MAKE YOUR HOME OFFICE HARMONIOUS TO HELP YOU GET PRODUCTIVE

Your work environment has a huge impact on your focus, creativity, health and mindset.

Creating the right environment in your home office or workspace plays an important role in ensuring you can work productively and produce quality work while still maintaining good mental and physical wellbeing. Here is some advice from design experts at Cala Homes.

Design choices that improve your home office
• The act of setting up a home office to promote productivity can do just that – a study found that employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are up to 32% more productive. “When organising a home office, think angles: curved lines can promote feelings of relaxation and calm, particularly in a home environment, so an angular desk setup may be better to help focus”, says interior designer Felicity Stevens at Interiors by Haus.

• Studies have found that exposure to natural light can have positive effects on our mental and physical health, and that workplaces with natural light experience up to 40% improvements in productivity.

• Proper lighting in your workspace can also reduce eye fatigue. So position your desk to experience as much natural light as possible and use lamps for task lighting. Proper lighting can help reduce the impact of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

• Steve Rule, Group Design & Technical Director at Cala Homes, says: “Daylight has a profound influence on our health and wellbeing. It is important for our immune system, boosts our vitamin D intake and keeps our bones healthy. It can also reduce stress, enhance our mood and even help us sleep better”.

• Declutter your space: Invest in good storage to keep your home office clutter-free. Buy bespoke office storage to keep files and paperwork in order. Boxes and baskets can look great on shelves or choose a desk with built-in cupboards and draws for a sleek look.

• Equipment and accessories that really make a difference. Ergonomic chairs can reduce discomfort in workers and increase productivity by 17.7%. A survey by Westfield Health found that 60% of British workers spend the majority of their day sitting down.

• Switching to ergonomic keyboards can reduce discomfort in 44% of cases, boosting productivity and morale.

• Standing desks – or hybrid sit-stand models – can increase comfort by up to 60%. Try a standing desk or a device that can help raise the level of your laptop or screen to reduce issues with posture.

• Using a second screen can increase productivity by up to 42%. In fact, workers are increasingly relying on a second screen as par for the course in their day-to-day work.

• Complement your desk setup with other accessories that are proven to boost your overall wellbeing. For example, you may want to get blue-light blocking glasses to prevent eye strain.

• Studies have shown that background music – regardless of what it is – can boost work performance. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones can block out what you don’t want to hear and allow you to listen better to whatever helps you concentrate.

• Plants in an office space has been proven to enhance air quality, concentration and workplace satisfaction, and increase productivity by up to 15%. Invest in a low-maintenance green plant or two for your workspace to benefit your physical and mental health.

• A study found that art in the workplace can reduce stress (78% of businesses agreed) and increase creativity (64% agreed). Whether you use art to create a backdrop for Zoom meetings or use wall art to invoke emotions, using art can help your mental wellbeing.

When choosing a colour scheme for your home office setup, keep the following in mind:

• Blue stimulates creativity and boosts productivity, with a calming effect that reduces stress.
• Red brings a sense of urgency and proactivity but can be anxiety-inducing too.
• Yellow can trigger innovative thoughts, but too much can lead to anxiety and eye strain.
• Green provides a sense of balance and calm and lessens eye strain during long hours.
• Orange can encourage focus and concentration by increasing oxygen supply to the brain.
• Neutrals – white walls combined with coloured accents – can promote concentration.

And what if you don’t have a home office?

Gwendoline Alderton, interior designer at GA Interiors says the priorities are:

1) Finding a space to work without invading the family home
2) Creating a quiet space to think
3) Having a place to store your work stuff
4) Reducing interruptions from family members
5) Letting go of work at the end of the day

“To reduce fatigue make sure you have sufficient lighting so your eyes don’t get strained, minimise distracting noises so you can focus and concentrate and put your work away once you’ve finished so that you can’t physically see what still needs doing – otherwise it will clutter your mind preventing mental rest”.

If you need more inspiration, Gwendoline’s newsletters are full of great tips and advice about organising your home office or work space: https://conta.cc/2P4Oir6, https://conta.cc/3mJYB2j and https://conta.cc/3L8XZfl.

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