A Splash of Paint
Believe it or not, colors have deep psychological effects on our brains. For those sensitive to their surroundings, they can influence mood and outlook over long periods of time. If you're stuck in a boring home office with whitewashed walls and no windows and notice you're not quite as happy as you could be, perhaps it's time for a change. A few splashes of color on those walls may make all the difference! Interior and graphic designers are all educated on the ways colors can effect mood. Typically, yellow is a no-no for walls because it can make people anxious, blue calms and relaxes, lavender soothes, and green and orange energize. Different hues can have different effects too, for example, while bright yellow can cause a feeling of uneasiness, a soft cream creates a cheerful feel, so it is a common color for baby's rooms. Knowing how different colors effect you individually can have a great impact on your attitude, work ethic, and overall feeling throughout the day, if you surround yourself with the right colors. You may even decide to paint patterns! After all, it's your home. Why not make it yours? Taking a weekend to paint your office with a friend may be just the perk you need!
Let There Be Light
Ever wonder why skyscrapers have glass walls? Well, like color, light has a tremendous effect on human psychology. Scientific studies have proven that people work better in environments where there is plenty of natural sunlight to brighten their day. So if your home office doesn't have windows, and you know you like to look at the great outdoors, take a tip from the architects and choose a room with a view! Letting in some natural sunlight is sometimes the best decision an employer can make. It improves work ethic, mood, and energy levels among other things. Working at home allows you the freedom to take control of your surroundings. If your home office doesn't have windows, and artificial lighting for office use is insufficient, move your office to another part of your place that does, and turn the other room into something else fun. Vampires were last year's thing. Let's make 2014 a year of light!
Minimize Distractions
Now we get to the hard part - the dreaded distractions. As much as it's romanticized, working at home creates a breeding ground for distractions. Kids that want to play, pets that want to play, grown ups that want to play, it never seems to end! That's why letting people know when work time is work time is so important for those that work at home. Keeping dry-erase calendars and presentations boards for office are great tools. Use them to let your spouse, roommates, and friends know when your work hours are. That way, they know they're not to bother you during those times. To keep yourself on task, silence your cell phone, TV, and radio. Block social media sites during the day. Have a friend set the passwords on all of it without telling you if you must! Do whatever it takes. If you live with other people and sound is a problem, put some foam padding or fabric squares around your doors and walls to soundproof your space.
Unfortunately, kids and pets aren't accustomed to silence and the needs of others, but you may be able to work this to your advantage. Setting aside some break time during the day to go for a short, fifteen minute walk can break the tedium and improve mood in you, your kid, and your pet. Going to your local park is a welcome break from the workday, and the best part is, kids, pets, and bag lunches are almost always welcome!
The Right Furniture
Now that we've taken care of the walls and the beasts beyond them, it's time to fix the furniture! In the commercial business world, the rickety office desks of old just don't cut it in the modern era. Recent years have seen a huge rise in in the sales of office desks, modular workstations, and high tech cubicles. If you want your business to keep up, it's probably not a bad idea to refurbish your home office space. Of course, choosing the right furniture depends on the size of your room. Take the time to accurately measure the perimeters of your space and the furniture pieces you're thinking to buy. Consider the sort of furniture you'll need. For example, if you read a lot for work, bookcases are probably worth consideration. If you use technology, high tech office desks for computer use may have applications for tablets and other devices as well. You may even choose to go with furniture sets instead of individual desks. Furniture sets like the E55 Office Desk Typical by Mayline, and it's counterparts from the e5 collection make great additions to any home office. This collection offers furniture that's compact, include lots of storage space, is easy to power, and even comes in tons of colors to better match your new painted walls!
Comfortable Chair
Last but not least, we will address one of the most important decisions you can make for your home office. Comfortable office chairs are extremely important in all work environments. If the chairs are not optimal, improper seating positions over time can result in serious health problems, such as back pain, sciatica, joint problems, and poor circulation. That's part of the reason why so many corporate businesses have made the switch to comfortable desk chairs with ergonomic features to minimize health risks. Ergonomics is the study of comfort in the workplace, and no office furniture products show the advancements of this field better than office chairs. Even today's most affordable ergonomic chairs are equipped with the latest tilt tension features and lumbar supporting designs. Chairs with mesh backs, like the WAU-HIGH-BK-CHR Wau High Back Office Chair by Eurotech allow for breathability (and are usually highly affordable). Massaging chairs often offer heating features to soothe muscles, and ergonomic leather office chairs provide luxury executive style. One of the greatest things about working at home, is that you have control over your environment, all it takes is initiative!
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