I work as a software developer, I don't think I can really get away from having a screen as the central fixture on my desk. That said, for those whose work is n

I work as a software developer, I don't think I can really get away from having a screen as the central fixture on my desk. That said, for those whose work is not so centrally fixed around computing, elevating a monitor to the most central location on their desk strikes me as far less helpful. My partner works works with college students, they are a counselor and adviser; meeting with students is the primary focus of their work. I was surprised to see, however, that the computer and display was still a big part of their desk. They have one of those L-shaped workstations with the front portion cleared so they can talk to students and the wall-side dominated by the computer's display. Does the screen need to dominate their workspace? What sort of constant attention drain does the display represent on them and the students? I also believe it leads to unreasonable work performance related expectations, namely that they are entirely up-to-date on the most recent received email messages and memos, etc. Most of their time is spent working with students, the computerized portion of their work is mostly in the morning, brief snippets in between appointments and the end of the day. This "screenless" idea seems somewhat extreme, but perhaps having the computing device in a clearly diminutive form-factor would go a long way towards changing their relationship with the machine, as well as expectations for how much time they spend reading email, memos, etc. I definitely think it's worth exploring. In my opinion, the "open" office plans seem the most extreme version of this idea that the computing device should be central to one's workspace (and by extension, one's work). In some of these plans, there's almost no personal space at all, certainly no room for decoration or personal touches. On the contrary, the entire space is defined by the computer. http://vanessaauditore.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/privacy-in-the-open-plan-office.jpeg http://vanessaauditore.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/privac...