Welcome to the final instalment of our ‘Reigniting Your Creative Self’ series! Throughout this series, we have looked at how to reignite your creative self in simple yet effective ways including how to get out of a creative block, and how to find inspiration.
In today’s blog post, we’ll be sharing 5 ways you can optimise your workspace to help get that creativity flowing! But first things first – let’s talk about why having a dedicated workspace is so important!
If you are someone who is constantly working from home, it can be really easy to fall into unproductive habits. Often, many begin working on the couch or in bed, which can cause a lack of work/life balance, and it can be really bad for your posture and mental health over time.
Having a dedicated work space, means that you are creating an association with that environment where your brain switches to ‘I am in work mode’, and will help you stay focused on the task at hand.
Dedicated workspaces can look different for everyone, some may have a specific ‘office’ or spare room, others may dedicate bench real estate or use a spare corner in their homes.
Regardless of what your space looks like, we are giving you 5 easy ways to optimise your work space, to allow for creativity and productivity!
Words: Yaren Ugur
5 Ways to optimise your workspace for creativity
1. Marie Kondo your desk and workspace.
If you haven’t already heard of the decluttering queen herself – be sure to check out Marie Kondo on Insta because her feed is seriously #goals. Marie Kondo states that decluttering is ‘not [just] about tidying physically, but it’s about tidying yourself by facing yourself’.
We tuned into her video with The Pool, where she gives advice, and runs you through how to tidy your office desk. Here are some of our favourite points for decluttering:
- Decide what you want from your space – think: ‘what is your ideal lifestyle.’
- Divide your items into groups (Books, Papers, Miscellaneous & Sentimental).
- Decide what sparks joy – Marie says in an office environment this looks like, ‘does this contribute to making you feel good about yourself, so you can do your job well.’
- Thank and discard the items for their time, and their services.
- Put items back in order: ensure that each item has a home!
2. Add a natural touch to your space
If your work space consists of walls, artificial lighting and carpet it may be time to add a little pop of nature to your space! Indoor plants are a great addition (to any space we say), but especially for your work environment!
Plants and nature help us to enter a state psychologists call ‘soft fascination’, which results in an elevation in mood, replenishes mental energy, as well as improves our memory and enhances our creativity!
There are plenty of great options for low light and low maintenance options for your office such as:
- Sansevieria varieties (a.k.a ‘Snake Plants’ or ‘Mother in law’s tongues’)
- Monstera Deliciosa
- Pothos varieties (a.k.a ‘Devil’s Ivy)
- Spathiphyllum (a.k.a ‘Peace Lily’)
All of these plants are easy to care for, and are available readily at your local nursery or Bunnings.
Fun fact: if you’re a brown thumb, Bunnings actually has a ‘perfect plant promise’ – meaning if you happen to kill a plant within 12 months of purchase – they’ll happily refund your purchase!
3. Ensure that your work space is ergonomic!
The World Health Organisation says that an average adult spends more than a third of their lifetime at work – meaning the workspace you’re in should be comfortable and good for your posture to prevent any work-related injuries.
If you’re spending more than 8 hours a day at your desk, chances are you are reaching, slouching or craning, and may be causing yourself some pain.
Ergonomics expert Jon Cinkay says that most work-related pain can be avoided later on in life if you adjust your workstation ergonomically.
Some easy things that you can do to ensure that you are protecting yourself are:
- Adjust your chair
- Adjust your monitor (ensure the top of your monitor is at eye level)
- Mind your mouse and keyboard
- Position your phone
- Move and stretch throughout the day (at least once every hour that you’re sitting down)
4. Adjust your lighting – not only important for pics on the ‘gram!
No! We are not talking about ring lights for impeccable selfies!
Lighting has definitely got to be one of the most important adjustments you can make to your workspace. Proper lighting can help reduce fatigue and headaches, associated with straining your eyesight. Too much or too little lighting, can cause a strain on your eyes, and can lead to eye discomfort.
Studies show that natural lighting is best for morale, energy levels and stress levels – however natural lighting may not be available for everyone.
Some things to consider when adjusting your lighting in your work space:
- Rethink your paint colour – darker colours tend to absorb light, whereas lighter colours tend to reflect.
- Is there a glare where you’re going to set up? Glares cause your eyes to strain more than they need to and should be avoided where possible.
- Are there flickering lights?
- Can you optimise natural lighting for the majority of the day?
Clinical optometrist Jeffrey Anshel also suggests following the 20/20/20 rule which entails:
- Taking a 20-second break, every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away (preferably out a window).
5. Finally add touches of inspiration to your workspace!
Creating a workspace that is inspiring is definitely key to getting that creativity flowing, and improves your chances at being productive in the work space you’re in.
In our last blog post ‘Finding your inspiration’, we discussed all of the different ways that you can easily find inspiration, without having to leave your home!
Finding inspiration is really personal and whilst we do encourage a clean and crisp working environment for productivity – it’s also important for your workspace to accurately represent yourself, and your personality.
You can add things like:
- Indoor plants
- Vision/mood boards
- Crystals
- Pictures of your loved ones and furry friends
- Images of your next holiday destination or travel inspo
- Inspirational quotes
Not only do these personal touches make the environment feel more ‘you’, but they can also act as a motivation point for you to get that creativity flowing!
That’s a wrap! Thank you for tuning into our ‘Reigniting your creative self’ blog series. We hope that this series has provided you with some great ideas on how to keep your creative juices flowing, and how to optimise your workspace to be as inspiring and motivating as possible. If you need some help spreading your new-found creativity online – get in touch with us today!
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