Creating a Comforting Workspace to Increase Productivity and Creativity
SPENDING around a third of our lives – and half our waking time – in work means it is important we are comfortable in our workplace.
And given that for many of us, our home has unexpectedly become our workplace over the past year, with many businesses indicating this is set to become permanent even after the end of the pandemic, now might be a great time to look at our hastily created home offices.
Whether you took over the spare room or annexed the kitchen table, having the right workspace helps boost your mood, in turn having health benefits for you along with increases in creativity and productivity.
Step one is to think about the best color for your workspace. There is much psychology behind color and its impact on how we think and react, so it is worth spending some time with the paint samples to really find the right shade for you to create a strong yet welcoming room for you to work in.
Next is office furniture. There is a good reason office furniture does not always look as inviting as our choices for home – it is designed for function over form, and in this case, that means good ergonomics. If you are going to be spending hours each day in a chair at a desk, it is vital the furniture is designed well to give you not just comfort but appropriate physical posture and support, or you can be storing up health and skeletal problems for yourself in the future.
Placement of your office furniture is also psychologically important – our primeval senses still prefer it when we can see what is coming at us, so position desks facing towards the door. Sitting with your back to the door keeps you in a higher state of alertness which creates more stress. Alongside this, bring some life into your space with green plants. Living plants not only help improve air quality but have psychological plus points as well.
Remove clutter – it distracts and causes stress as it reminds you of tasks not yet completed on a constant basis. An office is a living space and it certainly does not need to be surgically sterile – but ensure major clutter is eliminated and things you need are easy to locate. Treat yourself to matching or coordinated furniture.
And finally – lighting is essential. The best lighting is natural light – nothing manmade comes even close. So, if you have the chance make use of your windows. One major plus point to working from your spare room is you are not too far from the window, rather than stuck in the middle of a cubicle farm with only an old fluorescent tube light hanging above. Good light stimulates our brains and helps our mood and prevents eyestrain and headaches.
Oh, and one last point – make sure you have a separate space for rest or break. Keep the workroom separate from the rest of the home, or if you are in a traditional office, ensure a good common area is available for staff.
