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Beautify your home office: 4 ways to level up your productivity
Try out these simple ideas to make your private workspaces more comfortable.
There is a reason why productivityexperts advocate an organised homeoffice; such places would be optimisedfor minimal wasted motion so that everymovement has a purpose.
To take productivity up another notch,it's often recommended to beautifyone's office such that it's mentallystimulating for the individual. Thismeans taking ownership of the entireorganising process and adding a little ofyour personal preferences into thebeautification. In fact, a 2010 study byCraig Knight and S. Alexander Haslam(University of Exeter) involving 47 officeworkers in London revealed thatworkers who were given an opportunityto decorate a small office with as manyplants and pictures they wantedreported increased productivity up to 32percent. The workers are also betterable to identify with their employers,which showed that the workers weremore committed to their teamleadingto increased efficiency as a result. Whileyou cannot afford to go too far with thepersonalisation at the office, you candefinitely bring it up a notch at home aslong as it doesn't distract you too muchfrom your work. What are the top waysto beautify your office? We bring you
four easy-to-follow steps:
1) Invest in a plant
A little green is good, especiallywhen you're always staring atthe computer. It doesn't have tobe a huge plant; just a lowmaintenance one like one ofthose mini plants that issupposed to absorb radiation.After all, plants can help reducestress and add a soothing vibeto your workstation. Just don'tturn the table or office into anuntamed forest.
2. Lighten Up
A room that is well-lit bysunlight is much better thanworking under artificial lightsthat may strain your eyes. Ifyour home office is unfortunatelysituated where the lightdoesn't shine, then invest intask lights that won't give youan eye-strain. Don't just stickwith a single light either, designa layered lighting plan whereyou can get the full benefit fromtask lights for focus, ambientlights to relax by and overheadlights to fill in the gaps the otherlights cannot shine in. Oh, andavoid positioning your computerwhere it gets a lot of glarefrom the windows or direct andbright light sources. Either get aglare screen for your monitor orput ambient lights behind yourscreen to reduce the glare. Youcan also cut down on theeye-strain by turning off thebright overhead lights or closethe blinds of your window.
3) Bank on colours
When designing your office, choose your colour theme wiselyespecially if you work from home.Depending on what your job is,the colour can often affect yourproductivity and behaviour. Assuch, it's important to choose acolour that will have a positiveimpact on you. Here is a simplecolour guide to get you going:
Blue: According to research, people aregenerally more productive in a blue room which results in better work performanceoverall.
Yellow: Widely considered to be an optimistic colour that encourages newideas, yellow may be too bright topaint the entire room. Reserve thebright colour to accessories orfurniture accents.
White: Clean and easy to match withanything, white is a popular colour thatcan brighten your mood.
Red: One of the most emotionallystimulating colours, red is best usedsparingly as accents or key furniturepieces.
Green: Evocative of nature, thissoothing colour is easy on the eyes andhas the ability to calm frayed nerves.There is a reason why hospitals areusually associated with this colour.
4) Personal touches
Your office doesn't have to besterile and boring just becauseyou're working from home.
Introduce some of your favouriteelements by picking up a few artprints or oil paintings. Even familyportraits or pictures of your lasttrip can encourage positivefeelings that will make you feelhappier when working. Windowand floor treatments such ascurtains and carpets can also goa long way to making your homeoffice feel cosier. You might evenwant to add a comfy chair so youcan take a break from time totime. The key here is to create aplace where you feel inspired andnot dread spending many hoursof the day.
If you don't have enough space athome for an office, then you mightwant to carve out a little corner tohouse the tools of your trade. Itdoesn't have to be very big, justenough space for a small tableand some storage. You can thendistinguish the space withwallpaper on the wall of your homeoffice, raised flooring, divider,curtains, pony wall or even plants.
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 | This article was first published in the print version The PropertyGuru News & Views.Download PDF of full print issues or read more stories now! | ||
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