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Struggling to feel inspired to work from home? Does the energy in your home office somehow feel flat all the time?
Sounds like your home workspace is dragging you down.
Your work environment can have a massive impact on your mood and motivation levels. It can even affect how productive you are. A report by RAIN Group found that workers that fall into the Extremely Productive group are more in tune with their work environments.
With WFH on the rise, the onus has shifted from employers to workers to get their home workspaces just right. While this presents an opportunity to create a truly unique workspace, it can also be very easy to fall into a WFH rut thanks to your surroundings.
Luckily, there are plenty of tricks to energise home workspaces with minimal effort or expense.
SIMPLE WAYS TO BRING POSITIVE ENERGY TO YOUR HOME WORKSPACE
Optimise your desk location
Believe it or not, the location of your desk can have a BIG impact on the energy of your home workspace.
According to feng shui principles, placing your desk in the so-called commanding position can help you to attract stronger positive energy.
What is the feng shui commanding position I hear you ask? Well, it means positioning your desk far from the door but not in line with it, making sure that you’re seated facing away from the wall. You should also avoid sitting with your back to the door.
If applying these principles simply doesn’t work for you, there are still things you can do to optimise the location of your workspace. Consider moving your desk, ideally as far as possible from your bedroom. Apart from changing things up being positive in its own right, distancing your desk from your bedroom will help you to achieve a clearer distinction between work and rest.
If you live in a shared house and that’s not possible, consider investing in some room dividers to help create a physical barrier between your bedroom and your home workspace
Or if you’re feeling crafty, try making your own for under $20!
Brighten up your walls
Adorning your walls with some inspiring prints is a super simple way to add a dash of energy to your home workspace. Certainly much quicker than getting the paintbrush out!
I personally love motivational prints. They’re so simple, yet so powerful in boosting your mood and energy levels.
They don’t just look pretty, but they can actually boost your work performance. Research from the University of Toronto has shown that motivational posters can improve the success rate and performance of workers by 33%.
Etsy is my go-to for motivational prints and cool home office art. There is SO much choice and you can find some real bargains.
If you’re feeling arty, check out the video below for some inspiration on how to create your own motivational art.
- Red: a high-energy colour, notes of red can help promote courage and ambition. It can also help to drive confidence. Be careful though – over-doing the red can lead to irritability and anger (not ideal when you’re trying to meet a deadline)
- Yellow: a bright and cheery colour, yellow can encourage mental clarity and feelings of optimism. While it’s known as a colour that can spark joy and laughter, too much yellow can irritate and lead to feelings of hyperactivity
- Violet: if you are looking for something to help get those creative juices flowing, violet is for you. Violet can help kick the problem solving parts of your brain into action, which is perfect for trying to crack those tricky assignments. Too much violet can, however, cause feelings of insecurity
If you’re living in rented accommodation and aren’t able to hang prints on your walls, try getting some positive affirmation cards for your desk. I bought a set of 52 affirmation cards to help me through the pandemic and they never fail to put a smile on my face.
Add some greenery to your desk
Apart from looking good, adding plants to your home workspace can do wonders for your mind and mood.
Studies have shown that houseplants can lower stress levels, boost productivity and even improve attention spans.
Here are some great houseplant options for your home office:
- Snake plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata): a low maintenance plant that looks good and produces high amounts of oxygen. Sounds like a win-win!
- Money plant (jade plant or Crassula Ovata): a succulent plant that is thought to calm the environment and encourage fortune
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): known for being a source of positive energy, this is a perfect addition to your home workspace, particularly if you don’t have huge amounts of natural light
If you’re like me and couldn’t keep a plant alive if your life depended on it, go down the artificial route. Fake plants still give you the sense of being connected to nature, without any of the hassle. Just having exposure to the colour green can help bring feelings of calm and balance to your hectic working days.
Diffuse energising oils
Inhaling essential oils – either directly or by using a diffuser – can promote all kinds of benefits, from reducing stress levels to making you feel more energised. Each essential oil has its own properties, which promote different healing effects.
I’ve been using an oil diffuser for a while now and LOVE it! Being able to use it while working might be one of my favourite things about working from home. Honestly. I’ve got it on as I’m writing this (a lavender, rose and bergamot combo to help promote calm energy).
It’s really important to use pure essential oils as that’s the only way of making sure you’re getting the best quality. I only ever use Neal’s Yard oils. They are by far the best and many of their oils are 100% organic to boot.
Try using these oils while you’re working at home to help you feel more energised:
- Lemon: an uplifting scent that promotes positive vibes
- Peppermint: great for fighting off fatigue
- Rosemary: can help boost focus and memory
For energy-boosting diffuser recipes for your home workspace, check out this guide from Loving Essential Oils.
Inject some light into your home workspace
A well-lit workspace is not only good for your physical health (goodbye eye strain), but can also work wonders for your mental health.
Natural light in particular can totally transform your home workspace. A survey by Future Workspace in 2018 found that access to natural light was the top attribute employees wanted from their work environment. With good reason too. According to Healthline, natural light can boost your vitamin D levels, improve your mood and help you get a better night’s sleep.
Try moving your desk to a brighter spot to reap the maximum benefits of natural light. If you’re like me and are limited in both space and access to natural light, invest in a lamp that mimics daylight.
I bought the DuoLamp from the Daylight Company when I first moved into the poorly lit apartment that I currently call home. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made for my home workspace. It has made a huge difference to my mood and energy levels, particularly during the long winter months.
Declutter!
Pile of papers getting you down?
Research shows that people who live or work in cluttered environments are more likely to have higher cortisol – and therefore stress – levels than their neat counterparts. Nothing is more of an energy killer than stress!
Taking control of the clutter around you is one of the easiest ways to boost the energy of your home workspace. And best of all, it’s free!
So what are you waiting for?! Check out these tips from Queen of Tidy Marie Kondo for some inspiration.
HOW DO YOU ENERGISE YOUR HOME WORKSPACE?
I would love to hear your tips for energising your home workspace. Tell me how boost the positive energy in your home office in the comments below!
