Collecting items makes it tough to maintain a clutter-free workspace, especially when transitioning suddenly to remote work from home. Adi Robertson, Senior Reporter at The Verge, nailed it. In this edition of "What's on Your Desk," she reveals how she crafted a distraction-free zone for her top-tier reporting.
Tell me about yourself. What's your background, and what do you do at The Verge?
I joined The Verge a few weeks after launch as a news editor—my first professional journalism gig after personal blogs and my college newspaper's cocktail column. The role's variety is fantastic: I've covered film festivals, VR, net neutrality, copyright, content moderation, retro tech, and countless gadgets.
This might be the neatest workspace we've featured. Is it new?
Brand new. I worked from my dining table through the pandemic until clearing a dedicated room—a rare luxury in a Brooklyn apartment—for a proper home office.
Unlike the rest of my place, I keep this space pristine for focus. Items like knitting or my mic stand sometimes migrate here, then get shuttled to the dining table (no dinner parties anyway).
Tell us about your office setup. Where's the desk positioned, and where did you get it?
I placed it in the corner that minimizes Zoom camera issues—against a wall facing a window, opposite the windowless doorless wall, and away from the radiator to avoid winter burns.
It's a Kardiel Urbane desk in walnut: minimalist to curb clutter, with a handy drawer for cables, USB drives, and my interview recorder and lav mic.
