times are complex. My wife is a teacher and is giving classes via Meet during the morning. My eldest has her distant high school classes during the morning too. Even the youngest is having an hour of videoconferencing with her teacher almost every day. And she is still in pre-school!

我之所以需要它，是因为我们是一个家庭的四个成员，住在一个公寓里，有两个女儿，我和我的妻子，而现在我们所有人都住在一个封闭的地方，时空错综复杂。 我的妻子是一位老师，并且在早上通过Meet上课。 我的老大在早上也有她远距离的中学课程。 即使是最小的孩子，几乎每天都与她的老师进行一小时的视频会议。 而且她还在上学前班！

3 videoconferences in different places at the same time. And for the rest of the day, homework, Spotify, Netflix, reading, drawing, singing, karate — another videoconference — , playing, breakfast, dinner, cleaning…

同时在不同地方进行3个视频会议。 在剩下的一天中，家庭作业，Spotify，Netflix，阅读，绘画，唱歌，空手道–另一个视频会议–播放，早餐，晚餐，清洁……

That’s why I said we are living on the go inside our own homes. If you are going to be in more than one place — living room, dining room, bedroom… — you need to carry on some things with you every time you move. Well, unless you only work with a laptop and you have everything in there.

这就是为什么我说我们生活在自己的房屋中。 如果您要呆在一个以上的地方-客厅，餐厅，卧室……–您每次搬家时都需要随身携带一些东西。 好吧，除非您仅使用笔记本电脑，并且所有东西都在那里。

I usually use a tray. It doesn’t need to be a special tray. I have even used the lid of a wood box. I carry on my laptop and extra stuff almost without changing my “desk” setup from one place to another. Either because the girls are playing music aloud in the living room or because I’m in the dining table and dinner time is coming, if I need to move to avoid the noise or to obstruct a girl’s game I can do it fast.

我通常使用托盘。 它不必是特殊的托盘。 我什至用过一个木盒子的盖子。 我几乎随身携带笔记本电脑和其他东西，而没有将“办公桌”设置从一个地方更改到另一个地方。 要么是因为女孩正在客厅里大声播放音乐，要么是因为我正坐在餐桌旁，晚餐时间快到了。如果我需要移动以避免噪音或妨碍女孩的游戏，我可以快点做。

您的办公桌设置是一个界面 (Your desk setup is an interface)

The same principles for UI design apply to the design of your desk set up. Remember this two:

UI设计的相同原则适用于办公桌设置的设计。 记住这两个：

1. Hick’s Law: The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Keep it simple. A big and full pen jar may look nice and colorful but is not going to help when you only need a pen to write down a little memo.
   希克定律(Hick's Law)：做出决定所需的时间随着选择的数量和复杂性而增加。 把事情简单化。 一个大而饱满的笔筒可能看起来不错而且色彩艳丽，但是当您只需要一支笔写下一些便笺时就无济于事。
2. Cognitive Load: The total amount of mental effort being used in a person’s working memory is limited. Some say that most people can only keep on average, seven items in their working memory. I used to have a lot of office supplies in my desk drawers for just-in-case situations, but the truth is that when the situation arrives I forgot the items I store.
   认知负荷：在一个人的工作记忆中使用的精神努力总量是有限的。 有人说，大多数人平均只能在工作记忆中保留七个项目。 以前，我的书桌抽屉里放着很多办公用品，以备万一情况下使用，但事实是，当情况到来时，我忘记了我存放的物品。

我要带到荒岛上什么办公桌？ (What desk setup would I bring to a desert island?)

This is not about specific brands or products. Archimedes said, “If you give me a lever and a place to stand, I can move the world”. I know web designers and developers that say “If you give me a laptop and a good wi-fi, I can move the world”.

这与特定的品牌或产品无关。 阿基米德说：“如果您给我一个杠杆和一个站立的地方，我就能移动世界”。 我知道网页设计师和开发人员说：“如果您给我一台笔记本电脑和一个良好的wi-fi，我就能改变世界”。

Yes, everybody has his or her preferences, but some of them can change with time or they depend on the kind of project. For some jobs I used to give my kingdom for some statistical software suites, but not anymore.

