How To Decorate Your Office At Home To Improve Your Productivity

BY CRESCENCIA NGA CHE

Find out how these practical interior styling tips can help you spruce up your office at home for better wellbeing and productivity.

Working from home as our new normal since last year’s lockdown has brought greater flexibility into our working lives and with it a number of challenges. The main one has been finding ways to upgrade our living spaces with fit-for-purpose study areas or dedicated home offices that will help us perform at our optimum level.

With the new year well on its way, your vision board and goals all mapped out, it’s time to upgrade your home office environment to remain productive and thrive all year round.  Here are a few tips to stir up your inspiration.

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Review your work-from-home office setup 

In order to win at life and smash all your goals this year, first assess how your current home office setup impacts your work routine and structure and ultimately your productivity goals. 

Make a list of all the things that you currently like in your office space and the items that you can improve upon or need to invest in to improve your level of productivity.

For example,  how does the colour scheme in your home office space allow for maximum concentration? Is it well ventilated or quiet enough for your taste? Do you have enough lighting or storage? Where are the pain points in your body after a prolonged sitting time?

This simple yet essential analysis will help you determine the best environment, the home accessories, and the tools and equipment that you need to enhance your office decor and level up your productivity at home. Based on this you might be able to work out a rough budget for your home office upgrades and gage whether you need to enlist the help of an interior design firm for more advanced work.

Inject personality into your office at home

Boost your overall wellbeing and productivity by infusing your own style into your work-from-home office décor in a way that allows your personality to shine and work cohesively with the rest of your living spaces. 

Simple retouches from fresh coats of paint in mood boosting or neutral colours, to bringing the outdoors inside with indoor plants, or infusing your space with uplifting scents, gorgeous wall decorations, desk lamps, and picture frames can positively transform your office vibes.

Who doesn’t want to work in a gorgeous and playful office that reflects personal taste?

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It is well researched that colours are synonymous with emotions. So choose a colour palette that stimulates your inspiration and productivity, depending on your personality and home styling preferences.  For those who feel more grounded in tried-and-true neutrals, off-white, earthy tones, light blue, and Pantone Ultimate Grey might be a few colour options to explore. These calming tones will allow for maximum concentration and better reflect light for all your video meetings.  On the other hand, people who feel more energetic and productive in colour-drenched spaces, might want to try out warm yellow, dusty pink, baby blue, or Capri Teal from Glidden Paint. 

Houseplants not only can brighten up your home office, but they can also lift your mood.  Clinical studies have shown that people who work in offices with plants tend to feel better about their jobs, worry less, and take fewer sick leave days. Houseplants add moisture to the air, and adding a snake plant to your home office décor can support stress relief.

Read More: 10 Interesting Interior Design Trends From Around The World For 2021

Alongside fabulous wall arts and family pictures that stir up happy memories and remind you of all the fantastic places you have visited in the world, an essential oil diffuser can help infuse your home office environment with gently scented purified air.  This can help you feel relaxed, energised, and focused on your work tasks, depending on the oil you choose to use.

A desk lamp could add both sophistication and extra lighting to your home office, especially if your desk is wall facing, helping you to maintain your attention to details and ultimately your productivity with a minimum effort.

Increase storage for a clutter-free space

Based on personal experience, I have found that I am more productive when my dedicated work-from-home office area is well organised and clutter-free. It brings me peace of mind, greater clarity of thoughts and actions, and it saves me energy and time, because I am able to easily find stored items to power up throughout the day. And for me to be able to achieve this I had to invest in great storage.

If you are in a position to do so, I highly recommend bespoke cabinetry, because you will have designed the space based on your short and long-term needs. Go the IKEA route for a more affordable option if your budget is tight. For renters, opt for removable mounting shelves and free-standing shelving units, and throw in a small storage basket for your knicks and knacks.

Boost comfort for a healthy sitting posture

In a pre-lockdown survey by office furniture specialists Fellowes, Ergonomic expert, Stephen Bowden advised that workers need to have access to the necessary ergonomic equipment, including foot, wrists and back supports, to prevent aches and pains and mental distress.

To remain productive whilst working from home, invest in a chair built to support you for a prolonged period of time. It needs to fit your body, support it and adjust to your movements throughout the day to help improve your work efficiency by mimicking the natural curve of your spine.  Consequently, prioritising health and comfort over style is indeed very important in this case.  

Depending on your work style, opt for an ergonomic chair, a swivel chair or a high quality chair with either adjustable seat height and seat depth or lumbar support and armrests to enhance focus and health, and a laptop stand to ease strain on your neck and arms.

Make sure to place your feet squarely on the floor to maintain a solid upright working position with your hips slightly above your knees. 

Add in a seating pad and a cushion for extra back support to your home office chair, a footrest if you are particularly short in order to maintain a good upright posture, and a small rug under your desk to help keep your feet warm during the colder months.

Upgrade your home technology

Invest in blue light screen protectors to preserve eye health and maintain decent sleep hygiene. Because of blue light, too much staring at your digital devices’ screens all day long whilst working from home causes eye strain, fatigue, headaches, dry eyes and blurry vision. At night time blue light bocks melatonin, the hormone that is thought to regulate sleep and other body processes.

A wireless mouse and a matching pad are useful technology devices to invest in to ease tension in your wrist and arm whilst scrolling pages on your computer. For extra comfort and optimum performance, go for a noiseless wireless mouse with a slim ergonomic design and a smooth frosted surface, with soft touch support and responsive buttons for quick navigation and fast scrolling.

Smart speakers powered up with Alexa such as the well-known Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest are useful multi-functional devices you can go for to enhance your work-from-home lifestyle. As AI virtual assistants, they help you control your smart home devices, play music, make phone calls and answer some of your mundane questions at your voice command via voice assistants.

Wireless headphones can also be helpful to block out noise around you, clearing away distractions to help you focus on your work matters regardless of your surroundings. During your break times, they can also be used to listen to your favourite music with no noise in the way. Go for headphones that are lightweight with pillow-like softness on the headband and ear cushions for your all-day comfort.

For the warmer months, an HEPA air purifier would be a welcome addition to your home office. As a person suffering from pollen allergy during the summer months, I wouldn’t be able to work and sleep properly without the help of my Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Fan. It refreshes stale air, eliminates allergens such as dust and pet odour, gets rid of indoor pollutants, reducing the chances of breathing difficulties caused by asthma, and it definitely improves the quality of your sleep. Go for it.

And don’t forget your flask bottle to keep yourself hydrated during the day!

What steps have you taken to upgrade your home office for better productivity?

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