Desk in Front of a Window? [Pros+Cons] & [Ideal Setup]

Desk placement is an essential factor to consider if you work from a home office or workplace. Your desk’s atmosphere and surroundings directly affect how well you can concentrate, get work done, and use your time efficiently. You may be intimidated to put your desk in front of a window so that natural light can help you work faster.

But this choice is like a sword with two edges. There are good and bad things about putting your desk facing the window.

If you need to decide where to place your desk, this will give you a complete guide.

In this post, I’ll explain why you should or should not place your desk before a window and recommend the spot I suggest for your desk in your office. Read on to answer the question: Should your desk be placed before a window?

Should You Place Your Desk in Front of a Window?

Well, a quick answer to this may be a NO! While placing a desk in front of a window can help you boost your creativity and get exposure to natural Sunlight, it does offer some harm. Now, you must think about what could be harmful in desk placement.

If you live in a busy neighborhood, it will directly interfere with your work efficiency. However, if you want to stay near the window, you can place your desk beside or near the windows rather than directly in front.

It was a quick answer for everyone seeking, but every workspace is different. If you want to know all the goods and bads of placing your desk in front of a window, you should read on. You’ll get to decide after examining your workspace design and space for the desk.

Pros of Placing Your Desk in Front of a Window:

1- Natural Light:

You’ll have the best when you’re sitting in the Sunlight, which will raise your vitamin D levels. It also makes your eyes feel better and saves your energy.

Circadian rhythms work better when there is natural light around. This makes it easier to sleep at night and regulates the sleep cycle. It also gives you more energy and clears your mind.

However, prolonged exposure to direct Sunlight is harmful and ineffective. It can cause skin cancer, premature aging, or other problems. Therefore, it is best to take the necessary measures to protect yourself from overexposure.

The best time to take a sun bath is from sunrise to 11 a.m. and then in the evening from 4 p.m. to sunset. Avoid direct Sunlight between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Protip: Use Sunblock with a higher SPF to protect yourself from harmful effects.

2- Saving Money on Bills:

After being in full Sunlight for a while, you won’t need to use artificial lights again until the evening. This will lower your bills, whether you have a home office or a traditional one.

3- More Space:

There is usually more space around the windows. Putting your desk in front of the window will give you more room for it and the other furniture that goes with it.

4- Clean Air:

Keeping your desk beside a window will let in fresh air and keep your office cool. People who live in a nice, clean, and beautiful area will like having a desk in front of the window.

Fresh air brings lots of Oxygen, which is good for a fresh mind and soul. It keeps the fresh air circulating inside the room, which makes the whole room fresh and chilly. (It may not be pleasant in winter)

5- Outdoor Scenery:

If you live in a friendly, clean town, you can enjoy the beauty outside instead of on one of the Grand roads or highways. You can also take a short break, which helps you feel better. A beautiful view can help you deal with worry and stay healthy.

But make sure you stay connected for a short time. You have a lot of work to do! 🙂

Now that you know all the benefits, let’s see what happens if you place your desk in front of a window.

Harms of Placing Your Desk in Front of a Window:

Placing your desk in front of a window has several consequences that may harm your work environment. The following are some cons of placing your desk in front of a window:

1- Lack of Focus and Distractions:

If you live in a hilly area or somewhere else that looks nice, you can put your desk in front of the window. To be safe, you should close the windows if you live near busy roads or in a noisy area. A noisy environment and strange sounds from outside make it hard to concentrate and decrease productivity.

2- Glare and Reflection on the Computer Screen:

Exposure to the sun correctly is good for you in many ways, but if your screen faces the window, you’ll have to deal with the glare and light reflection from the screen. Either get blinds or curtains, or move your desk.

Sunlight reflecting off the screen hurts your eyes, making it harder to see. Direct Sunlight hurts your desktop because it makes it too hot and also hurts other devices by making them work less effectively.

3- Temperature Fluctuations and Discomfort:

Direct exposure to the sun for extended periods may increase the temperature of your room. However, it could be more pleasing, specifically during the summers.

