If you follow GradHacker like we do, you knew about last week’s “Share your Workspace” photo contest. Don’t worry, we didn’t win either.

But the contest did get us thinking about best practices in officing. Yes, just like grading, offices have best practices. Whether you’re marking papers or writing them, you need a space that is conducive to good work. Here are a few things to consider when setting up your workspace:

The standing desk. Researchers argue that there are multiple potential benefits to converting your desk into a standing desk, including potential health benefits. Maybe it’s compelling enough that a recent study conducted by Business Insider suggests that standing can boost productivity by 10%. You can convert your own desk for relatively cheap and join the ranks of some pretty “lofty” (we went there) company.

The exercise ball chair. Another option for those of you suffering from “I-sit-at-my-desk-all-day” back aches, replacing your office chair with an exercise ball is old news. The jury is still out on whether these chairs solve more problems than they cause. That said, some amazing advances have been made in the last few years to make the exercise ball look more like an actual office chair.

Jazz-up your cubicle. Because, let’s be serious, the word “office” in relation to GA/TAs is often more accurately “cubicle”. It’s no secret that cubicles are the worst, but there are things you can do to make yours more bearable. Melanie Pinola at LifeHacker has reviewed both exercise ball chairs and cubicles. For the latter, Pinola makes some interesting recommendations. For instance, did you know there are cubicle friendly fish?

Other office hacks. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. Ilya Pozin has put together a great list of little things you can do to make your office better entitled “25 Office Hacks You Need To Know“. Our favourite? The brownie in a mug. Because it’s a brownie in a mug.