You start your day, fired up and ready to tackle that to-do list. Then all of a sudden, it’s 4pm, you are nowhere near completed and you don’t really know what you did with your day (and can’t all be Instagram, right?). While we may all start the say with the best intentions, sometimes chatty co-workers, #saddesklunches and general life get in the way. To help, we’ve pulled together our favorite hacks to create a more productive work space. Some of these may seem simple, but remember: all the little things really do count.
Get Organized
Feng Shui. KonMari. Binge shopping at the Container Store. There are a lot of different ways to organize your work space. What they all have in common is that decluttering is key. The more stuff you have laying around, the harder it is to concentrate on any one thing. Establish “zones” in your space and put everything in it’s proper place. Get rid of everything you don’t need and keep your desk as clear as possible.
Tune In by Tuning Out
The right playlist can instantly boost your mood and energize you. But there are times when you need to focus and not be distracted by Drake’s lyrics. Strap on your headphones and try ambient white noise. White noise is a combination of all the frequencies that we are physically able to hear. When combined together, they produce a soft, hushing sound. It’s incredibly effective at blocking out unwanted sounds, and has been found to help improve memory and learning. Simply Noise offers a streaming white noise that will help drone out your co-workers chit-chat and hone in on that task at hand.
Get Pretty
Creating a space that looks, feels and smells beautiful improves your mood and encourages productivity. Natural light is best – and easiest on the eyes. Surround yourself with a color that energizes you. If you can’t paint your walls, add the color where you can to your desk area. It seems silly, but it actually works! Scents like lemon, rosemary, mint and cinnamon are all used in aromatherapy to boost productivity. As an added bonus, they also have anti-viral properties to help ward off the office cold. Try Tata Harper’s Stress Relief rollerball for a quick, chic fix or bring a pot of fresh herbs into the office. They’re much better than stale Febreeze.
Get a Plant
Plants in an office have been found to increase morale, productivity and mood. Plants offer not only a visually calming effect, but they also filter our air throughout the day, adding a bit of extra oxygen to pick us up.
Get to Work
The Pomodoro Technique is Silicon Valley’s beloved method to increase your productivity and focus at work. The approach is simple: take a large task, divide it into 25-minute chunks, and set a time. You work until the timer goes off and then you take a short break before starting the next timed section. You can use any timer or check out a Pomodoro specific app, like PomoDone which links in with other workplace organizational tools like Slack and Wunderlist.
Do you have other productivity hacks to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Kalaki Riot
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