How to create a better office environment with furniture, supplies, and products

Office Supplies Blog has a post going on right now that states, “A U-shaped layout with a full 360 degree reach to your entire workspace will dramatically increase efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.  This makes a U-Shaped Desk Configuration the ideal piece of office furniture.”

Is that a true statement? I’d say almost 100% of the time; yes. I know that a U-shaped desk configuration is not ideal for every office space because they take up room and it’s unreasonable to expect to get more than a few U-shaped desk into a room but overall if you can make it happen go for U-shaped desks every time.  

I used to have a U-shaped desk and everything I needed was close by. All I had to do to reach anything was swivel in my chair. I waste less time looking for items kept away from my desk and could reach around quickly to snag research or a new pen. My current situation is a short basic computer desk – basically a desk you might have had in college. My U-shape was gigantic and I didn’t want to cart it to Washington from New Mexico. Just about each day I wish I had though. I can see that my productivity is down so far as speed and although it’s not the worst situation a U-shaped desk is in the works for me.

The Office Supplies Blog recommends HON U-shapes which are ok. In fact their Hon U-Shaped Desk With Right Lateral File Pedestal looks exactly like my old desk.

Problems; I hate the color and if this is like my old desk than it comes in large chunks instead of easy to move pieces. Still, this is not the worst deal in U-shapes.

Here are a few more options:

Color-wise I like this desk from Ambience Doré. It seems like you could paint it or leave it and have it sort of blend in.

This Manchester series workstation at Office Max is nice – I’ve been considering this one but it’s maybe too dark for me. However, getting a U-shape with desk-to-top shelving can maximize your productivity and office space.

There are tons of options out there when it comes to U-shaped desks. Some have additional shelving and some only the desk space. One annoying thing about some U-shapes is that they won’t have a dedicated computer space so no pull-out keyboard. Make sure you sit at the desk before making a decision.