This $44 Laptop Desk Makes the Best DIY Standing Desk Ever

I worked from home for more than two years, and in those two years, I learned a lot about how to best work from, well, your home. Trust me, I get it: It can be hard to separate your 9-to-5 from your home routine when you’re working in the same space, and it’s even harder to be productive while sitting on your couch (or bed). That’s why mid-way through my second week of being WFH in 2017, I decided to create a makeshift standing desk, and I’ve never looked back — or worked from my couch — since.

There’s still ongoing research about the pros and cons of standing versus sitting while you work, though it’s been said that doing both all day isn’t ideal, either. And while I’m not saying that standing desks are better for your health, I do know that the makeshift one I created with this $44 bamboo laptop tray helped increase my productivity levels and allowed me to more easily separate my workspace from my living space.

So here’s what I do: I never work from my bed, and I try to limit working from my bedroom if I can. I know many people live in smaller studios with a single living space, so the latter isn’t always an option (though the former probably is). During my work hours, I dedicate a portion of my kitchen table as my office space, where I switch off between sitting and standing by simply placing my all-time favorite bamboo laptop tray on the table when I want to stand and removing it when I need to give my feet a break. That’s all there is to my secret (well, not so secret) DIY standing desk.

With many of us WFH for the next few weeks, it’s natural there’s been a 406 percent spike in Pinterest searches for home-desk setups. My setup has allowed me to get back on my feet for a portion of the day and write stories for you at a standing desk made possible by this multi-use laptop tray. Bonus: I can also work a few squats in, too. So, I’m more productive and can get in a workout? Nothing beats that.

Squire Bamboo Laptop Tray

Shop now: $44; wayfair.com