Everyone knows that a person’s productivity is influenced by his or her efforts, abilities and time management, but not only by them. The environment around us is also very important. Have you noticed that you work better in certain places and worse in others?
There’s nothing surprising about it – sounds, wall colors, lighting, the presence of indoor plants – are all important factors that affect your working mood. How to get the most out of your surroundings and increase your productivity – read this article.
Use the music to create the right atmosphere
What you’re listening to affects your mood. When people are chatting around, or when you hear rattling sounds from construction work outside, it will be very difficult for you to concentrate on your tasks. On the other hand, listening to the right music not only reduces distracting noise, but also improves well-being and gives you a much-needed impetus for action.
Music that increases productivity should be word-free and simple in structure. This way, it won’t distract your attention, but it will set a certain rhythm for your work and raise your spirits.
Depending on the type of task, you can choose different styles of music. Classic melodies, or natural sounds, have a soothing effect. If you need more energy, try epic music from movies or video games. You can also create your own playlist for different types of work, following the principles outlined above.
Of course, there are exceptions. Maybe you’re the person who’s best at silence and all that’s more than that is distracting. Or you just don’t have the mood to listen to anything. Experiment and find your way around sounds.
Add some nature to your workspace
Studies show that natural light has a positive effect on productivity, creativity and well-being. Conversely, employees who work in windowless areas are more likely to have headaches, general weakness and other illnesses than those who use daylight.
Design your office so that the places where you spend a lot of time are also the closest to the windows. Your desk should ideally be fully illuminated by natural daylight. Or at least use indirect light that is reflected from the walls rather than direct light from the lamps.
Add another natural element – plants. Scientists say that their presence helps to prevent attention fatigue during work, and they also refresh the air, as the large leaf area serves as a filter.
Use the right colors in your office design
The colour scheme of the surrounding objects also influences our mood and work efficiency. The psychologist Angela Wright has done a lot of research on the effects of different colors on the psyche and identified the following patterns:
- Red is a color that denotes strength, warmth and courage, but it is also aggressive. Red is suitable for places with physical labor: a warehouse, a gym.
- Blue is an intelligent color that is associated with analytics, logic and trust, making it an excellent choice for any office.
- Yellow is an emotional color associated with creativity and confidence. Ideal for those places where a lot of creative work is done. For example, for a room where brainstorming takes place.
- Green is a balanced color that suggests harmony and balance, but can also be perceived as soft. It is well suited for meeting and negotiation rooms.
In addition to the color itself, you also need to consider its intensity. Strongly saturated, bright colours will have a stimulating effect, while soft and muted colours will soothe you.
It’s not always possible to start from scratch and repaint all the walls in the right colours. In this case, simply change the color of the screensaver on your desktop, buy notebooks or pens of the appropriate color or write notes on stickers of the appropriate color.
Provide yourself with personal space
Open offices are now widely preferred because they facilitate communication between colleagues and are said to increase job and team satisfaction. But all of these benefits are outweighed by disadvantages such as increased noise levels, lack of privacy and lack of privacy.
Chatty neighbors and frequent interruptions lead to mental exhaustion and significantly reduce productivity. So it is better to give preference to closed offices.
Another important point is the organization of your immediate work area. Clean and well-ordered table is not only visually attractive, but also saves a lot of time and nerves, so you do not have to cramp down on something important in chaos and disorder.
Summary
- Use simple, word-less music to level out harmful noises and improve your mood.
- Natural lighting and indoor plants are essential for a highly productive environment.
- Choose the right colours for the room depending on the type of work.
- Choose closed offices: they help you to focus on your business and prevent mental exhaustion.
What makes you more productive? What kind of Lifehouses do you use to increase your efficiency?