I’m setting up my desk and trying it without a shelf. Why am I ditching the shelf? Partly so for the always-on iPhone, but also just to leave things a little cleaner looking.

One of my favorite features of having a shelf on my desk was the way it kept my laptop a few inches off the desk surface. I always liked having the expensive laptop a few inches above the desk surface just in case.

Without the shelf, my laptop is back on the desk. No shelf = no altitude. So it’s time for the old Pad of Paper Under the Laptop trick. It’s not as safe as a shelf but in the event of a spilled cup of tea, it should keep the liquid out of the laptop.