Avoid these common mistakes
Are you struggling to stay focused in your home office? Chances are, your work setup lacks the necessary elements for a productive work session.
The way you decorate your workspace can make or break your productivity. Let’s dive into the common design pitfalls that could be holding you back from reaching your full potential.
Cluttered Desks
If you want to achieve optimum productivity in your work office, don’t make the mistake of setting up your desk with a bunch of decorative items. Cluttered desks are the least conducive to productivity
Keep your desk design simple, sleek, and to the point. Make sure everything you need is within reach and accessible.
Poor Lighting
Besides ruining a room’s aesthetic, poor lighting is the biggest hurdle when it comes to achieving prime productivity during your work day. Dim lighting can lead to eye strain, making it difficult for you to focus on your screen.
Similarly, overly bright lighting can create glare and contribute to constant headaches. Hence, it’s recommended to strike a balance and go with adjustable LED lights.
Uncomfortable Seating
Nobody wants to sit on a stiff chair with poor back support. Not only will a bad seating arrangement lead to an unproductive work session, but it will also cause back and neck pain.
Go for ergonomic chairs as they allow you to move from one direction to another with ease. They also come with adjustable features such as lumbar support, armrests, and seat height.
Lack of Personalization
There’s no doubt that offices need to have a streamlined layout. However, this doesn’t mean it needs to be a bland place that lacks personality and character.
Make your office space desirable and inviting with personal anecdotes and decorative items. An elegant artwork that resonates with you or photos of loved ones will instantly warm up the office space.
Overly Bright Colors
A person with endless work deadlines is already on edge. Getting work done while sitting in a room with overly bright colored walls can spark further irritation.
Eclectic colors are known to ignite creativity but they also tend to be overwhelming for a majority of people. Hence, to be on the safe side, opt for muted-colored walls that help you focus and reduce stress.
Neglecting Wall Space
It’s a missed opportunity not to utilize the empty wall space in your office room. Blank walls with little to no personality can make an entire room feel uninviting.
And nobody likes to work in a boring place. To improve productivity levels and strengthen the desire to work, decorate your walls with sophisticated decorative pieces.
Ignoring Acoustics
For a productive work session, you need to alienate yourself from the outside world and its noise. When setting up a workstation in your home, you’re prone to be distracted by the endless chitchat of your family.
To avoid this problem, make a smart decision and invest in soundproofing options. These would include acoustic panels on the walls and thick heavy curtains with noise block-out features.
Mismatched Furniture
Even though you’ll be using the home office for purely work purposes, this doesn’t mean it needs to be devoid of structure. Make sure to create a cohesive environment by choosing a unifying theme for your furniture.
When it comes to furniture choices, you can choose amongst rustic, warm, and modern styles. Once that’s done, select other key items like desk and chair in the same complementary theme.
Distracting Wall Decor
As mentioned before, you don’t want your home office walls to be boring. However, they also can’t be a source of distraction during your work session.
Strike a balance and go for calming and simple wall decor designs that promote focus. If you can, paint your walls in soft and muted tones, with minimalist patterns that don’t compete for your attention.
Neglecting Plants
A quick and easy way to sprinkle some life into any place is by adding plants. Hence, don’t make the mistake of ignoring greenery elements and incorporate low-maintenance plants in your workspace.
Besides helping with the aesthetics of your office, home plants bring a fresh vibe that can boost your mood and motivation. And we need all the motivation in the world for a productive work session, don’t we?
Poor Desk Placement
Your work view plays a great role in achieving high productivity levels. If you simply place your desk against a wall, chances of procrastination are high.
Always position your desk against a window or any inspiring view as it tends to help with high motivational and energy levels. Similarly, natural sunlight streaming in from the window will brighten your workspace.
Access to Gadgets
We all need a PC setup to do work but more than often we don’t need our phones. These technological gadgets can easily divert from a pending to-do list.
For a streamlined and productive work session, focus on keeping only the necessary gadgets and accessories in your desk space.
Overlooking Temperature Control
When doing work, you’ve already got enough on your plate. If you constantly feel hot or cold in your home office, things will get overwhelming and you’ll be having a mental breakdown now and then.
To avoid this scenario, maintain a comfortable workspace by investing in radiators and ACs. Make adjustments according to your needs and work in an atmosphere that promotes your well-being.
Lack of Functionality
Functionality should be on top of your priority list when talking about a home office setup. No matter how aesthetic your workspace is, if it isn’t functional, you won’t be able to stay productive for longer periods.
Multi-functional furniture such as a desk with built-in storage or a comfortable chair that can also be used as an accent piece as some of the many examples of how you can combine style with purpose.
Not sure where to start? Check out our guide on “Creating a Productive and Stylish Workspace”.
Inadequate Storage
If you don’t have sufficient storage, things can get easily out of hand, resulting in a chaotic workspace. Assess your storage needs beforehand and list down all the components you’ll be needing.
These components can range from shelves that utilize vertical spaces to storage baskets, bins, and drawers for easy access to important documents. For creative ideas, skim through this piece on “Say Goodbye to Procrastination with Desk Tools” for inspiration on optimizing your workspace.