8 hours a day, 5 times a week. That is how long most of us spend time at the office. So, naturally, you will want this place to be as comfortable as possible so that you can do your tasks in relative peace. The more at home you feel at work, the better your productivity and creativity will be. So, let’s go over some of the best ways that you can make your office feel like home.
Organizing the Workspace
It should come as no surprise that we usually don’t think about how our mood is affected by our surroundings. It is only when you explicitly think about these things that you notice ways how to improve them. One of the largest aspects we usually neglect is the organization of our surroundings. That is most notably done by decluttering. It is all too easy for us to move all of the items we like and consider “useful” to the work desk. Everything becomes essential at that point. However, this starts to make us weary over time. It creates an almost choking atmosphere where we are overwhelmed by the number of items on the desk and get lost in it very easily, leading to a loss of productivity and mental destimulation. So, to avoid this, set some rules for yourself to keep your desk always decluttered. Always sort the receipts, hold only the bare essentials on your desk, and surround yourself with items that will improve your mood and make you more relaxed.
Have a Welcoming Office Design
You cannot be relaxed at the office or even contemplate the possibility of it being a second home if it doesn’t have a welcoming atmosphere and design. Following your personal preferences, the office should be decorated, as such to give off a friendly, less menacing and sterile atmosphere. There are several things you can do to change the office for the better:
• Hang Some Interesting Artwork Around the Office
Nothing adds life to an office like artwork and paintings. Try to get rid of the bleak and bland walls of the office by turning them into decorative pieces. It can add interest and a personal touch to the space.
• Maximize Comfort
Try to change as many things as you possibly can to make the place comfortable for work. It shouldn’t be taken to the extremes and become your game room, but you can have comfortable chairs for work hours.
• Personalize it
Add a touch of personality to the office to truly make it yours. Whether it be by hanging your photos, adding a favourite object, or by even simply changing the computer background. Any step you take to make the space more personal will be appreciated!
• Introduce New Aspects to the Office
What truly makes the office a different experience is by adding some things you wouldn’t expect to see there come as a pleasant surprise. Just think of the pleasant shock people would experience when they find out their office has bidets!
Declutter the Files and Cords
Don’t forget, your computer will be part of your workspace as well, so it remains a vital aspect of the decluttering process. It’s nice to have a free space in your office, but if you start to be irritated the moment you open a folder to see a mess of documents, it will not be very effective for your mood. Apply your organizational skills to maintain folder relevancy. Delete old and no longer needed files. Also, make separate categories for other folders that you can store away, so they don’t interfere with your everyday work.
Cords are another thing that we often neglect up until the point we trip on one. Since we have more and more cables and cords around the workspace. That is why proper wire management is crucial to having a truly decluttered and well-organized zone that is stress-free.
Improve Office Lighting
Lighting has an immense effect on our mood. Studies have shown that brighter light leads to our emotions becoming stronger while more dim lighting will make them more balanced. On the other hand, saturated hues can lead to our emotions becoming amplified. So, there are a lot of interactions between lighting and our emotions. Natural lighting will lead to a better mood for people and lead to them, generally, being happier. Taking this into consideration, it is recommendable to bathe your office in natural light. It can have a relaxing effect on us and make us feel just like at home.
Introduce Plants Into the Office
Plants are the lifeline of the workspace. They make the air cleaner, add a serene touch to the usually sterile sight of the office, and can even improve our mood. After an extremely unpleasant call with an irrational boss or an irritating client, it would be quite helpful to have a few plants nearby to calm you down and get back into your original mindset.
Author bio:
Alison Pearson is an interior design student. She is a writer and designer, and her ultimate passion is art and architecture. She is also a bibliophile and her favourite book is “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner. Follow her on Twitter.
