Do you like going to your office? If thinking about your office makes you depressed, consider changing your current office design. Your space could encourage creative solutions, increase productivity and give you a way to recharge your tired, computer-fried brain.
Environmental psychologists suggest that feeling a sense of control over your office space encourages productivity. So, own your space. Think about choosing, not just filling, your office space and walls. Think about your office as support for your work life. What colors predominate? Blue and green are said to encourage creativity and performance. Red is linked to better outcomes on tasks involving attention to detail.
Is your desk messy? Kathleen Vohs, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, says messiness might be a good sign. Empty desks discourage new ideas. Those yellow Post-it notes, with reminders and lists, have been found to be good for your brain.
If you can choose furniture, understand that circular arrangements encourage collective thinking and linear arrangements encourage individual perspectives. Interior designers say curved and rounded furniture is more welcoming than sharp-edged or boxy pieces.
Don’t have a window? Add nature photos and pictures of a landscape to your wall. A glance at nature is a mini recharge to the mind. Not possible? Go for a stroll outside during lunch break or, in the winter, find a window and take some deep breaths. Adding plants, especially healthy live ones, adds a sense of peace and calm in a space.
After studying large shared office spaces, New Yorker writer Maria Konnikova found that the noise level in these spaces is usually high enough to distract and lower productivity. And having little to no privacy can also inhibit creative thought.
What is the level of privacy in your office space? Can you include a space for private conversation—say, two chairs arranged together? Try bringing in a comfortable chair from home to encourage sit-down conversations if people tend to stand next to your desk to talk. Separate spaces for working and conversing reduces stress and increases good decision-making.
You can minimize distractions by creating space to focus on one task (and one screen) at a time. How about having a place for your cell phone? A time set up in your schedule to check your phone and emails? Many people frame these as guilty pleasures, but you can keep them in check by planning time for them.
HomeGoods writer Susan J. Smith suggests personalizing your office by using colorful wall hangings. A wall of changing photos of family can cheer a cold, dark winter. Photos help us remember good times and our membership in a larger family.
Adding area rugs helps with a feeling of comfort, too. Smith suggests shelves filled with mementos, symbols of hobbies and inspirational books as another way to connect with others.
And lastly, think fun. Playful, fun decorations encourage productivity and creativity. Did your daughter or son give you a SpongeBob pillow for Christmas? Bring it in. Laughter is a great recharge during a busy, stressful, day.
Your office is where you spend a significant part of your life. You can improve your productivity, increase your creativity and do better work in a comfortable, thoughtfully designed workspace.
Margot Storti-Marron is a Maple Grove psychotherapist, coach and writer.
