When you think about how to increase your productivity, you rarely consider making adjustments to your workspace. Yet, our working environment greatly influences our productivity without us noticing it. That’s why it’s of utmost importance to analyze your space and make some adjustments that will help you work better and quicker. Here are some simple tips that will help you get started.
Find the right places to work
Working from an office is not the only possibility anymore. If your job allows you to work from anywhere you want to, invest some time into finding the right places. Whether it’s your favourite coffee shop, a co-working space or a gazebo in your garden, make sure that the space inspires you.
Different tasks may require a change of scenery, so don’t feel bad about wanting to work from a different room or even from a bench in a park.
Keep your workspace free of clutter
Do you keep coming up with excuses why you have a cluttered desk? A cluttered desk has a long history and a lot of famous people were known for their messy workspaces. But that doesn’t mean that a disorderly desk improves your productivity. On the contrary, it has long been proven that clutter distracts you ever so subtly that you don’t really notice it but end up doing less and feeling stressed. Successful entrepreneurs know that, so it’s not surprising why so many of them are advocates of minimalist interior designs and Scandinavian living.
Create task associations
Our brain loves creating habits. So, why not use that quality to your advantage? You can create task associations within your workspace to send signals to your brain that you are to do a certain action when you are at a certain place or using a certain device. For example, you could separate your desk into two areas. One could be for sketching and wireframing while the other could be for working on the actual designs. The possibilities are endless and they completely depend on what you do and how you want to do it.
Create the right atmosphere
The creative process can be affected by many things. While you can’t completely control your environment, you can do a lot to make it more work-friendly. We’ve already covered optimizing the actual space where you work to help you increase your productivity, but we still have one more aspect to cover – sounds.
Studies show that some sounds can be incredibly distracting. For example, hearing snippets of conversation break your concentration and divide your attention without you really noticing it. The same goes for the TV working in the background and sometimes even hearing the traffic. You can help but try to concentrate on these sounds as well as your work. That’s why working in large offices isn’t great for your productivity.
If you can, try to work in a secluded spot where you can concentrate on what you’re doing. Also, don’t neglect listening to good music (you’ll have to identify the tracks that help you concentrate and don’t distract you).
All in all, try to create an atmosphere that lets you work effortlessly and without any distractions. Take your habits into account and tweak as you go to create the perfect space that will make you thrive.
