- Did you know that every time you see a desk video
on the internet,
the only reason why you're seeing that video
is because the YouTuber wanted a free desk?
How do I know this?
Because I used to be that YouTuber.
Our office.
My desk
This is my desk.
Well, guess what?
Not anymore, baby.
Because I bought this desk behind me
with my own big boy money.
This is my sub-$500 WFH,
modern, minimal, highly creative, self-driving,
provides for me, calls me daddy,
takes me out for walks when I'm feeling lonely,
highly creative command center,
and other buzz words like that,
which is just a fancy way to say
I couldn't find a desk sponsor for this video.
(duck quacks)
I built the desk behind me about a month ago,
and the reason why is because I was feeling super uninspired
with my old desk setup.
I didn't feel that productive,
and it honestly just became a place
where I just stored a bunch of stuff,
and then it just looked messy all the time,
and I just never wanted to sit at it.
And plus, it was also super uncomfortable to work at.
So I was just like not getting work done
because I just didn't like sitting at it.
So I was like on Instagram Reels.
I know. Instagram Reels.
I was looking at them.
Who does that, right?
And I saw this video pop up
from this guy named Andres Vidoza,
and he had this amazing desk setup that I was like,
oh, I think I've seen some of those items at IKEA.
You know what?
I'm gonna build his exact desk setup.
So I literally did that.
And ever since, in the last month,
I've been more productive
and gotten so much more work done
because of this desk setup right here.
So I'm gonna go through all the items that I use
to just get (beep) done.
So this is the old desk setup.
I really liked it.
My editor Lucas did not like it.
He called...
How did he know?
♪ Vindicated ♪
- He freaking knew right away-
♪ Swear I knew it all along ♪
- Just did not work for us in this situation.
It just didn't have like enough leg room.
That was a big thing.
And also I went ahead
and jumped the gun and bought all these speakers,
and then just never ended up using it.
So we were like, let's just get a lot more space.
Let's find a way to have it
like sit in this corner really nicely.
And let's make sure that it's actually a standing desk
so that we can like adjust it
for all the different people that work at this office.
So let's start with the pieces of the desk
that you have to build.
This is a DIY.
I missed that buzz word at the beginning of the video,
so you're gonna have to build this whole desk yourself.
So this is the KARLBY walnut kitchen tabletop from IKEA,
comes in at $219.
It looks so good.
And the wood actually, even though it's veneer,
feels like hardwood.
It's very aesthetic,
and because it's designed for a kitchen,
you know it's fairly durable.
Next are the legs.
Now this is the TOPSKY dual-motor standing legs.
These are literally separate from the tabletop,
but you can adjust the legs however you want.
Now I chose to put the legs closer together
so I could put the ALEX IKEA drawers on the side.
Now I went with the dark color,
'cause I felt like that paired really, really nicely
with the walnut top.
Now, in this office,
we're definitely going for like
that mid-century modern aesthetic.
And I think that worked really nicely here.
So if you add up the table top and the legs,
you're sub-$500.
If you do want add the drawers, those are $110 each.
So you're looking at like just a little over $700
for this entire setup,
and it looks so good, and it's so functional,
and will actually make you more productive.
All right, so moving on to the chair that I'm using.
Now I have switched up from the Joe Rogan Space Chair
to the ReGeneration desk chair by Knoll.
Now this is a product that you can buy on the Fully website.
I love this chair.
It is so comfortable.
This is the most comfortable chair
I've ever sat in my entire life.
The arms are adjustable,
and you can also adjust the height.
But most importantly,
the best thing that we ever did to this chair
is we added roller blade wheels that we bought on Amazon.
So not only is it quieter,
which is so important when we have wood floors,
'cause before it's like (mimics grinding wheels),
now it's like (mimics air whooshing).
Yeah, it became a cloud.
So if I ever put the desk in standing desk mode,
which is not that often,
I actually like to bust out the Fully Floatdeck.
Now this is fun,
because I actually come from a wakeboarding
and skateboarding background,
so I actually used to do this in my house
on just a normal skate deck.
But now this is just like the fancy version of it.
So as an antsy person that probably has undiagnosed ADHD,
this is a really nice way
for me to like feel like I'm engaged
with the call that I'm on or the work that I'm doing,
'cause I get to move my body around.
It's also just like a nice way
to like build up your core,
and just maintain some nice physical energy
around the office.
So the computer that we're using
is the Mac Studio M1 Max computer.
If you guys wanna learn more about it,
we did an entire video about it right here.
But most importantly, it's 64 gigs.
It's really fast, and it's super quiet.
Now, previous to this,
on our old desk setup,
we actually used to use a PC, and it was so loud.
The fans were atrociously loud
that we had to turn it off all the time
when we were filming,
because we film all the time.
We were literally turning that computer on and off,
so it was just annoying for data management,
and our NAS, and all this other stuff.
So it's nice to have a computer that's set up all the time,
I can sit down and work,
and that's why I like desktop computers,
'cause I just feel like I can show up and work in one spot.
So the monitor that we're using
is the Apple Display 27-inch 5K monitor.
It's a great monitor.
It's very expensive.
