9 Ways to Design a Beautiful and Productive Workspace
Whether you are a student or a business professional, odds are you will need a space where you can complete your work in peace. With an increasing number of classes and work positions being conducted remotely, many of these workspaces are now located in the home as well.
But whether your space is an office cubicle or a home office, you’ll want to design the best space to suit your needs and give you comfort. This can be easier said than done, as you can quickly become overwhelmed with the potential of the project.
So, for some tips on how to establish your own beautiful and functional office, we have created this guide which features 9 tips you can follow to create your own workspace.
1. A Clean Space is a Clean Mind
Before you make any additions or alterations to your space, you’ll want to make sure you do a thorough job of cleaning up first. Cleaning up and decluttering is a great way to inventory all the things you currently have and decide on the things you really don’t need anymore. When it comes to a project like organizing your workspace, you’ll want to make sure you can save wherever you can.
Even after you have already decorated, you’ll want to make sure you keep your workspace clean. Our areas reflect our minds. If you are working in a space that is dirty, dark, and messy, it can make your mind feel similarly disoriented.
Gather up garbage bags and make sure you remove all loose trash, old papers, and anything else that is waste. For the things you don’t want to get rid of, make sure you can find a space for them.
Make sure to wipe down your electronics, and if you have a keyboard, take a long look at all of the crevices, it is very easy for crumbs and other debris to build up in these places.
After all of the floor is vacuumed and surfaces are wiped down, think about how you can promote a clean space moving forward. Things like candles, diffusers, or room scents can all help provide a clean and comfortable feeling to your room.
2. Proper Lighting
If you want to promote a sense of brightness in your mind, you’ll want to make sure your workspace is well-lit as well. Not only does this help prevent eye strain from working in dim settings, but strong light can also help you stay alert and energized for your tasks.
If you have the ability for natural lighting through convenient windows, then this is a great source of natural sunlight for the daytime. For the nighttime (or if you don’t have easy access to natural light) then you should look to add a light source to your room. Small side lamps work well if you don’t have access to ceiling lighting.
You have a few different options when it comes to lighting, but daylight bulbs are a great way to emulate natural lighting and work well for setting a lively tone in any space.
You also have the option to look at unique color-changing bulbs. There are many different colors that can affect our mood, with cool blues calming our minds, and bright reds igniting our passion. If you want the ability to mix up the feel of your room a little bit, then a color-changing bulb could be a great option to satisfy your feelings at any time.
3. Unique Stationery and Office Supplies
Since the idea is to design your own workspace, you’ll want to add unique elements that make it feel like your own. An easy way to accomplish this in any workspace is by adding personalized stationery items. Link these with customized office supplies items for a space that you can truly call your own.
Unique pens, highlighters, staples, and other supplies can be personalized to promote a theme that feels like your very own. You can find color schemes and designs that when added to your space, really show off your taste and personality.
While professionalism is always nice to emphasize in a workspace design, don’t let this stifle your individual spirit. Pens with fluffy backs on them and notebooks with your favorite characters on them might be “inappropriate” in some settings, but in your workspace, you should emphasize your personality as much as possible.
4. Cable Management
Now, part of your cleaning and organization efforts should be focused on more than just removing old papers. You want to organize as many things in your workspace as possible to provide a sense of cleanliness, openness, and orderliness. One of the biggest issues that can contribute to a messy space is poor cable management.
If you aren’t already aware of the term, cable management involves organizing the cords and cables that are associated with all of your electronic devices. With how many devices the average office desk has these days, these cables can quickly pile up and be an absolute nightmare to sort through.
If you’ve ever had to unplug or add new devices to a setup you haven’t touched in a while, only to be greeted by a maze of wires, then you’ll understand the importance of cable management. Cable management is meant to remove the appearance of cables entirely, although some people like to make some artful cable designs for their own enjoyment.
There are some electronic solutions you can turn to for management. Cable management solutions like wireless chargers can help you remove a lot of the cords associated with traditional chargers, and other wireless and Bluetooth solutions exist for other devices you will use often. However, some low-tech solutions can help you organize cords even if you can’t get rid of most of them.
5. Hang it Up!
Outside of desk space, if you have wall space then you’ll want to see what you can add there to really tie the space together. Calendars, photos, posters, and other things like memo holder clips can be added to your walls in order to further personalize your space.