Moreover, prolonged direct exposure also leads to discomfort, and you won’t be willing to do so for more extended periods. Another excuse for procrastinators 😏

4- Privacy Issues:

Friends or family members who are walking down the street will probably bother you if your office is on the ground floor. Also, people walking by on the street can see your work and what’s on your desk, another big privacy issue.

Putting your desk next to a window will make your back face the window, so someone can easily watch what you’re doing on your computer.

5- No wall space for organizing essentials:

When you have a home or office, the walls can be used to hang cable management accessories, organizers, or storage shelves. However, you can’t use this space once you set up your desk in front of a window. If you put your desk next to the window, you can use this wall to store many accessories, line it with motivational quotes, and display your awards and shields on display shelves.

6- Challenges in maintaining a professional appearance for video calls:

If you’re a remote worker, you’ll have to join video calls more often; it won’t be any better. The video lets you see what’s going on, which can also be confusing for the people on call. Moreover, it isn’t good for professionals to have a workspace where they can be easily distracted.

7- Dust:

Although placing the desk in front of a window offers fresh air and ventilation, it will come at a cost, as this air will bring dust into your workplace. You may clean your office often, but if it’s near a window, you should think of it as being in front of a dust storm because it will always be dusty.

Most importantly, Dust particles get trapped in the tech accessories and devices, which reduces the efficiency of your system. It may cause overheating and other issues.

Factors to Consider If You Have To Keep The Desk Facing The Window

If you want to keep your desk facing the window, consider the following factors. These measures will minimize the problems of placing the desk in front of a window.

1. Window coverings or blinds to reduce glare

Window coverings or curtains are the best choices to limit light, dust, distractions, and glare.

Moreover, you can use the same color scheme for the curtains you chose for your brand. Invest in both thick and thin blinders to ensure optimum lighting. Coverings will also limit distractions and give your home office a softened look and a pleasing ambiance in the morning.

2. Proper positioning of the desk to minimize distractions

Distractions while working are misleading. They negatively impact your focus and attention on a particular task, leading to poor or bad-quality work. You won’t achieve the desired results while working with distractions.

Place your desk perpendicular to the window instead of in front to limit distractions. Blinds and curtains will help, but also restrict the natural light you crave.

3. Using an anti-glare screen protector for the computer:

Protect your screen from glare and light reflections with an anti-glare screen cover. These screen guards have a coating on them. Light can’t get to your eyes because the shield spreads it out. This spreading out of light makes it easier to see and keeps your eyes from getting tired by lowering the brightness of the glare.

Pro tip: To keep your eyes from getting tired, you can also buy glasses that block out lousy light.

Best Ideas to Boost Productivity at a Desk Facing the Window

You can take several measures to stay productive at a desk facing the window. Below are the helpful tips for working at a desk beside or facing the window.

1- Create a dedicated workspace with minimal distractions

Your workspace should be dedicated to work only and not to other stuff. That means you shouldn’t eat or wash at your desk; it won’t help you stay focused and awake. The surroundings shouldn’t distract you from working, but instead get in the way.

2- Organize and declutter the desk regularly

Distractions like a messy or disorganized desk can be a problem. You won’t be able to fowon’tf stuff is all over it. It is easier to get things done when your desk is neat and clean. Furthermore, a desk overloaded with cords, accessories, and misplaced items makes working difficult and disturbing.

3- Implement a task management system to stay organized

Following a task management system or scheduling software allows you to focus on your goals and daily tasks you organize and manage, and gives you more time to focus on other things. You can also use the batching technique to divide your responsibilities into four categories.

These categories include Creation, Ideation, Management, and Learning. You can divide your tasks into these four categories accordingly, or you may create your categories.

4- Take regular breaks and incorporate movement into the work routine

Doctors say that professionals should get up and move around every 30 minutes, whether they work from home or in a company office. It keeps your blood flowing, keeps your muscles healthy, and keeps your spine straight. Our spines naturally curve in specific ways.

If you spend much time sitting or not moving around, these curves may need to be fixed. You should buy a standing desk that you can adjust the height of. With a standing desk, you can work in both sitting and standing positions.

Feng Shui Analogy of Desk Placement:

Correct furniture placement is a significant part of Feng Shui, a Chinese practice that promotes harmony and balance. So, where the desk is placed has a significant effect on the person using it.

