People always ask what my desk looks like, and then they ask why. So here it is, in order of impact, with the actual reasons.
1. A real chair. Herman Miller Sayl. I sit 8+ hours a day and the Sayl hasn't made me get up to stretch out of pain in three years. Everything else is optional. The chair is not.
2. A sit-stand desk. Flexispot E7 Pro with a plain oak top. Standing 2–3 hours a day broken up throughout the workday changed my back pain. I don't stand all day — nobody does — but alternating is the thing.
3. A big monitor, mounted on an arm. One 34" ultrawide (5120x2160 if you can afford it, 3440x1440 if you're reasonable) beats two 24" side-by-side. An arm frees up desk space and lets you adjust height — your eyes should be level with the top bezel, not the middle.
4. A BenQ ScreenBar Halo. Desk lighting without screen glare. I thought this was a gadget. It's actually a tool. $150 well spent.
5. A real mouse and keyboard. MX Master 3S and whatever mechanical keyboard makes you happy. Peripherals are personal — the cheap office combo is not.
6. A GaN charger at the desk. Anker 735 handles phone, laptop, and earbuds from one little brick. No desk spaghetti.
7. Cable management. CableBox raceway under the desk, grommet for the monitor arm, velcro wraps. A clean desk is a focused desk.
That's it. Everything else is fluff. A good desk setup is boring, durable, and invisible — it doesn't distract from the work.