Small and Cosy Apple Setup in Denmark

Name: Nicolai Jul

Location: Aarhus, Denmark

Occupation: Working with kids and young people diagnosed with ADHD

Room size: Small room — just 120 cm wide, facing a window

Cost of setup: $6,5K

Social media: Personal Instagram, Setup Instagram

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m 45 years old, a father to three teenage kids.

We live in a small Danish city near the ocean.

I have been an Apple user since the first iPad came out.

In my spare time, I have a passion for bike riding and cleaning my car.

I work in an institution with kids and youth who are diagnosed with ADHD, and some are on the edge of the law.

Due to my work, I can’t go into details about it.

Besides my day job, I draw a lot. I make tattoo drawings by request and sometimes logo drawings.

Take us through your setup

My desk is handmade.

I found a desk at work that was going to be thrown out, so I restored it with sandpaper and oil until I was happy with it.

I’m an iPad Pro user — it’s my main device — and I have been an iPad user since the first generation came out.

The main reason I use the iPad is the Apple Pencil — its thin and lightweight design makes it super convenient for both work and creative tasks.

The responsiveness of the Apple Pencil is great for sketching and jotting down notes, and with the iPad Pro’s powerful performance, multitasking is a breeze.

I find using Pages on the iPad Pro a solid choice for note-taking, document creation, and even some light design work.

The ability to easily integrate text, shapes, images, and even sketching with the Apple Pencil makes it versatile.

Pairing the Apple Studio Display with the iPad Pro really opens up a lot of possibilities and enhances the experience.

With the iPad Pro M4’s power and Stage Manager, it almost feels like using a mini workstation, but with the portability of a tablet.

I love using Stage Manager with the iPad Pro on an external monitor.

With the external monitor, the iPad Pro becomes more like a traditional laptop setup and provides a more comfortable workstation.

I find it great for longer work sessions.

I can easily connect via USB-C or Thunderbolt to the Studio Display, which makes the setup seamless.

For me, Apple’s aesthetic is a huge priority.

I could use another monitor for my work, but like art on a wall, my desk setup has to look good.

Apple-like PC Desk Setup

The creator’s goal was to create a compact, powerful system that didn’t resemble a spaceship with RGB lights and would fit seamlessly into his living environment.

Maker StationsMakers

I’m using Philips Hue lights in my setup and throughout the house. Being able to connect it all to HomeKit is a joy.

The Philips Hue lights are a great tool to enhance productivity — they offer customisable lighting tailored to different tasks and moods, and work great with the Hue app on Mac.

I have tried other monitors and an iMac, but I needed to connect the iPad to a monitor.

Besides the home office, we have a family iMac M1 in the living room.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My iPad Pro M4 with the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil.

It was pricey, but worth every penny — I use it six to eight hours a day.

I have been drawing on an iPad since 2016.

What apps or tools do you use to get things done?

I work with Procreate a lot.

For other use cases, I use Lightroom, Final Cut, Adobe apps, and writing apps like Pages and Keynote.

Due to my work, I can’t show screenshots.

What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?

I always follow MacRumors on YouTube and the web.

But I don’t read books that often.

I grew up with a father who played a lot of music, and since I was 10, I have played drums.

So in my ears or on the HomePod, music is a big part of my spare time.

As you might notice in the photos, Metallica is my biggest influence.

Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?

For me, it’s important to have a setup in a space where you can work without any interruptions.

And the space needs to be somewhere you or your family won’t use to drop things like keys, bags, and the rest.

And then work on cable management… just do it.

What does your typical day look like?

My day starts early — 4:30 in the morning.

I work out for an hour, then head home to make my morning coffee — always a cortado ;)

I check company emails on my iPad or MacBook Air, browsing through the calendar for the day’s tasks.

Then I check what my friends are up to on Insta and Facebook.

I work six to seven hours with the students, then come home and do all the paperwork in my home office.

The evening is relaxation time.

My home office is right beside my son’s room, so I spend time gaming (Xbox Cloud Gaming) on my Mac Mini while talking to him.

And sometimes, we watch football (soccer) together on that beautiful 5K monitor.

Your tips for working from home?

I don’t work many hours at home, but coming from a work background with ADHD, my advice for staying productive is:

• Make a plan for the day, listing all your tasks.
• Set a timer for each task, and take breaks away from the desk — maybe go for a walk outside.
• And don’t eat at the desk ;)

How to Take Better Breaks When Working from Home

Improve your productivity and cut down on stress with these ideas for taking better breaks while WFH.

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