According to Feng Shui, you should sit at a desk with your front to the door and your arms crossed. Ideally, a door position where you can watch the door and your back towards the door, as well as doorways on the sides, would add to its ambiance. According to this analogy, you should follow the best desk setup ideas to place your desk, which will ultimately affect your work and productivity.

Best Desk Placement Spot in the Office

Your desk should be next to the window rather than right in front of it. Why? If your desk faces the window, Sunlight will shine straight on the screen, causing your eyes to feel worse and requiring you to work or read more slowly.

Additionally, you can choose a space on the side of the wall to give your desk more support and stability, especially if it is moving.

3 Steps to an Ideal Setup for any Work Desk:

Beside the Window

Your back should be against the wall

You face the door

 

How can you improve your work? ConDoorr the following four recommendations to improve your door workspace. If your workspace already fulfills all four factors, let me congratulate you—you have the perfect workstation.

Ergonomic Desk Setup:

Consider buying a desk based on your height. The desk should be customized to keep you in the best position. Ergonomic desks make sitting comfortable and help prevent injury. They keep you sitting in the correct alignment and posture.

It reduces fatigue, and you feel more comfortable while working. An increase in comfort level also increases your work hours.

Natural Light:

Naturally lit rooms are beneficial for getting work done because they keep you alert and focused. Natural light also gives you more energy and makes you more creative. Highly energized workers are more likely to be productive and creative.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, when there isn’t enough natural light in the office, employees feel tired and unproductive.

Minimum distractions:

Distractions are a big enemy of focused work. If you’re distracted, your employees won’t work with maximum efficiency. Some primary sources of distractions in the workspace include Mobile phone usage, noisy environment, office interruptions, email notifications, or other irrelevant discussions.

Another significant source of distraction is Stress and internal conflicts. If you’re disturbed, whether you’re working in an office cabin or not, you’ll still be disturbed.

Privacy Concerns:

Lack of privacy directly interferes with productivity. How? Less privacy reduces your sense of autonomy, and you feel you have less control over your work environment. If you’re in an office, you can use desk dividers or partitions. Your home office provides you with privacy unless your family or someone from the window constantly distracts you during work.

Why do you want to place your desk in front of a Window?

Before making any decision, you need to rethink and consider the purpose behind keeping your desk in front of a window.

Get an answer to WHY you want to place it in front of a window. Is it natural light that is making you change your desk position? Or any other reason?

There are many reasons to place your desk in front of a window, including natural light, eye strain, mood changes, and productivity.

Placing your desk near a window can be helpful; being in the sun will make you more efficient and give you more energy.

Another reason to place your desk in front of a window is the outdoor inspiration. Living in a living area with refreshing air and scenery inspires you to work better. This is an ideal setting for creative workers like me, such as designers, artists, or writers. 😉

However, putting your desk next to a window has many negative aspects. These could include the outside environment, the weather, the glare on the screen, a screen that doesn’t work well, and other issues.

So, before changing the position, you must find out WHY you want to do it.

FAQs:

Where is the best place to put a desk in an office with a window?

Ideally, the best place to put a desk in the office is on the side of the window where you can watch the door. But before placing the desk, you must consider the Doorpace, Doornteriors, and environment.

Which way should a desk be facing?

I think the desk should face the door, not the window. A desk facing the door gives the room a more inspired, open, and inviting feeling. However, desks in front of the window may cause distraction, and glare from the screen is another problem.

Conclusion:

Placing the desk in front of a window should be entirely your choice. It depends on your preferences, office space, interior, and environment.

PROS	CONS
1- Natural Light 2- Saving money on bills 3- More Space 4- Fresh Air 5- Outdoor Scenery	1- Lack of focus and distractions 2- Glare and reflection on the computer screen 3- Temperature fluctuations and discomfort 4- Privacy Issues 5- No wall space for organizing essentials 6- Challenges in maintaining a professional appearance for video calls 7- Dust

 

I hope this write-up has helped you choose the best place based on your suitability and given you various perspectives on desk placement in an office so you can decide accordingly.