AHow To Choose The Best Office Layout For Productivity

We can be incredibly affected by our surroundings, which impact how productive we are when we work. How our environments behave can reflect our own headspaces. A cluttered office can encourage distraction, overwhelming feelings, or over-stimulating mindsets, and inspire disorganization. This can be detrimental to your personal productivity, pending projects, and reaching your goals within the workplace.

Instead, imagine a workspace that is optimized to meet your professional efficiency standards, can help you improve your focus, and will pleasantly improve your confidence and drive once you arrive at the office. Now that you have imagined this ideal workspace, it is time to make it a reality. First, ask yourself:

Is Your Office Layout Keeping You From Being As Productive As Possible?

For just a moment, try not to think about your projects or tasks when considering your productivity. Instead, let us approach this a different way: are you comfortable when you settle into your workspace for the day? When we are comfortable in our office and feel good about being in a tidy space, our productivity can increase as the workload seems a little lighter, the daily surprises hit a little softer, and our space can encourage office collaboration.

Reduce Clutter to Avoid Distraction  

Not only can a messy desk lend itself to a distracting workspace, but it also leaves physical data like sensitive paperwork vulnerable in what should be a safe work environment. Instead of piling your papers, folders, books, or other items high on your desk, consider  storage solutions.

Cabinets, bookcase, and pedestals are all ways to safely store your materials. They also can improve the look and feel of your workspace, which also improves focus and reduces distraction.

Natural Lighting Improves Mental Health

If you have big windows around the office, let that light in. Natural lighting improves any office environment instantly. Our bodies naturally need access to this light, so consider opening those shades wider, or taking them down all together. We know not many offices have access to natural light, in which case we would recommend LED desk lamps to brighten your office and meeting rooms. LEDs diffuse light softly, lending them closer to that natural light your office may be needing.

Add Comfortable Seating

Working in a chair all day is one thing, but working from a hard, uncomfortable chair can make every minute feel like an hour. Not only are uncomfortable chairs bad for our hips and backs, but the discomfort can also distract us from the tasks at hand. Comfortable chairs not only keep colleagues relaxed in the office or at their desk, but they can also make any visitors in your office feel like they are right at home.

Minimize Distracting Noises

A quiet morning can turn into an excited exchange of ideas, lunch plans, or impromptu scrums at the snap of a finger. Noise levels tend to differ depending on your company’s culture. Peaceful or lo-fi study music with noise-cancelling headphones can be just what the doctor ordered, but management should be approachable enough to consider designating work time in a conference room if the office is still distracting. Designating more private workstations can also help you escape the distraction of a hustling and bustling work environment.

Bring The Outdoors Inside

There is a reason it is called “the great outdoors”. Nature is an excellent source for getting away and leaving your problems behind. A hike, a walk on the beach, a stroll around a lake: nature just has a way of helping us slow down and work through anything. So, think about letting nature in. Open your windows, post pictures of hiking trips or landscapes you enjoy, or find a few minutes to take a lap outside the building.

Use Scents To Lift Up Moods

Aromatherapy does not just have to stay at the spa anymore. Bring the tried-and-true stress-relieving technique to your workspace now. Different floral, natural, or spice scents can instantly lift your mood. Essential oil diffusers can offer a puff of relaxing lavender or rosemary to bring a sense of calm to your office space.

Designate Office Zones For Specific Tasks

The breakroom, the conference room, the filing room: all of these are traditional, designated office zones for specific tasks. However, having alternative stations—like a smaller conference room for an impromptu strategy meeting or a private workstation for co-workers looking to focus on a specific task—can break up the workday and give everyone their own sense of space.

Add Plants To Reduce Stress

Much like bringing the outdoors inside, bringing plants into the office is a great way to reduce stress. When we add plants to reduce stress, we are not only bringing color into our office, we are also bringing extra boosts of oxygen. They are a visually peaceful addition that not only look good but can also help us breathe easier while at work.

Digital Space To Elicit Productivity

We are not only used to living and operating in a physical office space, we are also used to navigating and transferring data over a digital space as well. Invest in programs that encourage contact in and outside the office, file sharing, and the digital space to draw up and share ideas as you plan your office layout.

Encourage Collaboration

At the end of the day, your office is a team. Each person and each department brings special skills, experience, and personality to every task. Encourage collaboration through your office. Let them not only explore the space you have cultivated for them, but the space to get to know each other as well. Because each person brings something unique to your office, that means there could also be new and versatile approaches to any active project, applicable across departments.

There are several ways to optimize your office, and we can get you started today. If you are looking for office furniture in Houston or The Woodlands we can help you out contact us to learn more about productive office layouts and designs that are sure to impress.

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