Office Design

It's amazing what having a comfortable office design can do for your work. It's a small area that can pack a lot of punch when it comes to influencing a major part of your life. By comfortable, that doesn't mean you work from a recliner and have a portable DVD player perched on your desk for breaks or background noise. What it does mean is that you get furniture not only appropriate for your job, but you get furniture that supports your body. Ergonomic keyboards and chairs are great investments because if you're comfortable, you're more productive and can think more clearly. You will also want to use colors that induce the qualities your job requires. Your personal items will help make the office feel like it's your own space. Once you have a place to call your own, you'll find it easier to come up with ideas and get your work done.

Will clients ever actually see your office design, or do you communicate with them more via email or phone? If your clients will physically be in your office, you'll want to impress them. You'll also probably want to make them feel comfortable. To do this, you'll want to keep the goofy pictures to a minimum. You may want to leave one silly one out just to show your clients you're human, too. Plants put people at ease, as well. You may want to consider a few of those. Want to boast your intelligence? Thick books on a shelf will do the trick, as will hanging a few degrees or awards on your walls. If you work from a home office and your clients never visit, feel free to do what you like with your space. Just remember to keep it disconnected from the rest of your house. This will allow you to keep work and family, friends and distractions/hobbies separate, and your sanity still intact. In the case of home office design, you just want a place to associate with work. That's what you'll do when you're there--and nothing else--and it will be somewhere to leave at the end of the day. It should be just like leaving a 9-to-5 job where you work for someone else.

Your desk is a personal decision. You need to have a form of organization, of course. Some people thrive best in an environment where there's a bit of clutter. Others work best when the desk is completely cleaned off except for the computer or papers needed at that time. You probably already know which environment you work best in. If not, experiment, and you will quickly find out, based on your productivity. If you have clients in your office, it's probably best to at least straighten up your desk before they come in. Otherwise, you run the risk of giving the wrong impression that you're not organized.

If your walls have no windows, introduce a bit of nature by hanging pictures of the beach or a forest on your wall. Look to these when you need a break to focus. Nature will have a calming effect. As for the part of office design that includes paint on your walls, you may or may not have a say in the color. If you do, try to match the color to your job. Color on the walls is one of the least expensive ways to make a big difference in your mood at the office. Here are a few hints, thanks to Design Psychology:

• Seeking creativity? Try tans, soft grays, silver-blues, or--surprise--cotton candy pink. These will get you thinking in new ways.
• If you find yourself working slowly or getting distracted easily, try sky blue, navy blue, black as an accent or muted greens. These colors are supposed to give you the boost you need to get your work done well and faster than before.

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