I'm gonna call that out right now.
It's like essentially like $2,000 Canadian, or even more.
I don't even know.
It's quite expensive for what it is.
There's a few reasons why I like it.
Number one, it just works.
I know that sounds hilarious.
It always works.
Two, has good audio.
Three, it's very aesthetic.
We are YouTubers.
We film things for a living.
I want my desk to look a certain way,
and I just don't like the look of plastic computers.
My foot hit the adjustable height on this.
Okay, so it also has this thing called,
it also has this thing called Center Stage,
so the camera in the monitor
will literally like zoom in on your face a little bit
and then follow you around.
So as someone who paces during Zoom calls,
the camera will follow me around.
And then the clients are always like,
"Oh, this is, what a cool feature.
This guy's living in the future."
And the last part
is that it has an anti-reflective coating,
and because this monitor is literally right beside a window,
you don't have any glare issues,
which is something that we experienced with our old monitor
all the time, where I had to close the curtains,
and make it moody and dim
to be able to edit my photos without glare.
For the keyboard and mouse,
I'm using the one that came along
with the actual computer that we purchased here, the M1 Max.
So the new keyboard is really, really nice.
The keys feel quite smooth.
And I'm also using the Apple Mouse.
I went for the black one
so it can match the aesthetic of everything.
I'm still upset about the charging port.
I don't know how they haven't updated it.
Everyone's always complaining about it.
Apple, you know what to do.
Put it in the front.
Fix that up.
Just do it, okay?
Mousepad is the Satechi Eco Leather Mousepad in black.
When you put eco leather,
I feel like that's just a way
to be like let's charge an extra $10 for this.
I got it off of Amazon.
It's held up really good.
I feel like most of the leather products
I've had in the past start to like waiver a little bit.
This is just working,
and this is just to avoid scratches from the mouse
on the tabletop here.
It looks good.
I like it.
Satechi eco leather.
All right, this next one's a bit ridiculous.
I can't believe I actually put this on my desk.
Lizzie laughs at me all the time.
Why does he have a cookie jar?
Well, this is a timed container storage thing.
So essentially,
because I don't know how to control myself with my phone,
because my like time is at like six hours someday.
And because I work in social media,
I'm always like, it's okay to be on my phone,
but then I don't get any work done.
This has actually been a bit of a game changer
on the days that I'm like uber distracted by my phone,
where I'm just like so into it,
I literally take this off, shove the phone in.
I can switch the time.
Make sure this doesn't say days.
We'll do one minute.
Five, four, three, and then watch the side here.
Now it's locked in.
I can't get my phone out for 56 seconds.
What are we gonna do?
Get some work done.
That's what we're gonna do.
Man, it's been a rough 40 seconds there.
I had to talk to my editor (chuckles)
Okay. Three, two, one, watch.
That's dope.
Dopamine. Let's go (laughs).
Nobody texted me.
So as you can see, there's a guitar behind me.
I actually used to be a full-time musician
for a really long time.
If you search Chris Hau on YouTube,
you'll find some of my old songs,
but I still like jamming every now and then,
especially when I'm kinda getting stressed at work,
I like to pick up with a guitar
and just like decompress while playing.
Now, that's an electric guitar,
so I actually have a guitar amp on my desk.
This is the Positive Grid Spark MINI
This is a new product that just came out.
I absolutely love it.
It sounds so good considering its size.
It's lithium battery powered,
so you're literally charging and bring it anywhere.
But most importantly, it connects with your phone,
so you can actually add pedals in a certain sequence
to get whatever sound that you want
literally using a phone app.
How rad is that?
But we also just use this
as our main Bluetooth speaker
to just have music playing around the office,
'cause it sounds good.
So we usually just like vibe into lo-fi beats all the time.
That and Bad Bunny and Spanish music.
Those are the two vibes
we have going in the office all the time.
Moving across the table,
I literally have felt coasters for all the drinks
and all the iced coffee that we consume in this office
to be so productive all the time,
but mostly because we don't want water rings
on the wood tabletops
that are literally on every surface here.
Now I understand why my parents got so mad
that I didn't use a coaster all the time.
Next I have a pen from Grovemade.
This is the Grovemade Pen Plus.
The only reason why I like this
is because it has little beveled edges on it.
and it doesn't roll off the table,
and then damage my white carpets
by getting pen stains on them.
I have a little catch-all here
for all the SD cards that we're using in this office
all the time, because we always need access to them,
and we're always fumbling and searching for them.
So it's just like a little catchall.
It's the Grovemade walnut dish.
And it also has Toss the Pigs.
If you know, you know...
IYKKYYK.
(cameraman laughs)
Next is one of my favorite products
that I've ever purchased.
This is the Ugmonk Analog.
Now the reason why I like this
is because, I mentioned this before,
but I have undiagnosed ADHD,
and lists are a very, very important thing for me.
If I don't write something down,
I will literally forget about it.
Now, 10 months ago, I hinted at a product
that I still haven't released yet,
but this is my new product called Unblock.
I'm very excited about this.
If you struggle with having creative blocks,
or coming up with ideas for your next creative project,
this is going to help you.
