Staying productive throughout the day depends on several different factors, but many people ignore one that is really important. The way your office looks and feels has everything to do with how you approach work and how productive you are. Even if you don’t have complete freedom to transform your office space, you can still design it in a way that will boost your performance and focus, and even minimize stress.
1. Get Rid of Clutter!
When it comes to office space, and especially your desk area, you should adopt a relatively minimal attitude. For starters, get rid of all the clutter and junk from your desk, drawers and even shelves. This also includes papers and documents that don’t serve any purpose anymore and you just forgot about them. The goal is to clearly see what you have, from stationery to documents, with no mess to disturb you or break your concentration. This is why it’s also important to designate a drawer/file/etc. for different office essentials, so that you instinctively know where everything is.
2. Natural Light and Plants
There are plenty of health benefits when it comes to natural light. One obvious perk is the fact that natural light improves productivity. If, however, it’s not possible to utilize natural light to the fullest in your office, you can go with the best natural light alternative, which is lamps with full-spectrum bulbs, for your desk. Just like natural light, plants are also known to reduce stress and boost productivity. Don’t hesitate to fill your office space with greenery appropriately, even if it’s just a small plant for your desk.
3. Comfortable, Ergonomic Furniture
A very important aspect of your work productivity has to do with your own comfort. Sitting at a desk in an office can come with many health troubles if the desk and the chair are not suited for your height and build. Luckily, there are great ergonomic office furniture solutions for businesses of all sizes, and it’s not that difficult to find something that works for you. Even if you can’t change your desk in a company office, you can still make sure that your chair provides you with as much comfort as possible.
4. Personal Accessories
As mentioned, you want to keep your office space free of clutter. However, that doesn’t mean that it should be completely devoid of all personality. Quite the contrary; if you want to boost your productivity at work, you need to make your office space your own. Together with a nice plant for your desk, you can get interesting and affordable office supplies that you really like. These still count as office essentials yet they add a touch of personality. Feel free to use colorful post-it notes, and even some minimal desk décor (things like a unique mouse pad also works!) to feel the vibe of your own individuality.
5. Motivational Images, Messages, Scents, and Colors
If you work from a home office, you can surround yourself with colors that boost productivity and essentially help you perform better in your particular line of work. The same goes for candle and incense scents such as cinnamon, mint, rosemary, and citruses. This, however, may not be possible in a company office. You can still make the most of this strategy by getting cushions and photo frames in specific colors. Also, even though you shouldn’t go overboard, don’t hesitate to hang a couple of motivational messages and/or images that work best for you.
6. Take Care of Your Desktop
You may be surprised to find this here, but an important tip for a productive office design also involves the tools you work with, and a PC/laptop is usually the main work tool these days. Make sure that your computer is virus-free and have it cleaned from dust every once in a while. Most importantly, keep your desktop neat. Just like your desk space, a cluttered desktop can easily break your focus and irritate you as you struggle to find the file you need.
In the end, the design of your office should depend on your taste and preference. Of course, you’ll have some limitation if you’re not working from home, but remember to be attentive towards your own behavior as you make the changes to your office design. This will be the best way to tell what works as a productivity booster and what doesn’t.
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Great ideas! Greenery and natural light always make a space beautiful in my opinion. And, of course artwork!
The way your office is designed says a lot towards how professional you are. It says that you care about how your business is supposed to be represented. Even if your office was not at your house, your style would need that sleek sophistication that a wooded furniture office could bring. The architecture and interior design that could be brought to your office is not that hard to find. You could hire a decorator if the budget allows.
A good interior design can increase the value of a property. It has the ability to uplift the profile of a company and boost staff morale. It is necessary to keep in mind that interior design of an office should be designed accordingly with the type of activity the organization is dealing with.
Nice tips.
Thanks for sharing these.