Name: Hanven Yang
Location: Ohio, USA
Occupation: Supply Chain Manager
Room size: 14 m² (148 ft²)
Cost of setup: Lost track LOL (About $10K)
Social media: YouTube
Make work-life balance a reality. The digital daily planner that helps you feel calm and stay focused.
Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself
Hey there! My name is Han.
I’m currently 26 years old living out of Ohio.
My main job is a supply chain manager at a Fortune 500.
I work in the startup/incubation business unit of my company, so I get to be in an interesting position where I help start up and manage completely new brands and ensure there is enough product flowing through the supply chain to meet customer requirements, whilst having the financial backing and prestige of an established corporation.
My day to day includes adjusting short-term production plans, creating long-term production forecasts, managing inventory, as well as creating digital tools and automations.
However, on the side, I also manage a YouTube channel called Cinematic Tech.
It’s a tech channel that focuses on desk setups and tech that I find interesting, framed in cinematic movie-like videos.
I personally film, colour grade, and sound design all of my videos.
Despite being a relatively new and small channel, I’m happy to say that it is already starting make income and attract the attention of brands like Flexispot and Hexcal.
This is an endeavor that I am actively trying to turn into a full-time job because it’s something that I’m genuinely passionate about. I just love creating.
Finally, I’ve got a couple of hobbies that challenge me both mentally and physically.
I’ve been doing a sport called martial arts tricking for about seven years now.
Essentially it’s a sport that takes martial arts and combines it with flips and twists from gymnastics.
The thing I enjoy about tricking the most is the fact that it’s like dance, both a sport and an art form.
I get to move and come up with creative ways to make aesthetic shapes with my body.
In addition to tricking, I am also a b-boy (breakdancing) and occasionally battle in the underground freestyle scene.
This was something that I actually got into through tricking since a lot of athletes will learn things from both sports.
Take us through your setup
| Item | Model |
|---|---|
| Monitor | ×2 INNOCN 16:18 | Monitor mount | Huanuo Dual Spring Mounts |
| Monitor light bar | Quntis |
| External GPU | RTX 4070 |
| Headphones | Sony XM4 |
| Keyboard | Geist by Geistmaschine |
| Mouse | Logitech MX 3s Logitech Superlight |
| Chair | Steelcase Karman |
| Desk mat | Grovemade Studio Pad |
| Desk shelf | Balolo Setup Cockpit |
| Docking station | Tobenone Quad Monitor Docking Station |
| Audio interface | Arturia Minifuse1 |
| Microphone | Fifine K688 |
Let’s start with the most glaring obvious feature of my setup: the monitor layout.
I’ve got a quad monitor layout that provides the most immersive possible work experience.
The most common question I get is: how do you use your monitors? Great question.
During my day job, I like to have my day’s schedule and emails stacked on the left monitor, reference materials on the ultrawide monitor, main tasks on the bottom monitor, and dashboards on my right monitor.
For filmmaking, I have Chrome and working files on the left monitor, FX/video playback on the ultrawide monitor, timeline on the bottom monitor, and colour grade clean feed on the right monitor.
Makers
Of course there’s other ways I use them depending on the case, but these are the main layouts I’m using 80% of the time.
My PC build is a i9 core with an RTX 4070, which sits inside the beautiful Fractal Design North case, a case that complements the dark, woody theme of my setup.
Staying in line with the theme, my desk shelf is the Balolo Setup Cockpit, which is Balolo’s signature modular desk shelf, which I have custom mounted a docking station and some chargers underneath for a clean yet accessible aesthetic.
I do use an L-desk configuration, with the side desk being where I do a lot of filming for my videos.
Makers
This desk setup has been an ongoing project for about a year now.
I first put it together in August 2024, and since then it has kind of just become a process of random upgrades and updates throughout.
TBH, is any desk setup really ever finished???
But I think that’s part of the challenge. For me, this is my first “real” desk setup.
I say “real” as in something I actually planned and had a purpose for. I had no idea what I was doing and had no knowledge of interior design.
But through careful planning and modelling, it’s a setup that I’m proud to show off.
The reason I put this desk setup together was because I needed a space to work on..well..everything (in fact, video about this coming soon *wink *wink).
Before this desk, I was just using a random cheap desk off Amazon with no cable management.
It was uninspiring to be in that space, and that needed to change.
I consider my desk setup the environment for self-improvement in every aspect — career, hobbies, and mental health.
Every time I sit at my setup, I’m excited to become a better business leader, filmmaker, athlete, and person.
I actually plan on moving states sometime in the next 365 days, so I will have to eventually say goodbye to this setup.
But I actually already have my next setup planned and modeled.
It’s going to implement some crazy ideas that I have never seen anyone do with setups whilst still maintaining the signature quad monitor layout I have right now (because I don’t think I’ll ever change that).
I’m pretty excited for what the future holds, and I hope you guys are too!
What’s your favourite item on your desk?