If you wanna be one of the first
to figure out the updates on this product right here,
I will leave a link to my newsletter below,
and literally, by signing up for the newsletter,
you get a free course, 10 Days to Raise Your Rates.
Each day, you'll get a new email with a little tip
on how you can charge more money as a creative person.
I'm assuming you're a creative person
if you're watching this video,
or you're working from home, doesn't matter.
All the tips apply to all the creative spaces,
and I hope it adds value, too,
and hopefully you can start making more money.
And the only thing I expect in return?
Literally nothing.
Just your love and gratitude.
Maybe watch a video from time to time.
That would be nice.
Or follow me on Instagram. That'd be cool.
I like to keep a book on my desk,
because if I don't keep it on my desk
and in my visual sight,
I will just never read the book.
So I'm currently reading
"The YouTube Formula" by Darrell Eves.
If you're a YouTuber, this book has been so valuable
in terms of my workflow
and how to understand how to title
and make better thumbnails.
Literally, if you look at my thumbnails in the last year,
that's all from the knowledge I gained from this book here,
and my views are up because of it.
So Darrell, thank you so much for making this book.
I need to finish it.
I've been reading it for a while,
but it takes me a while to digest everything,
also because of the ADHD thing, for sure.
Moving along to my headphones of choice.
These are the Apple AirPods Max.
Now I will call it out.
These are very expensive headphones,
but there's a few reasons why I like it.
Number one, they are the best noise canceling headphones
that I've ever used.
So in terms of like something to be more productive,
I found with my personality
that I need to have zero distraction.
So I literally put on white noise,
or like Binaural Beats, or like Latin music.
And then I put them on,
and I cannot hear anything else,
and I can just get in the zone.
I can find my flow state faster
because of these specific headphones.
I pretty much only wear these in the office
when I'm working, because I'll just show you,
if you're just chilling,
this is like a little bit uncomfortable.
You feel like they're just like hugging you too tightly,
like you haven't seen your aunt in a while,
and she's like "It's so good to see you,"
and you're like, (groans).
If you guys need a playlist
or some new songs to listen to
while you're editing some photos,
I literally have my own editing playlist.
I will leave a link to it below on Spotify.
I love it.
It's been curated for your ears only.
Yes, you.
Not you, but you for sure.
And then I just have a really bougie walnut stand
with like leather siding on it.
It's from Grovemade.
It's very nice.
It's expensive, but I like bougie things.
Moving along, I have a watch stand.
This is literally just something I found on Amazon.
It's walnut.
It has a little leather top on it.
It wasn't too expensive.
It's also not built that well, but it holds my watch,
which is really important
because when you're working at like a wood table,
I don't wanna scratch my steel bracelet,
and I also don't wanna scratch the table.
So I literally can take this off
and then place it right on the watch stand over there,
and then I can just work, and then I can grab it again.
And it just like looks also very aesthetic on the table
and it's very functional.
Moving along, I have this white incense holder
from Misc. Goods Co.
I actually really, really love
having a a nice smell in the office,
mainly 'cause Lizzie came in one day,
and she was like why does it smell like Red Bull
and boys in here?
And I was like, I don't want to hear that comment again.
So I bought an incense holder,
and I put it on,
and it helps put me in a nice mood when I'm working,
is very relaxing.
I'm older now, so I like scents and candles.
That's a thing that will happen to you when you become 30.
And a very functional part of our desk
is we literally have this like clamp on surge protector
from Fully, which gives you three more outlets,
and a USB-C and USB to charge items.
Let's quickly talk about my audio setup here,
which actually just literally lives on this desk
all the time.
This is the Rode Podcast Mic Arm,
and then we also have the Shure MV7.
This is essentially similar to the SM7B.
It sounds really good.
Ever since we started using this microphone,
I feel like our audio has definitely improved
on the channel.
So this just stays set up.
It's a great mic.
It sounds good, and it's actually pretty affordable.
And one of the most important parts of a desk setup,
in my personal opinion,
is the lighting that you actually attach to it.
So I use the LIFX LED Lightstrips.
These are my favorite LED light strips that I ever used.
I've actually purchased a few other ones from Amazon,
some of the cheaper brands.
And I just found that the communication
between the apps and the LED just don't work all the time.
With LIFX, in my experience, they just always work.
Like if I bring up the app right here,
I can literally change it to whatever color that I want
for whatever shoot that I'm working on.
I just love them.
They're reliable.
It creates a good mood and atmosphere,
And that's why I recommend the LIFX one specifically.
And my last item, which you have not seen on this desk yet,
'cause it's been hidden.
Mini Bop It!.
We're gonna end this video playing Mini Bop It!.
But if you guys wanna learn more
about my previous desk setups
and the other desks that we still use right now,
I will leave a link right here.
Let's start.
- [Bop It! Narrator] High score, 38.
(Bop It! music begins)
Bop It!
Twist it!
Pull it!
- I think I'm gonna get a high score.
- [Bop It! Narrator] Twist it!
Twist It!
Bop It! Oh!
- No!
- [Bop It! Narrator] You can do this.
Score, 47.
- New high score.