If you work in an office role, sit at a desk in front of a computer all day, it’s extremely important that you don’t neglect your workspace. You need to cultivate an environment that allows you to work at your best, without getting distracted and without harming your mental (and physical) wellbeing.
Here are some quick tips that might help you to maintain a positive and productive workspace – both while on the job and when working on personal projects at home.
Practicing Minimalism
Ever feel yourself getting stressed with the amount that’s going on in your workspace, with files, notes, and unnecessary clutter piling up on your desk? No matter if you work in a fully creative role or are simply filling out forms and information, you should try to keep your desk as clean and tidy as possible. Not only does the condition of your workspace reflect your personality to your peers and colleagues, but studies have also shown that a neat working environment can help to improve your concentration and work ethic.
Going Green
Just because you’ve reduced the number of things on your desk and are going minimalist, doesn’t mean that you need a completely boring desk with nothing going on. Having plants on your desk can be a great way of adding some life and vibrancy, and depending on which ones you go with, they can also help with concentration by reducing the toxins in the air and improving the air quality.
Another good idea for relaxation would be to get some incense or scented candles. Lighting up a scented candle on your desk at work might not be plausible, but at home after a stressful day at work, this could be a nice addition to help you relax and unwind.
Working from Home
We live in an age now where the traditional 9-to-5 is no longer necessarily the norm for working. Not only are a ton of different people working side jobs in order to earn more cash, but also some people work remotely full-time. With many more distractions at home than the average work environment, concentrating at work can be a difficult task, and so where possible, you should try to create your own private study/desk area, where you can focus on the task at hand and get stuff done.
Lights Out
Did you know that poor office lighting can have an adverse effect on your eyes, mind and, moods at work? Short of reporting poor light conditions to your superiors, there might not be anything that you can do about it in work time, but at home, dim the lights accordingly and make sure you’ve got some inviting, warm lights that allow you to concentrate without headaches and eye strain.
If you spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen, looking at your phone when you’re taking a break can cause your eyes a lot of strain, and even potentially damage them in the long-term. Where possible, try and take a break where you don’t look at any electronics for a while. A good practice is for every 20 minutes of screen time take 20 seconds to look at something 20 or more feet away.
Try to have them turned off by a certain time before you go to bed. Using screens right before you try and go to sleep can delay your body’s internal clock, making it difficult for you to fall asleep or disturbing the quality of the sleep that you have. All of these things can add up and ultimately affect the standard of work that you’re doing, and so make sure that you try and stay on top of them as much as possible.
