Your Home Office Setup May Be Sabotaging You- Check Out These Budget Friendly Ways to Improve It!
Did you know your workspace, whether at home or in an office, drastically impacts the way you work? If you find yourself struggling to stay motivated or easily distracted, you might unintentionally be sabotaging your productivity with your environment.
Create a Designated Work Space
If you work from home, not having a designated work space is a one way ticket to failure, since working from home can already muddle work/life balance. Working from your couch, bed, or other areas that you normally use to relax and unwind can make you feel unnecessarily tired and sluggish. You might even find yourself turning on the TV or falling asleep! If you don’t have the space to create a home office, finding a nook with a proper chair and table can help you mentally transition from home to work.
Declutter your Surroundings
There’s nothing worse than trying to get work done while that pile of laundry nearby is calling your name. Decluttering and organizing your surroundings can help you focus and feel more relaxed. It can be overwhelming, so starting with one section at a time can make it easier to conquer. It’s also important to remove items from your office space that don’t belong, like dishes, that pile of laundry and anything else that shouldn’t live in your office space.
Invest in Cable Management
That tangle of cords and cables sitting by your feet isn’t doing you any favors. The plethora of cables that comes with having a home office setup can be hard to manage and become an eyesore. There are a variety of inexpensive cable ties, velcro wraps and more you can find that fit perfectly into your setup. Best part is it takes 15 minutes or less and makes a HUGE impact on how sleek your home office looks.
Use a Whiteboard
Whiteboards are inexpensive when compared to pricey tech and can liven up the walls of your home office space. They can be completely customized to help you with your productivity- think weekly calendars, to-do lists, motivational quotes, goal tracking and fun doodles. When it comes to increasing productivity at home, a whiteboard is easily accessible and can help you quickly remember and jot down tasks that need to be accomplished. (Interested in more ways to utilize your whiteboard to increase productivity? Check out our blog here, and sign up for notifications on our very own Secret Whiteboard project, coming soon to Kickstarter!)
Go Green with Houseplants
Houseplants are proven to boost productivity and have a restorative effect. According to a study from 2011, “indoor plants in an office can prevent fatigue during attention demanding work.” Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are so many houseplants that are low maintenance and easy to care for, such as ZZ plants, succulents, air plants and more. Freshening up your space with a few houseplants can help improve allergies, lift your mood, relieve stress and improve oxygen levels in your space. Pro tip: if you really don’t trust yourself with a living thing, fake plants can be beautiful as well and don’t need any care!
Did you know your workspace, whether at home or in an office, drastically impacts the way you work? If you find yourself struggling to stay motivated or easily distracted, you might unintentionally be sabotaging your productivity with your environment.
Create a Designated Work Space
If you work from home, not having a designated work space is a one way ticket to failure, since working from home can already muddle work/life balance. Working from your couch, bed, or other areas that you normally use to relax and unwind can make you feel unnecessarily tired and sluggish. You might even find yourself turning on the TV or falling asleep! If you don’t have the space to create a home office, finding a nook with a proper chair and table can help you mentally transition from home to work.
Declutter your Surroundings
There’s nothing worse than trying to get work done while that pile of laundry nearby is calling your name. Decluttering and organizing your surroundings can help you focus and feel more relaxed. It can be overwhelming, so starting with one section at a time can make it easier to conquer. It’s also important to remove items from your office space that don’t belong, like dishes, that pile of laundry and anything else that shouldn’t live in your office space.
Invest in Cable Management
That tangle of cords and cables sitting by your feet isn’t doing you any favors. The plethora of cables that comes with having a home office setup can be hard to manage and become an eyesore. There are a variety of inexpensive cable ties, velcro wraps and more you can find that fit perfectly into your setup. Best part is it takes 15 minutes or less and makes a HUGE impact on how sleek your home office looks.
Use a Whiteboard
Whiteboards are inexpensive when compared to pricey tech and can liven up the walls of your home office space. They can be completely customized to help you with your productivity- think weekly calendars, to-do lists, motivational quotes, goal tracking and fun doodles. When it comes to increasing productivity at home, a whiteboard is easily accessible and can help you quickly remember and jot down tasks that need to be accomplished. (Interested in more ways to utilize your whiteboard to increase productivity? Check out our blog here, and sign up for notifications on our very own Secret Whiteboard project, coming soon to Kickstarter!)
Go Green with Houseplants
Houseplants are proven to boost productivity and have a restorative effect. According to a study from 2011, “indoor plants in an office can prevent fatigue during attention demanding work.” Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are so many houseplants that are low maintenance and easy to care for, such as ZZ plants, succulents, air plants and more. Freshening up your space with a few houseplants can help improve allergies, lift your mood, relieve stress and improve oxygen levels in your space. Pro tip: if you really don’t trust yourself with a living thing, fake plants can be beautiful as well and don’t need any care!
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