Make 2020 your most productive year with a home office update

2020 is just around the corner, and if like us, you promise yourself each year that next year will be the year, we’ve got some tips to actually make it happen.

With an estimated 1.54 million of us working from home, it’s imperative to have a productive working environment. If you’ve found your motivation has begun to stagnate recently, it might be worth making some changes to your home office to give yourself a boost.

Get a new outlook

If you’re finding that working from home is becoming increasingly harder, it could be that where you’re working is behind the problem. So, maybe it’s time to relocate?

You don’t have to have a dedicated office, but it’s wise to have a designated office space. Choose one with natural light, but not in the bedroom. Studies have shown that working in the bedroom can impede sleep, as your brain no longer associates the bedroom as a place of relaxation.

Choose mood boosting colours

Pale blues and greens are scientifically proven to relax the nervous system and create an atmosphere of calm, and as a result aid productivity within a working environment.

If you’re not sure about blue or green as an office colour, then you can add in desk-top accessories such as notebooks and pens, or even a mug in these hues.

Specially designed space

Creating a fitted home office can help you to get the most out of any area in your home. Hammonds create carefully crafted, bespoke office furniture to ensure you have everything organised to make working from home more efficient, comfortable and productive.

Add some greenery

Adding plants to a home office not only makes the space more attractive, but the increased oxygen from the plants will reduce tiredness too, along with eliminating harmful toxins.

Succulents are an affordable way to add greenery that needs very little maintenance.

Organised chaos

It’s been shown that having a cluttered desk, does in fact make it more difficult to focus. Avoid distractions by keeping work surfaces clear, and ensure drawers and shelves are organised with things you use most often closest to hand.

Things that are rarely used should be kept in a bottom drawer, or separate cupboard. Labelling drawers and boxes helps too, but don’t forget to put things back after you’ve finished with them.

Add some personality

Adding personal touches such as photographs to offices has been shown to be an effective way of helping to cope with stress. According to psychologist, Craig Knight, adding personal effects “lends a sense of identity to a workplace, in which we could otherwise feel like cogs in a machine.”

Use these tips to help 2020 become your most productive year yet!