是的，每个人都有他或她的喜好，但是有些喜好会随着时间而改变，或者取决于项目的种类。 对于某些工作，我曾经给我的王国一些统计软件套件，但现在不多了。

The panorama in design has changed enormously in the last decade. There are very good open-source apps to do the job, but there are also diverse web apps to accomplish tasks that in the past required very expensive software to complete them.

在过去十年中，设计全景发生了巨大变化。 有很好的开源应用程序可以完成这项工作，但是也有各种各样的Web应用程序可以完成过去需要非常昂贵的软件才能完成的任务。

You can do little things very fast with tools like Canvas, and entire projects with Figma. For little pieces of video or multimedia, you can use Biteable and for audio you have Soundtrap. And what about those times when you necessarily needed a computer with the Office installed to do any job? I don’t remember the last time I opened Word.

您可以使用Canvas之类的工具快速完成小事情，而使用Figma则可以完成整个项目。 对于小段视频或多媒体，您可以使用Biteable，对于音频，您可以使用Soundtrap。 在那些需要安装Office的计算机来执行任何工作的情况下呢？ 我不记得上次打开Word的时候了。

Here is the basic stuff. Other things can change or be added, but you have to build upon the basics.

这是基本的东西。 其他事情可以更改或添加，但是您必须在基础上进行构建。

笔记本电脑，平板电脑或便携式产品 (A laptop, a tablet or something portable)

Unless I need to do design, development, audio, photo, or video production, a laptop is the better choice.

除非我需要进行设计，开发，音频，照片或视频制作，否则笔记本电脑是更好的选择。

I have used laptops, tablets or even my smartphone to work — just to write and with the help of a Bluetooth keyboard, of course — when I need to be on the go.

当我需要随时随地旅行时，我曾经使用笔记本电脑，平板电脑甚至是智能手机来工作-只是为了写作并借助蓝牙键盘。

I don’t believe in batteries so I always carry the charger with a short cable. I put extensions in the places I usually work at home so I don’t have to take the long one with me from one room to another. And in case of energy failure, I have the battery always fully charged.

我不相信电池，所以我总是用短电缆携带充电器。 我将分机放置在我通常在家工作的地方，因此不必将漫长的陪伴从一个房间转移到另一个房间。 而且，如果发生能量故障，我可以使电池始终充满电。

I have every cloud and app service ready to work on the laptop but I try to keep most of the work ready to be used offline. At least for the work session in turn. Wi-fi could slow down— do you remember the 3 videoconferences in the morning? — of even fail completely and I don’t like to stop working in the middle of a session. Or at least, I like to have something to do while the wi-fi comes back or gets better.

我已经准备好在笔记本电脑上使用所有的云和应用程序服务，但是我尝试使大部分工作准备就绪以供脱机使用。 至少依次进行工作会议。 Wi-Fi可能会变慢-您还记得早晨的3个视频会议吗？ —甚至完全失败，我不想在会议进行中停止工作。 或者至少，我喜欢在Wi-Fi恢复或变得更好的同时做点事情。

无线上网 (Wi-fi)

Obviously, right? Think again. The quality of the cappuccino or expresso is important when choosing a cafe to work, but not as important as the quality of the wi-fi.

显然是吧？ 再想一想。 选择咖啡馆上班时，卡布奇诺咖啡或咖啡的质量很重要，但不如Wi-Fi的质量重要。

Or you can think about how cool it can be to work in your apartment's balcony or the hotel’s pool, but if the wi-fi signal is low there, you are going to sacrifice the fresh air for a better connection.

或者，您可以考虑在您的公寓的阳台或酒店的游泳池中工作会变得有多酷，但是如果那里的Wi-Fi信号很弱，那么您将牺牲新鲜的空气来获得更好的连接。

笔记本 (A notebook)

I’m old school, I know, but this is a basic tool, especially when using a laptop because it can become your second display. Always the same notebook and always next to the computer.

我知道我是老学校，但这是一种基本工具，尤其是在使用笔记本电脑时，因为它可以成为您的第二显示器 。 始终是同一笔记本，并且始终在计算机旁边。

For me, it is plain paper, good for writing and drawing. I like any Moleskine look-a-like but the important is the thickness of the paper — I use a fountain pen, occasionally — and the size. I love big notebooks but they are not practical to work on the go.

