My Workstation: 10 essential pieces of kit

Let me show you round my personal workstation, and show you the 10 pieces of kit that make designing web sites easier.

Asus laptop
Kinesis Advantage Pro ergonomic keyboard
Bose QuietComfort 3 noise-cancelling headphones
Mouse mat with wrist pad
Chair
Notepad of scrap paper
Stape-less stapler
Microphone
Nice hot cup of tea
Crib sheets

Asus laptop

I've had this laptop for nearly 2 years. It has proven robust and reliable, and the letters haven't rubbed off the keys, like they do with various others. This model is fairly thin and light, as I travel with it quite a lot.

I've got this set up with my seating so that the top of the screen is at my eye level. That means my neck is straight and my head's level all the time.

Kinesis Advantage Pro ergonomic keyboard

One of the most important, and most challenging, additions to my kit.

I invested in this full-on ergonomic keyboard just a few weeks ago, after suffering from nagging pains in my fingers and wrists, due to using a laptop keyboard 100% of the time. I can say, without question, that if you work on a keyboard all day (like may of us do), you should get one of these as soon as possible.

The Kinesis models are more advanced than the regular “ergonomic” keyboards you find, as they go a lot further than just re-angling your wrists. These keyboards re-model the whole key layout, arranging the keys in columns instead of brick-fashion like regular keyboards. The keys are also arranged in a scoop-like 3D formation, to minimise the distance you have to move between keystrokes. The thumbs get sets of special keys (Ctrl, Alt, Backspace, Delete, Home, End, Enter, PgUp, PgDown, and Space - different for Mac), which mean you can pretty much keep your hands in the same place the whole time.

How is it to use

I should say, first-off, that I'm a fast touch-typist (80 wpm), so the benefits of this keyboard will be greater for me. I have to say that, initially, I was totally freaked out. Using the Kinesis was like having to learn to type all over again (whereas, in fact, I just needed to re-program my mental connections a bit). I had to spend several hours doing exercises (provided) to teach my fingers where the keys had moved to. After about 2 months, I'm still learning, and I'm not quite as quick as I was on my old keyboard, but getting quicker all the time. Regular typing is about the same now, but special key combinations (which I use a lot in Photoshop and when coding) are going to take longer to catch up.

But the most important fact is: My fingers have stopped hurting, after just a few weeks! My advice is, don't wait until your fingers hurt before you get one of these prescribed by your physician. Additionally, if you're learning to touch type, do it on one of these keyboards now, and you won't have to switch later.

Shop for Kinesis Advantage Pro USB for Mac & PC from Amazon

Bose QuietComfort 3 noise-cancelling headphones

I can listen to music on iTunes for over 8 hours per day, when designing or coding. These are not cheap headphones, but they're the most comfortable I've ever tried, and the noise-cancelling feature is fantastic when on flights or trains, cutting out background noise by playing the opposite sound through the headphones, mixed in with what you're listening to. Ingenious and worth their weight in gold.

Shop for Bose QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones on Amazon

Mouse mat with wrist pad

Very comfy for long hours clicking away. My mouse is a laptop model - very small and light, easy to use all day. I used to have a gel keyboard wrist pad as well, before moving to the Kinesis.

Chair

A regular chair from my kitchen, replacing my big fat leather reclining number. I found that the leather comfy chair wasn't quite high enough for using the new keyboard, and I was getting bach ache from trying to sit up so straight all day. The kitchen chair is the right height, but the most important thing is that I make sure it's positioned straight in front of my laptop, at the right distance. Can't stress these ergonomics enough. I've been working at computers for 12 years. How long have you been doing it? At 34 now, I'm learning how critical it is to look after my physical body.

Notepad of scrap paper

My #1 piece of kit! I've got a clipboard made out of a recycled telecoms printed circuit board, which is always full of paper that's been printed on one side.

Having a ready supply of scrap paper to hand lets me think more freely all the time. Whenever I've got anything to do, I first sit back and grab my paper. I'll either sketch out a design, or write notes, following the Think-Then-Do process.

The great thing about scrap is that you can rip a piece off and throw it in the recycling bin, and re-draw, with no feeling of back-tracking (which can keep us pushing forward with an idea we feel isn't right, out of fear).

I find it makes the idea-generation process much chpeaper & easier, and liberates me to try out more ideas much more quickly than working on the computer.

Stape-less stapler

Clever little gadget that helps me bind togehter a few sheets of my scrap paper, helping keep the desk tidy. It punches little tabs through the paper, which does quite a good job of holding it together. The downside is that it doesn't work well for less than 4 or more than about 12 sheets.