Sheesh, this is like asking me to pick a favourite child (I have no kids btw).
But if I had to pick one, I want to highlight the centerpiece of my setup, the Geist by Geistmaschine.
This is pretty much where art meets tech.
The keyboard is fully CNC machined aluminum with a transparent upper casing that gives a little peek into the internals of the keyboard.
I paired this keyboard with the gateron oil king switches for that absolute cream of a sound profile.
This keyboard cost me around $1,4K.
Which is why it’s not something I can recommend to people, because nothing can justify a keyboard being this expensive unless you find that it resonates with you personally.
I think people will see this keyboard like how I see high-end clothing or super expensive shoes.
It’s not worth the price unless there’s something about the design or idea that you can’t help but admire.
Do I regret this purchase? Nope.
It’s an absolute work of art, and despite having an incredibly unique design, I love it. And I know I’m not going to find anything else that has this aesthetic.
What apps or tools do you use to get things done?
Notion. Cliche? Yup. Does it work? Also yup.
I use Notion Calendar to schedule my day. And I use regular Notion as my YouTube planning tool.
I have a template that I use to script, shot list, and record the progress of every project.
For productivity, I’ll highlight two things: the Mind Design cards, and my e-ink tablets.
The Mind Design cards are an analog daily task management system. They’re pretty budget friendly and I found them on Amazon.
There’s just something really satisfying about crossing off tasks with a pen and paper.
In a similar line of pen and paper, I have e-ink tablets by a brand called BOOX.
If you have heard of reMarkable or Kindle Scribe, these are pretty much the same tech.
I use my e-ink tablets to read, journal, as well script videos on the go for a change of scenery.
What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?
To be honest, I haven’t really been reading or consuming media since all my time is spent either working my day job, working on my next film project, training tricks, or spending time with my partner.
There is a book that I read that I did really enjoy — Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
It’s a great book about the flow state and how people can utilise it to improve their day to day experiences.
I think as the upcoming generations begin to place more emphasis on experiences and careers that they genuinely feel excited to partake in (vs money being the number one priority), flow is a really big reason subconsciously to why younger people are making the decisions they make.
Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?
Model your setup before you build it.
TinkerCAD is a super easy web browser CAD software that you can use to get something going.
It really helps you identify whether you like the general aesthetic of your planned setup as well as identify potential early on what may or may not fit.
Use lighting, specifically backlighting.
Let the light bounce off walls or behind your accessories. It creates way more ambience and depth.
Plants. Pretty much every desk setup enthusiast will say to have some type of greenery in your setup, and for good reason.
Plants naturally calm the mind and just enhance the space.
What does your typical day look like?
I don’t have a crazy daily routine.
I’ve gone down the whole rabbit hole of routines, habit building, and have listened to a ton of gurus throw whatever they can onto social media in an attempt to go viral to sell a course.
I keep it simple. I wake up around 7 am, an hour before my first meeting. I spend the first few minutes brushing, getting dressed, and drinking water.
Then I’ll take 30 minutes to review my three-month goals and assess whether I’m on track, which then leads to me scheduling my day in my Notion calendar and writing down my tasks for the day.
I’ll also fit in some reading wherever I can in the morning. And that’s all I need to have a great start.
Makers
After that my work day begins. Since my job is operations, there are a lot of meetings.
Between meetings, I’m working on collecting and analysing data to give high level recommendations to the business leaders about what I think the business needs to do to mitigate service risks.
Work ends around 4 pm consistently, where I immediately pivot to work on my next YouTube tech film.
So all-in-all, I’m probably averaging about 10 hours at my desk daily.
Usually around 7 pm, I’ll eat dinner before heading over to my local parkour gym which has a spring floor that I can train tricking on.
This is always my favourite part of the day, and I consistently train about two hours everyday, which means I get home around 10:30 pm.
And that pretty much sums up my day.
Occasionally, I’ll have some time to play some games.
Gaming is the way I get to reconnect with friends back home in Arizona.
My go to game is Valorant, but I also play Monster Hunter.
Your tips for working from home?
I don’t think there’s a one size fits all solution to being productive while working from home.
But I do think there is value in having some kind of system where you are writing down the time and action needed somewhere, whether that be in a journal or online tool.
As noted, I spend 30 minutes every morning looking at my goals and making sure that my weekly and daily tasks align with those goals.
When I plan my day I list out all the tasks I’m going to do today on my analog card.
Then, in my Notion calendar, I also give every task an explicit time slot.
I also personally think taking care of yourself is conducive to productivity.
Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day (something that I forget to do sometimes) as I noticed that my energy levels are way better when I am consistently hydrated.
I also find taking some caffeine before a 15-minute power nap early afternoon helps prevent me from getting tired in the late afternoon.
We’re a reader-supported publication. This article might contain affiliate links. It means we may receive a commission if you click a link and buy a product that our maker has recommended. The interview was done independently.
Discussion