With many of us spending the majority of our waking hours in an office, it’s never been more important for our workspaces to actually work.
We invited business coach and productivity expert Vanessa Auditore to offer tips and tricks on how to make our office better — and explain what effects these changes would have.
According to Vanessa, there are three outcomes you want when looking to work wonders with your office – reducing stress, becoming more efficient and increasing influence.
Brought to you by Officeworks. You’ll find everything you need to work wonders with your space at Officeworks.
“Looking at and attempting to work from a messy, disorganised desk or work environment creates cognitive load that can disrupt your ability to think and respond with mental and emotional clarity,” Vanessa said.
Unnecessary distractions, she added, hinder productivity and can not only trigger personal frustration but impact how others perceive your ability to get the job done well.
So how can you work towards a better office and avoid these pitfalls?
Weekly Planner
Starting the week with your schedule organised helps clear your mind and ensures you focus on one project at a time, ultimately increasing efficiency.
Get a good quality deskpad like the Otto Black and Gold Weekly Planner, that allows you to see at a glance how your day is looking, with additional space for notes — because you never know when you’ll be struck with a genius idea.
In an era of online calendars and digital invites, there’s something reassuring about seeing a to-do list in front of you with pen and paper — not to mention that small moment of joy when you get to cross off a completed task.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Most office workers find themselves in an open plan environment, which can often be counterproductive to getting the job done.
These Sennheiser Wireless HD Headphones block out the noise and let you zone in on the task in hand, accompanied with your favourite tunes – ‘Eye of the Tiger’, anyone?
You can also take calls using the integrated microphone and listen to up to 25 hours of music per charge via Bluetooth – that’s plenty of concentration time!
Adjustable Desk
Poorly designed office furniture and the increasing number of hours we spend at the computer is creating a generation of workers with posture problems and neck and back pain.
Investing in a quality adjustable desk is one of the first steps you should take to make your office better.
This Stilford Electric Desk is powered by a motor to easily alter the height, and even allows you to save presets so you can switch up your position throughout the day, which is crucial to avoid long-term posture problems.
Comfortable Chair
What good is an adjustable desk without a chair that also brings you comfort?
You’ll want to look out for an ergonomic design that offers lumbar support. A foam seat will provide maximum comfort.
This Matrix Mesh Deluxe Heavy Duty Chair is recommended for users spending upwards of eight hours a day at their desk – so is suitable for most full-time workers.
It’s fully adjustable and the mesh back encourages air flow to avoid feeling stuffy in a poorly ventilated office.
Optimal Monitor
Next to posture problems, eye strain is another major health issue affecting many office workers.
Optimising your screen setup is important not just for productivity, but to avoid such common neck and eye problems.
This Acer 31.5″ Curved Monitor has flickerless technology, which is kinder to your eyes when staring at the screen for a prolonged period. The curved element also provides a more natural and immersive viewing experience.
Wireless Charging
Getting rid of unsightly cables is a subtle change that goes beyond simply creating a clearer desk.
People unconsciously notice the little things and form opinions very quickly that influence how they feel about working for or with you.
These Qi Wireless Charging Pads will reduce the time you spend searching for the right charger and climbing under your desk to plug it in.
In addition to looking chic, it’s perfect for charging your smartphone and other wireless charging enabled devices.
Effective Storage
If your desk is covered in printouts and documents, you may want to consider introducing a basic filing system to your work area.
This three pack of Marbig Archive Boxes is great for storing away files and anything else you don’t need immediately to hand.
They are stackable, so will come in particularly useful if you’ve got years of documents to save – or would rather hide them away than sort through them!
For your digital storage needs, you’ll be glad to know prices of hard drives have reduced significantly in recent years.
This Toshiba Canvio Hard Drive is portable and comes with 2TB of storage – that’s enough for 285,000 photos or 820 full length movies.
There’s no time like the present to make your office better and you may be surprised with the wide-reaching nature of the results!
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