It is the end of the second week in January and for many of us, things are back to normal.  We have settled into our work routine and are probably looking forward to the next holiday or break.  January is always a month that starts with great intentions, but these tend to slip after the second or third week. This is why looking at how to increase productivity can be so helpful, especially at the start of a new year when we have so many new goals to focus on.

There have been lots of studies carried out over the years on the different aspects of your working environment and how they can impact on productivity.  Since moving into our new house in June last year, I have been doing all my work from my kitchen table.  Not a great idea I know, and there are plenty of distractions, but it was the only area I had at the time.

Over the Christmas holidays my husband completed my home office/library/exercise room for me.  I absolutely love it and it was a joy to work from this space yesterday.  It is my space and it holds everything I need.  I have a large desk space and shelves for all my books.  Everything is within reach and I know that when I walk through the door, I am here to work.  It really has helped to instantly increase productivity and I got so much done yesterday. You can see what it looks like in the picture below.  It’s still pretty much a blank canvas where colour is concerned and this is the area I will be working on next.

Colours That Can Promote Productivity and Positivity

Colours can be so important and if you are someone who works from home in isolation this is something that can really help you to stay focused and productive.  We can all write a to-do-list, but with no one there to keep an eye on what we are doing, productivity can slip and we can find our to-do-list growing and growing by the end of the week.  There are certain colours that you can use to help keep you motivated and focused and I am detailing these below.  Of course if you have any suggestions of things that work for you, please be sure to share them in the comments section.

According to a study by the University of Texas in Austin, colours can affect behaviours and emotions.  The following colours have been found to:

• Pink: reduces feelings of irritation, aggression, and loneliness
• Red: increases your heart rate and blood flow whilst improving your attention and energy
• Orange: boosts your self-esteem and enthusiasm
• Yellow: heightens our productivity, creativity, alertness, and clarity
• Green: decreases fatigue and promotes efficiency
• Blue: enhances feelings of calmness, stability, trust, and loyalty, while encouraging creativity and focus

You can take advantage of the positive effects of these colours by using them in your workspace and using specific colours to help with certain behaviours.  If you tend to procrastinate, as I do, you could paint your office walls a nice, calming blue with yellow or green flourishes. I actually think that I will invest in a piece of abstract art work that has all the above mentioned colours and see how that goes.  I like having my office a neutral colour and plan on using colours as accents.

Emulate Nature To Improve Cognitive Function

Research has also found that having access to nature can lower stress and anger levels, improve cognitive functioning, and your mood.  Having a house plant in your workspace or office can help to reduce fatigue and increase attention.  You can add materials found in nature to help re-energise you and brighten up your room.  Items can include things like small plants, beeswax candles, fresh flowers, and of course wooden objects.

Music – Have a Work Friendly Playlist

This is something that I really can’t do without.  Music is a big part of my life and I love listening to all types.  I can’t work in silence and I don’t find it very productive.  It has been proven that music can make you more productive, but you have to be careful in your selection.  I can’t work with a talk show playing on the radio, my mind wanders and I find myself tuning in to hear what the talk show hosts are saying.  I have a specific playlist that I use when I’m working.  It’s one I have created myself on Spotify and it contains over 200 songs at present.  I turn this on and just start working away.  All the songs are my choice so I don’t get distracted by a song I don’t like, or a song that is too noisy.  I love Spotify and my playlists consists of songs that I have grown up listening to, some of my favourite artists, and even some ambient music thrown in.  The songs don’t distract me from what I am doing and I find I work better with my music playing.

Keep All Your Work Files Synced on All Devices

This is something I definitely agree with.  I have been trying to persuade my mother to move from Outlook on her PC to Gmail so that she can access her emails on her phone and tablet too.  To her it seems like a big ordeal but it is something that is so worthwhile.  If she gets a new computer, she will have to re-do her Outlook application and to be honest, I don’t think she even remembers what her password is.

I have a number of different email accounts and each of them runs through my gmail account. It means that all my emails are there whenever I need them and I can access them on any device with internet.  For my work files I use Dropbox.  I have the Dropbox app on my iPad and iPhone so I can really work, or check work related documents no matter where I am.  I also keep all my personal writing in a folder on Dropbox so I always have it backed up and stored.

Dropbox offers free space when you sign up for an account and you can buy more storage should you need it.  Dropbox has a referral program, and you can earn 500MB for each person who installs it up to 16GB. My referral link is https://db.tt/x4TKKtTv for those who wish to sign up for an account.

Sitting At Your Desk All Day is Bad For You

Most people now realise that sitting at their desk all day is not very healthy.  It can lead to all sorts of problems including back ache.  On one side of my office, I have my treadmill.  I also have a nice desk fitted to my treadmill so that I can work while I walk, or just simply stand up and do some typing.  I do tend to have a walk every hour just to stretch my legs.  It might just be to go to the kitchen and make a cup of tea, or walk around the house.  It doesn’t really matter as it is really just to get me moving again.  Standing desks became very popular last year but I have to be honest, I just couldn’t take to standing and doing my work.  It felt strange.  The one positive from it though was that it kept me very focused because I knew once I finished what I was doing I could sit down.  It was also very hard to walk on the treadmill and type at the same time.  I guess it would depend on what your work involved, but when you are trying to research and draft website content for clients, the treadmill walking just didn’t work.

So that’s my take on productivity and work space.  I hope there are some ideas in here that you can all use and perhaps you have some of your own that you would like to share in the comments section.  Please do as I would love to read them, as would everyone else.

Until next time,

Amanda