As it gets colder, and the excitement of the new year dies down, you may experience a slump. It’s important to make sure you try to maintain your drive and the best way to do that is to refresh your office. This will help to clear and focus your mind, motivating yourself for the year to come.

Your office space is important in contributing to the outcome of your work. You’ll produce better quality work if you are in an inspirational work space. However, when you become to accustomed to your environment, your motivation can start to drop. Fix this by making a few easy changes to refresh your office.

Declutter and Organise

Take the time to sort through your workspace and throw away things that you do not need. Headspace, the mindfulness company, says

“the more clutter you can see, the more easily you’ll find yourself distracted.”

By decluttering, you are removing junk and unused items from your office. What you can’t get rid of, you can organise. By doing this, you’ll be left feeling refreshed and motivated to carry on working.

Look at ways you can store items to keep them arranged. If you have lots of loose items, you could invest in some shelves to showcase them – this works especially well if they are used frequently. If you have lots of loose paper, find a suitable way to file them that works conveniently for you and your work.

It is important to remember that an office space doesn’t always have to look like a showroom. It is a working environment, so it will sometimes be messy and when you’re working you can’t always help making a mess.

By decluttering you’re just getting rid of things you never use and organising those you do – it doesn’t have to be spotless. As long as you feel comfortable in it, then that is what’s going to motivate you.

Switch Out Items

A simple way to refresh your office is to switch out items. A change of scenery is enough to create new inspiration, which will motivate you to work. A quick and easy way to do this is just to replace existing items with different ones. A new vase, a different candle. If you have art work on the walls, change it to a new piece.

Add in small personal touches. If you have an item that means something to you, it’ll will increase your positivity every time you look at it, thus increasing your motivation. This could be an ornament, a framed inspirational quote or a photograph.

Rethink Furniture Placement

You can refresh your office through furniture placement. By updating your space with a different floor plan you’ll create an entirely new work environment. The newness can be invigorating, which will inspire you to return to work with a new perspective.

Establish A Focal Point

This works especially well in a collaborative office. A focal point, such as a large meeting table, will ground the room and tie it together. This will help to engage workers. Furthermore, you can boost focus by keeping it uncluttered.

For a smaller office, you can still have a focal point, but it’s less of a collaborative space. Give yourself an area, whether it’s a table, a large pin board or something else, that you can clearly spread your ideas across. By having all your ideas in one place, you’ll help refresh your office and your motivation.

Add A Plant

Refresh your office with a plant. Or a new plant if you already have one. Research by Steelcase suggests that the bond between humans and nature is key to a worker’s well-being. If you have windows and lots of natural light, that’s brilliant, but sometimes it’s better to bring nature inside. Adding a plant makes the office more relaxed, as the colour green often has calming and stress-reducing effects. Attention Restoration Theory suggests that plants shift the brain into a different processing mode, making people feel more relaxed and better able to concentrate.

Plants that will thrive in workplaces include succulents (including aloe and cacti), rubber plants and peace lilies.

Consider Ergonomics

Consider the ergonomics of the equipment you are using every day. Maybe your chair is getting old. If you have to sit in it all day and it isn’t comfortable then you won’t create high quality work. If you have bad ergonomics, then it’s time to refresh your office. Your monitor should be arm’s length away from your face, so if you’re in a super small work space, consider rearranging to rectify this. If your desk hasn’t got clearance for your knees, then fix it and if you can’t fix things, then you need to change them.

If anything’s old or uncomfortable, invest in a new one – you won’t get motivated if you’re focusing on our discomforts.

Six easy tips to help refresh your office and keep you motivated. They’re easy to achieve and don’t take a considerable amount of time – plus the benefits will be worth the effort. Don’t let your office space keep you from performing at your best. If you’re unsure whether you need an office refresh, then look at your productivity. If you notice a drop, then it’s time for a change. You need a space that is refreshing and inspirational and these simple changes will help you achieve that. Keep yourself driven – refresh your office and motivate yourself all year.

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