Working from home is freedom. You are your own boss for everything from top to bottom and start to finish. It is something that a lot of people wish for when going to their ordinary nine to five jobs. But working from home is no cakewalk. Being your own boss comes with its own responsibilities and restriction. It is not easy to get work done in an organized manner without laying down some ground rules. Since there is no boss to yell at you, you have to make yourself accountable in order to be productive.
Trying to make oneself ready to deal with the work of the day can become burdensome; especially, with no one else there to push you.
- Make the storage efficient and pretty to look at- Set up cabinets, drawers and trays, etc and label them for a more organized flow of work. An office has to deal with countless file and documents on a daily basis. A separate cabinet or tray for the incoming or outgoing file is a helpful reminder to timely get done with the file and to keep track of the workload. The storage box, for example, can be separated into magazine boxes, reading files box, archived folders box, etc.
- Scents- Aromatherapy scents are known to increase productivity –a nice smelling place is certainly much better to work at. Smells like peppermint is a natural stimulant and are known to increase concentration and focus; lemon, on the other hand is a refreshing smell; whereas eucalyptus has many energy boosting powers and is great for an exhausted and tired mind struggling to complete daily tasks. Aromatherapy candles or sprays are a great way to bring these lovely scents into your home office. Plants with perfume flowers are also a great way to achieve this.
- Colour scheme- Colours of the surrounding have a big impact on the psyche of a people. Choosing a color palette that matches the rhythm of work becomes an important part of the whole décor of the area. Colour stimulates the visual and affects the mind. They are a great way to bringing up the vibe of a place if done right. And it is not necessary to go with the traditional choices like orange, yellow, what is important is that the color makes you more productive; so since the office is yours, the choice is also yours.
- Decorate the walls- Walls are like a large empty canvas. They can be used in many creative ways. There are a number of things that can be put up on the walls that will make you want to get up and get going for the work of the day. Wall papers, wall posters of your favorite quote or someone that inspires you, or just decorative wall panels or wavy wall tiles or 3D architectural walls, etc. – are few of the many ways to make use of walls and make them appear presentable.
- The desk is everything- A desk holds all your important files and document and desk is where you do all your work. It would be a shame to overlook its contribution; the desk deserves a makeover too. Remind yourself of your purpose with certain objects o your desk. To declutter the mess of wires, clip them to one side. Make a rule that if you don’t use it every day, put it in a drawer.
- Light it up- Lighting of a room plays a crucial part in how it affects the psychology of a person. Maximizing the lighting in your room and making it more bright would have a significant impact on working and productivity. If there are sources of natural lighting, then it can be used in lighting up the room while also getting the precious vitamin D.
- Make the room greener- Any room can do with a green makeover. Putting plants in a room gives it a refreshing look and also makes it look more welcoming. Watering the plants can also become a valuable addition to the daily routine and activity before starting work. Routine always boosts productivity as the mind prepares itself for each task before doing it. However, if it not a hassle that you want then, artificial plants are just as good for giving a greener and fresher look to the office.
- Choose a day to declutter- making a mess is easy, staying organized is not. It is true that no matter how many post-it notes or diary planner is used, or how diligently you put everything back at its place after using it, the place is bound to get messy. Setting a day aside to clean up the mess created in the duration of the whole week can bring a surprising speediness in the productivity of the work. A clean area will help clear up the mind; a mind free of clutter is always more productive. Self- monitoring as to what extra products are collecting in your office can quicken this declutter day.
- Vision boards- Every person striving for success has an end goal that they want to achieve, somethings in life that they have always dreamed of. A vision board represents exactly what you want to do, have, or become. Well-made vision boards, set at a visible place in the home office can be a motivator on dreary days when the work is slow and the energy down. A vision board is there to remind you that it will be all worth it in the end. It can also be a good addition to the décor of the office and help give the office a handsome look.
The surrounding and environment you are in have a lot of bearing upon how energetic and productive you are for the day. No matter what, self -discipline is something that is essential to and can actually help increase productivity, however, tweaking the place of work here and there to ease your mind into its job certainly provides a push that makes a difference.
Image Credits: Home Office Radiate from JGA /Shutterstock