Every office worker has heard of the benefits of ergonomics or exercising before work, but fine tuning your work routine can go even further. Keeping your desk organized has been shown to improve the productivity of almost anyone stuck at a desk for eight hours per day. Whether you’re preparing for the challenge of moving the office or just preparing for yet another routine work day, try these easy tips for a more productive workspace.
Balance Cleanliness With Personality
Start by removing everything unnecessary that is cluttering up the surface. There’s no need for piles of old paperwork, scattered snacks and extra computer tools lying around, all of which can make it harder for you to focus. However, you don’t want to go overboard and end up with nothing on your desk. A few well-placed photos of your family or a small collection of decorations and art prints keeps the space feeling motivational and creative.
Add The Right Colors
Decorating with a bold art print can help inspire if you choose the right colors. Avoid red and orange, which are stimulating colors that may draw your attention away from your work. Stick with shades of green, blue and light yellow. If your ability to decorate your work area or desk is limited by your employer, try to get a similar effect by changing the background of your computer’s desktop. A colored light bulb in a desk lamp can also help create a new mood as you work without requiring a significant investment or a permanent change.
Move To A Window
This tip is hard to put into practice in a fixed office environment, but you can put it to good use in your home office or flexible co-working space. Getting a view of the world outside, even if it’s just people strolling by or a leafy tree, can significantly improve your productivity throughout the day. If there’s only one window in your office, try setting up a workstation next to it where you and your co-workers can take turns visiting for a few hours or a day at a time.
Bring In Some Life
Can’t see anything green outside due to your office’s location? Bring the beauty of nature indoors instead with one or two potted plants for your desk. For the heartiest desk addition, try an air plant. These spiky beauties can be suspended from a wall in a glass planter to leave more free space on your desk. Air plants are easy to maintain because all they need is a light mist of water every few weeks. Aloe plants, coin plants and even large floor standing Dracaena are also easy to keep alive with minimal care.
Clean Regularly
Finally, make a date with yourself to spend a few minutes cleaning the desk every Friday. Wipe down the surface, sort your items and remove anything unnecessary for the next week. It will make Monday so much easier to face.