对我来说，它是普通纸，适合书写和绘画。 我喜欢任何Moleskine外观，但重要的是纸张的厚度(偶尔使用钢笔)和尺寸。 我喜欢大型笔记本电脑，但在旅途中无法使用。

Are you in the middle of answering an important email and suddenly you remember having to check your bank account? Well, I will write that down in the notebook and continue with the email.

您是否正在回答重要的电子邮件，突然间您想起必须检查银行帐户了吗？ 好吧，我将其记录在笔记本中，然后继续发送电子邮件。

钢笔 (Pen)

I’m a writer and I enjoy drawing once in a while, so it’s inevitable to love and collect pens. To work on the go I have a retractable pen with me. It's easy to start using it and you don’t lose the cap.

我是作家，偶尔喜欢画画，所以爱和收笔是不可避免的。 我可以随身携带一支可伸缩笔，以便随时随地工作。 开始使用它很容易，而且您不会失去上限。

I prefer a smooth flow with gel-based ink but that doesn’t mean that it has to be an expensive pen. I have collected pens at hotels or conferences that run smoothly on paper.

我更喜欢使用基于凝胶的墨水使笔顺滑，但这并不意味着它必须是昂贵的笔。 我在旅馆或会议上收集的笔可以在纸上顺利运行。

My notebook is a mix of writing, doodles, diagrams, and drawings so a pen that can cover those chores is enough.

我的笔记本混合了书写，涂鸦，图表和绘图，因此一支笔可以遮盖那些杂物就足够了。

索引卡 (Index cards)

I have some index cards with a notebook. While the notebook keeps a dated journal, an index card can be used as a bookmark and have recurring information on it. Or you can use it for a quick prototype, to write down a phone, address or wi-fi password.

我的笔记本上有一些索引卡。 在笔记本计算机上保存有日期的日记本时，索引卡可以用作书签，并在上面有重复出现的信息。 或者，您可以将其用作快速原型，写下电话，地址或wi-fi密码。

If I’m going to have a meeting and I don’t want to forget the talking points, I prefer to write them on an index card and use it during the conversation.

如果我要开会，并且不想忘记谈话要点，我更愿意将它们写在索引卡上并在谈话中使用。

They are great for writing personal notes to your loved ones and leaving them on their own stuff.

它们非常适合给亲人写个人笔记，并留给自己使用。

便利贴 (Post-its)

I don’t use a lot of post-its but I hate to need one and not have it on hand. I have some pasted on the last pages of the notebook, just in case. For every temporary memo or to do’s list is a good option, and I can paste it on the computer screen, on a book, on a door… you know, post-its!

我不使用很多便利贴，但我讨厌只需要一个便贴。 为了防万一，我在笔记本的最后几页上粘贴了一些内容。 对于每个临时备忘录或待办事项列表都是一个不错的选择，我可以将其粘贴到计算机屏幕，一本书，一扇门上……您知道，张贴它！

手机 (Smartphone)

It’s terrible when you just sit to work and after some minutes, just when you start to enter “the zone”, your phone rings and it’s in one of the pockets of your jeans. You have to stand up, put your laptop aside, answer, talk for a while, and then, come back to work.

当您坐着工作时，几分钟后，刚开始进入“区域”，电话响了，它就在牛仔裤的一个口袋里，那真是太糟糕了。 您必须站起来，将笔记本电脑放在一旁，回答，聊一会儿，然后再恢复工作。

Even if you are going to work on the dining table or on the living room’s couch, remember to have a place for your phone, just like you would do in a regular office. When a notification appears on the screen, you can see it without leaving your keyboard.

即使您要在餐桌上或客厅的沙发上工作，也要记住为手机留个地方，就像在常规办公室中那样。 当通知出现在屏幕上时，您无需离开键盘即可看到它。

需要更多？ 再想一想 (Need more? Think again)

Every profession and even every project needs different tools and approaches, of course. But it’s important to keep it simple, especially when you are on the go. Even if on the go means your own home.

当然，每个专业甚至每个项目都需要不同的工具和方法。 但是保持简单很重要，尤其是在旅途中。 即使出门在外也意味着自己的家。

Less is more in this case. There is no need to be overly productive in the middle of a crisis like this pandemic. We are stressed enough.

在这种情况下，少即是多。 在像这种大流行这样的危机中，不必过度生产。 我们有足够的压力。

Apply those design principles to your own desk setup. You are your main user.

将这些设计原则应用于您自己的办公桌设置。 您是您的主要用户。