Your workspace will be the place where you conduct a lot of your important responsibilities. The goal is to feel comfortable but also productive in your personal setup. Hang decorations that can serve as a great way to inspire and motivate you and consider this when looking around and wondering what you can add.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with empty walls, but there is so much opportunity to add practical and fun items to your surroundings. Let’s say you’re trying to save up for a dream vacation, you may want to add a poster of your destination so that you can see it through the day and remember why you are pushing forward.
On the practical side of things, you could add items like whiteboards to your walls. While laptops and computers are convenient, sometimes it can be much more helpful to write things out on a board and “think out loud”.
6. Electrify Your Workspace
Speaking of cable management, what will all those cables be attached to In the first place? There are a ton of office tools that can not only help you be more productive but just add some fun to your workspace. As much as you want to provide a space for focus and dedication, you shouldn’t overlook the value of breaks and some fun in your work area.
Look for some opportunities to add both productive and leisure electronics to your work area. Or, if you’re happy with what you have now, then maybe just consider making upgrades to improve your efficiency.
Some devices to consider for your efficient workspace include:
- Wireless chargers
- Mechanical keyboards
- Smart home devices
- Microphones for remote meetings
- Webcams
- Monitors
- Ergonomic mouse
If your role involves typing a lot of the day, then a really fun idea to personalize your room would be to purchase a custom keyboard. Mechanical keyboards have become much more popular in recent years, as more and more people are starting to build their own PCs and are investing more time into their home work and play spaces.
By customizing a keyboard you could make these work responsibilities much more enjoyable throughout the day.
You could even look to buy a custom mouse. Color scheme doesn’t have to be sacrificed if you carefully select all your items for practicality and aesthetics.
7. Color Scheme
For some tips on when you’re first setting up your space, think about a color scheme and then try to organize your workspace around that concept. Think about your favorite colors and accents or textures and think about how you can incorporate them into your workspace.
While this is clearly valuable for the visual appeal, having a dedicated workspace that is visually organized and themed can help you get into your “work mode”.
One of the biggest changes that have occurred with more people working remotely, is that a lot of people do not have a dedicated office space. While their typical workplace was designed to offer a professional setting, the almost too casual surroundings of their home can make it difficult to get into the right mindset needed for work.
By setting up a professional workspace, you encourage yourself to settle into a more professional mindset and be more productive in your tasks.
8. Keep a Calendar
While there are now plenty of digital tools that promise to help you stay organized and plan your days, you may prefer to have a physical calendar to help you stay on track and motivated.
By hanging a physical calendar on your wall, all you will have to do is look up and see your progress and plan for the month. Not only is this good for taking breaks from looking at screens (this can cause serious eye strain, so make sure to take some time every hour to focus on something besides the screen in front of you), but it can provide you the motivation to mark those days off and accomplish your next task.
The feeling of looking up at your calendar and being able to mark off your latest item or latest day can provide a great feeling of satisfaction in recognition of your completion.
Mark big appointments down, set milestones for achievements, and make sure you’re not letting the days simply pass you by. Sometimes it can be difficult to hold on to one goal in your mind for a long period of time. By writing it up on a calendar, you have another place where you can mark down your dreams and look for inspiration.
9. Framed Photos
Perhaps the most classic addition to make any workspace feel like your own: personal framed photos.
Whether it’s of your family members, your friends, your pets, or other personal interests, look to add these personal touches to your space to truly mark it as your own.
If you’re not someone who can easily decide on just one photo, or you love taking dozens of photos for every occasion, then you should consider getting a digital photo/video frame.
With a digital photo frame, you can include albums of photos that cycle through pictures automatically. This is a great investment if you want a way to represent your personal values and adventures conveniently. This is also another great initiative to promote more than just work in your workspace. Remember to be productive, but also be comfortable and enjoy yourself.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to design your own workspace and you want to know some key tips to make it productive, personalized, and enjoyable, then these 9 tips are an excellent way to get you started on your journey.
At the end of the day, the best place to work is where you feel most comfortable, creative, and inspired! Setting up a work space that makes you feel your best will have tremendous outcomes on your work in the long run.
If you’re looking for personalized office supplies to add to your space, then you’ll want to check out the wide selection available at PenFactory.
We offer pens, pencils, electronics, and office supplies, and all of that can be personalized in order to make them truly feel like your own. Browse our selection and find the perfect piece to transform your workspace.
