IT’S AMAZING HOW MANY PEOPLE NEGLECT TO MAKE THEIR WORKSPACE ENJOYABLE GIVEN THAT IT IS A PLACE YOU SPEND ABOUT ONE THIRD OF YOUR DAY. IN FACT MANY PEOPLE SPEND MORE TIME IN THEIR OFFICES THAN THEY DO AT THEIR HOMES. HOW THEN SHOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR OFFICE AS UNCOMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE WHILE YOU SPARE NO EXPENSES IN GETTING YOUR HOUSE UP TO YOUR TASTE.
Below are some tips from Steve Pavlina on how to turn your office/workspace into an enjoyable space. Note that the rule in designing an enjoyable workspace is that you do only what you like and are comfortable with.
1. Choose Peaceful and Relaxing Colours to Create the Right Ambience
To make your office look appealing you should start with the colours of the office. Colours and lighting tend to have an effect on a person’s mood. Pavlina advises trying to find out the emotions that your current office settings invoke in you. He suggests stepping into your office while paying attention to your sense impressions.
He says you should go with your own taste and emotional preferences and not try to copy what works for someone else as you try to redesign your workspace. For example a particular programmer prefers working in a dark room without windows and says he loves it that way. Different things work for different folks when it comes to having a nice office ambience.
Try whatever works for you; new furniture, photos, wallpapers, artworks, flowers, etc. if you have the authority you can also change the lighting in your office to reflect what you really want.
2. Clear Out the Cluster
Most times disorganised workspaces mirror the person occupying the space as stressed and unorganised. A cluttered workspace hardly helps your focus and will rather hamper your productivity.
It is advisable to go for a clear and minimal office arrangement. Put files and documents away in a file cabinet until you need them. Keep only things related to your current task on your desk. Having a free work environment does wonders for your feeling and when you feel good about where you work you do better.
3. Add Plants and Flowers
Use living oxygen-generating plants in your office if you can. Pavlina advises using life plants and not fake ones. Water them regularly. He insists that when you see the plant blossoming your mood directly will respond positively each day you enter your office to work. Nice plants and flowers around the office will certainly do more good than harm and may even bring some luck 
4. Add a Good Smell
Have your office or workspace smell good; it will certainly lift your spirit. Find sweet smelling scent candles or scents. Certain scents like lemon and lavender have significant good effects on productivity.
5. Play Relaxing Music
Pavlina says you should experiment with various styles of music to discover which suits you and has good positive effects on your stress level and productivity. While for certain work you might want total silence good music can keep you going through some tasks smoothly.
Research extensively and build your playlists accordingly for your use at various times. Personally I have discovered that various music types appeal to me at various times and depending on the type of work. Having diverse and carefully created playlists will prove useful as you play the right music for your work at any time.
Better still you could subscribe to any of the decent music streaming platforms like Iroking and play what you want at any time.
The distribution of the music within your office also matters. Have someone do the right connections with sound systems that soothe and inspire instead of disturb.
6. Get a Decent Chair
You will probably do most of your work on your seat so Pavlina advises you make it very comfortable but not too comfortable. Simply go to the nearest office supply store and find what suits you.
7. Add a Portable Fan
Even with air-conditioning in your office you may have need for a movable fan near your desk to circulate the cool atmosphere and make you a bit more relaxed. You can find good ones at the home appliances stores around.
8. Establish Uninterrupted Periods
There should be periods each day you should do block any form of interruption be it from colleagues, phone calls etc. This should be during periods when you are at the peak of your energy and need to work on your most serious tasks and duties.
However note that some jobs require more solitude and concentration than others; a programmer certainly needs more quiet periods than say a receptionist.
The above tips should get you delivering your best in the most accomodating office/workspace ambience.
This post is curated . Source link: http://blog.ngcareers.com/2617/8-tips-to-create-a-relaxed-and-enjoyable-workspace-to-improve-your-productivity/
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