For years, my home computer setup has been in need of an ergonomic overhaul. Not able to find any computer workstations that adequately accommodated my non-traditional setup, I have been using an art table for my computer. To say that it has made computer use undesirable would be an understatement.

I use computers a lot, and it seems like every few months or so I have become stricken with pain in my wrist and forearm and end up having to avoid using my computer.

The main problems in finding a good desk for me have been 1) that most of them don’t have a wide enough keyboard tray to accommodate a keyboard and Wacom Tablet side-by-side, and 2) workstations assume that you have only one monitor ��� I have two. I looked really hard for a couple of months, and even drew up some plans to build my own, but I finally just gave up.

Today, I was at either Office Max or Office Depot (I can never tell the difference, but that’s for another post), getting some office supplies, and on my way out I happened to look at computer desks, just in case things had changed in the last year or so. I came across the O’Sullivan Expo Computer Workstation (Model 11059) and it seemed like an ideal fit. Lately, I had been thinking that I would just get an old used table that had adjustable height, and put my keyboard and tablet on that, and raise my monitors somehow. It would be economical, and more importantly, it would give an old table a new use. But this desk was on sale for $75, so in a mild bout of Affluenza I bought a new computer desk.

The design is decent, aside from some unnecessary details that made assembly more difficult. I messed up a couple of times, but was able to get it all together correctly. Assembly took four listenings to Give Up, which translates to about three hours. Here is what the new setup looks like:

The new desk dropped my keyboard height a grand total of four inches, which may not be quite enough. I might make a modification and move the keyboard tray down a bit ��� perhaps even slant it. The monitors are way too high on this new setup, but we’ll see how my neck feels in a couple of months.

Now my setup rivals my setup at my office (ergonomically), which is even more challenging to get right because I have a 9×12 tablet there instead of a 6×8. Each of those setups have their flaws, but at least they are different, so maybe they’ll cancel each other out.

So, though I lament having another large possession that is difficult to move, and I wonder what’s going to happen to that poor table, I am pleased to have a setup that should make blogging a little more comfortable.

Update: Yes, the “before” picture is genuine. That is how (as you people would say) “messy” my desk usually is. I even cleared it off a little before taking the picture.