Personal Productivity
5 Home Office Ideas That Will Encourage Your Productivity
AUTHOR: Nicole Garrison
Working at home can seem like a wonderful experience. What those who don’t work at home sometimes have trouble understanding is that having a home office also comes with certain challenges. There are no strict office hours as a time limit, no coworkers to turn to for help, and lastly, no one to boost your motivation and productivity. Without external motivators, your productivity level can easily fluctuate and decrease consistently.
Are you ready to do something about it?
In moments when you feel like you can’t get out of bed or you can produce a single good idea, you know what can help? An environment that boosts productivity. Make your home office an inviting space that will empower you and improve your work habits. A few adjustments can turn your home office into the perfect workplace.
1. Let the Light In
Based on research and claims by environmental experts, dim lights can cause unnecessary straining of the eyes which can sometimes lead to headaches and eye issues. Eliminate those possibilities and ensure that there is a lot of light in your home office.
Put the blinds up or add extra light fixtures in the room. In any case, make sure that your home office is nicely lit.
Lighting can directly affect productivity and the article by the University of North Carolina proves it. They have clearly explained the correlation:
“It turns out cooler light makes workers more productive. A number of studies have found sunlight can have a multitude of benefits for our health. Exposure to natural light is especially beneficial to workers cooped up in an office all day. Natural light from both the morning and evening has been found to decrease depression and improve mood, energy, alertness, and productivity.”
In case you need to turn to light fixtures to brighten up the room, consider the color temperature of lighting. Take a closer look at the color temperature for light bulbs when buying them.
2. Incorporate Your Favorite Color & Style
Make your home office a reflection of your personality. Use your favorite colors and style it in your own way. The more your home office resembles you, the more pleasant it will be to spend time in it.
Be careful not to overdo with decorating and colors so decide on a certain color scheme and stay true to it. For example, you can use a white as a base and then add accents of your favorite color in the form of furniture, throw pillows, art, and other decorative objects.
A little extra tip is to add some greenery. No matter what your style is, a plant or two will be a great addition. A UK study confirmed that bringing plants into the office increased productivity by 15%. Not to mention that every paper in an analysis of 10 UK studies found that greenery had a positive effect on mood.
3. Create an Open Space Layout
Research has proved that space layouts and furniture also affect the quality of work life. Numerous studies, as well as popular journalism, have reported on effects of what is called “open-plan” layouts. The less cluttered space is, the productivity is higher.
We all know that there are creatives who work best in cluttered space. However, if you want to be organized and productive, you shouldn’t trust in their methods.
Try to keep your office as open as you can. What this means is that you should get rid of any extra furniture or items that create an unnecessary mess. “As a freelance writer, my home has been my workspace for over a decade. What I have concluded from my personal experience as well as from conversations with fellow writers is that mess kills productivity. It may boost someone’s creativity, but if you want to be more productive, declutter your home office ASAP,” said Evangeline Pecora, a writer for Subjecto.
4. Place Your Desk to Face a Window
The position of your desk plays a huge role. That is the place where you spend the most time at so you need to be strategic about it.
Facing a wall without a window in sight tends to be claustrophobic. Having a window on the same wall where your desk is placed will bring in sunlight and give you a glimpse of the outside world.
If you are working in a windowless space or you simply can’t place a desk so that it faces a window, there is a solution. Why not create a little illusion? Use wall art to imitate a fake window. Put up a picture of a beach or forest, something that you would like to be looking at right next to your table.
5. Add Reminders of Your Goals
Losing the track of your goals and motivators can instantly ruin your productivity. When you forget why you are doing what you do, you won’t be encouraged to give your best. Make your goal consistently present by adding a reminder to your home office.
The type of reminder that you will add depends on you and your goals. You can create a vision board and put it above your desk. If you are working to support your family, put their picture on your desk. Maybe you’re planning to finally visit an exotic country on vacation. In that case, put a picture of that place as your laptop background.
Keep your eyes on your goals – literally. Knowing what you are working for will keep your engine running even when you don’t feel like working.
Final Thoughts
The home office gives you the freedom to arrange your workplace the way you want. Use that advantage and create a space that is perfect for overcoming work challenges.
Different styles work for different people, but these ideas are based on research and are proven to boost productivity. All that is left is that you make some changes in your home office and watch how your productivity level increases.
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