Have you been looking around your work space wondering, “how could I set up a more functional office space, make my workspace safe and healthy, AND make sure I am taking care of my self while I am in my office (wherever that may be these days)?” With some adjustments within your physical work space and your workspace mentally, you will feel more organized, look more presentable on your virtual conference calls, and be in a better headspace! Implement these simple tips for a more productive you!
It’s All About Heart
When designing a home, you start with the heart of the home, in the kitchen. So, when we focus on the office, we start with the desk as the heart of your space. The standard industry sitting desk height is 29” tall, this is an ideal height for a 6 foot tall person. Everyone is built differently and the way to know your exact number, is to measure for yourself how tall your desk and chair need to be. For more information check out this article on desk heights.
The next item that pairs with your desk, and directly interacts with you, is your desk chair. This also depends on your needs and how you want your chair to function. Most of us are at our desk and in our chairs 40+ hours a week, so it needs to work for each individual. We enjoy working with our local All Makes Furniture brand. They have a great variety and the ability to customize with some manufactures. For those of you who love doing research, here is a great article on the best desk chairs for 2020.
Get Organized
After you have selected the correct desk and chair, it’s time to get you organized!
1. We try and go paperless here in our office, we scan and shred documents for easy digital access.
2. What paper we do need, we color code our files at the office and that works wonders for staying organized.
3. If your printer is wireless, it can go in a cabinet with all the supplies. This will save so much room on your desktop and give you an excuse to get up out of your chair to grab what your printed! Get those steps in!
4. Use storage containers to organize the small things.
5. Utilize your wall space! Hang filing systems, use white boards and shelving. You gain so much space taking your office vertical!
6. Don’t forget to keep your cords organized, labeled and well hidden. You can have a hole cut in the top of your desk where the cord can drop down and be hidden. You can have a contractor out to move an electrical box to keep cords neat. They also make cord managers for your desk, try and get a color to blend in.
Set The Scene
Many of us now are having to be on more virtual conference calls and your back drop is everything! We love adding an accent color or wall paper in office areas like we designed for this home office. If you have not jumped on the wallpaper bandwagon, we offer you a solution, Tempaper! Its a self-adhesive, removable wallpaper we started carrying after a visit to High Point Market a couple of years ago! Contact our office today and we can mail out a sample or two, office@elizabetherindesigns.com. If you’re still not into wallpaper, Samsung’s Frame TV offers a great aesthetic solution that can look great as a backdrop or be used to view your conference call with ease. You can change the “artwork” anytime and it’s framed, so it doesn’t look like a standard TV. We have one in our showroom that we invite you to stop by and see any time!
Light It Up
It’s impossible to work without proper lighting. Natural light has been shown to improve focus, mood, and sleep. Windows are also great because they offer a visual break when you need to look away from your screen.
We always say that light fixtures are jewelry for your home. Chandelier or pendant lights provide ambiance, overhead lighting, and add visual height to the room. Desk lamps for task lighting will help you to see what you’re doing. Look for bulbs around 3,000K. Bulbs higher than 3,000K have an artificial blue light which can cause eye strain, headaches, and increased stress.
BluBlox Glasses are all the rage. Lexi, a designer in our office, invested in a pair and uses them on heavy computer use days. She states it helps lessen headaches by filtering out the blue light from your computer screen, plus she looks oh so chic!
Get Moving
In all the hype of your physical office, don’t for get to take care of you and your body! It can be easy to get stuck in your seat, especially when you feel comfortable in your new space. Use an app to remind yourself to get up and stretch once every hour and make sure to get outside for some fresh air! Take your lunch breaks outside when you can! You would be amazed how much more productive you can be after a 30 walk. Also, make sure your work area is soothing and keep your stress level under control. I personally have a defuser going with essential oils every day and I use my Breath app on my apple watch religiously!
If you get stuck at any point in these tips, feel free to reach out for some assistance. Elizabeth Erin Designs is a full service residential and commercial interior design and home staging firm. We offer a 30 min complimentary consultation to detail out the scope of your project so we can then provide a portal for our design fee. Please contact us to schedule yours today through our website. For more Blogs from Elizabeth Erin Designs on Office Designs, check these out!
Stay Happy, Safe and Enjoy Your Life,
Jodi Peterman