Whether you see your home office as a blessing or a curse, what’s certain is that your productivity can be affected by the way you set it up. Albert Einstein once said, ‘If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?’ – well, a sign of productivity, of course!
But a clean desk isn’t the only thing that you need to do when setting up your office to create a productive home office environment. We’ve got more tips for you below:
Related: Doing Your Homework – Creating the Perfect Home Office
Don’t mix personal with working life
Regularly check your office to see that you haven’t brought in too many personal items that can be a distraction to you. Distractions in your office may include a TV, fiction books, magazines, a game console, pet, or even your child. To maintain productivity, it is important that you create a clear boundary between your personal and working life. Make a clear distinction between the office as your workplace and the rest of the house, as the differentiation can have a psychological effect on how you divide your down time with work commitments.
Ensure you have sufficient lighting
Something that you might not think will affect your productivity significantly is lighting. If your lighting is too bright or dim it can have negative effects on your mood. The best kind of lighting is natural lighting. To ensure you have enough natural lighting, make sure your work space is close to a window to let enough sunlight in. Sunlight exposure can boost your mood and even improve your sleep patterns, which of course, will mean you are more alert to help increase productivity.
Related: Finding windows to suit your home
Have good back support
You spend the majority of your time working in your office sitting down. Therefore, it is essential that your seat provides good back support. If you don’t pay close attention to your back when sitting down for long periods of time, your chair can have an effect on your health, mood and productivity. According to Patient.co.uk, 8 in 10 people in the UK suffer from one or more periods of lower back pain during their lives.
Keep your office organised
Do you have trouble finding where you put an important document somewhere on your desk buried among the other hundreds of documents you have on there? Spending too long looking for it can knock you out of your working mindest, causing you to be unproductive. The more organised your office, the better. As mentioned earlier, a tidy desk with just a few files that you’re working on will increase productivity. Maintaining a minimalist approach on your desk will stop you from getting distracted by other tasks.
Related: This is the Ultimate Writer’s Shed
Add a personal touch
Without sounding like we’re contradicting ourselves too much, you should add a personal touch to your office to avoid making it look sterile and a depressing space to work in. These items might include plants, ornaments or inspiring images/quotes on your walls. The purpose of adding a personal touch is to pick up your mood and keep energy levels high. Considering you spend a great amount of time in your home office, it is therefore very important that you have a pleasurable surrounding to work in.
Consider your office interior design
Painting and decorating your office in certain colours has been proven to improve productivity. A recent University of Texas study found that grey, beige and white offices induced feelings of sadness and depression. Some type of productive colours depends what type of work you do, while others increase productivity universally.
Here is a summary of colours that induce productivity:
BLUE – Universally known as an excellent colour for productivity, it is a stable and calming colour that helps you to focus on the current task you are working on.
GREEN – Suitable for people who work long hours due to the fact it doesn’t cause eye fatigue, while helping you to remain calm and efficient at the same time.
YELLOW – Known to be an optimistic colour that can stimulate creativity. A room that is painted yellow might look a bit too much, however, having the colour integrated into your work space is beneficial for creatives.
RED – Ideal for those whose jobs involve physical activity as it has been shown to increase the heart rate, blood flow and invokes emotion and passion.
Do you have any tips on how to create a productive home office environment? Let us know in the comments section.
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