Your desk layout is more important to your productivity than you might think. A well-organized work desk with the correct lighting and office supplies can kick your productivity into high gear, allowing you to reach your deadlines and knock out any task your boss throws your way. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to arrange their desks to maximize personal productivity.
Luckily, the productivity experts at Small Business Bonfire are here to help.
We’ve put together a brief guide showing the best desk layout for people looking to take their productivity to the next level. Continue reading to learn how to achieve the best desk layout and how it can increase your productivity in record time.
Setting up Your Desk
Your desk arrangement can either diminish or heighten your productivity. Everything from the desk’s décor to the lighting affects your work efficiency and can make all the difference when you need to meet strict deadlines. Below are some of the most important aspects of desk arrangement.
Guide: The Best Standing Desk Converters in 2022
Lighting
Few things are more crucial to your desk setup than lighting. The perfect balance of natural and artificial light will maximize your productivity. It’s best to position your desk in a secluded room next to or in front of a big window, allowing natural light to seep through and brighten your workspace.
Studies show that natural light provides workers with numerous benefits. It improves their mood, decreases stress, enhances alertness, and, most importantly, boosts productivity. Using natural sunlight can also reduce your electric bill, keeping more money in your pockets.
Artificial lighting also affects your work performance. A high-quality floor or desk lamp can replace natural sunlight on cloudy days while enhancing the surrounding décor (another vital aspect of productivity). People can also use specialized light bulbs that imitate natural sunlight if they don’t have large windows.
Lamps work better than overhead lights since you can modify and reposition them to reduce screen glares. If possible, buy a lamp with adjustable brightness levels and a hinged arm. These features allow you to customize your lighting to suit your environment.
Your career field often determines your ideal lighting setup. Film editors who color-correct videos might not need as much lighting as accountants or writers. Try experimenting with different light schemes using both natural and artificial light until you find the ideal balance.
Buy an Ergonomic Office Chair
Staying comfortable while you work is essential to boosting your productivity. That’s why it’s crucial to have a first-class office chair that maximizes your comfort during strenuous work weeks.
Ergonomic office chairs are some of the best the industry has to offer. Their unique design optimizes your comfort so you can sustain your productivity for hours on end. Many allow you to adjust the height, incline, and more, enabling you to personalize your comfort.
When shopping for a new ergonomic office chair, make sure it provides the following.
● Keeps your thighs parallel to the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle.
● Holds your elbows at a 90-degree angle with your keyboard to ensure you can type without putting stress on your arm muscles and wrists.
● Your eyes rest at the top of the computer screen when sitting upright.
● The chair’s position permits you to read the screen without leaning forward or tilting your head.
● Promotes a healthy posture to prevent neck and back pain.
● A high comfort level.
● Has lumbar support.
Your office chair is one of the most essential pieces of your workspace. That’s why it’s crucial to shop around until you find one that fits your specific needs.
Although ergonomic office chairs can cost a pretty penny, it’s better to spend the money on a high-quality chair than deal with an uncomfortable, ill-fitting one. An inferior office chair will diminish your productivity, cause severe discomfort, and distract you from your work.
Place Plants around Your Desk and Office Area
If you want the best desk layout possible, plants are a must. They filter and reduce toxins from the air like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and benzene, improving your indoor air quality and overall productivity. Scientists discovered that plants also promote positive moods, enhance mind functionality, and even decrease stress levels.
Placing a few fragrant flowers around your workstation can provide you with some aromatherapy benefits, improving your mood and productivity even further. Research shows that plants can increase employee productivity by 15% or more. In fact, greenhouse professions create some of the nation’s happiest and most productive employees, ranking in the top 27% of careers.
Although plants improve your productivity and overall happiness, you don’t want to go overboard with them. It’s easy to place too many plants around your desk and clutter your work area. Excessive flora can decrease their positive aspects, distracting you from your work and muddling your surroundings.
It’s better to have two or three small plants at our workstation than multiple, encroaching pieces of flora. Also, select plants that require minimal maintenance. Needy or shriveling plants will distract you from work, thus counterbalancing the plants’ benefits toward productivity.
Organize Your Desk and Surrounding Workspace
It’s no secret that clutter detracts you from work productivity. It can distract you from the task at hand while skyrocketing your stress levels. A disorganized workspace can also overload your brain, causing you to procrastinate and become anxious.
Creating an organization system helps prevent clutter and makes it easier to find your work tools. Instead of piling up paperwork and documents on your desk, store them in a filing cabinet. You can also label or categorize your papers to make them easier to find when needed.
Assigning a designated place for your daily work supplies is also vital for productivity. Placing your utensils in a specific drawer will provide you with more space to work and will keep the area well organized. Some people use decorative jars to store their pens and pencils, enhancing the desk’s décor while keeping things orderly.
If you find your workspace overwhelmed with electrical cords, consider investing in a cable tray. They keep your cables well-arranged while supplying your electronics with plenty of juice.
Managing your digital clutter is just as important as maintaining an organized workspace. Too many desktop files can make finding specific programs or documents tedious and frustrating, thus increasing your stress levels. Creating a few specialized folders and subfolders makes navigating the desktop much smoother and saves you valuable work time.
Set Up Your Desk to Block Out Noise
Loud noises can distract even the most attentive employee. Car horns, sirens, music, and other intrusive sounds can distract you from your work, making it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Setting up your desk in a quiet, secluded room away from the daily hustle and bustle can thoroughly enhance your efficiency.
If possible, place your desk as far away as possible from busy streets. This distancing will deafen construction work, passing cars, and other noise pollution associated with city life. Although it won’t block out everything, it will limit your distractions and make it easier to focus on your work.
If you live in a busy city and can’t escape outside noises, consider investing in noise-canceling headphones. They block out most, if not all, unwanted noise, giving you peace and quiet while you give your important projects undivided attention.
Personalize Your Workspace
Personalizing your workspace can also improve your productivity. Having a personalized work area can help you better deal with distractions and slightly decrease your stress. It gives you a sense of control, allowing you to express yourself and enjoy your workstation.
Drab and uninteresting office spaces often make people feel bland and unappreciated. Customizing your workspace can make it feel like an extension of yourself, giving you a sense of identity and ownership that can improve your mood and productivity. Changing your computer’s background, placing your favorite picture on your desk, and modifying your lighting step-up can motivate you to work more effectively.
Your desk isn’t the only thing you can decorate to improve your work ethic. You can also set up things around your desk to make your workspace feel more like your own. Placing an air diffuser with an appealing scent next to your desk or mounting a few inspiring posters on the walls can infuse your workstation with a more personal style.
It’s important not to go overboard with decorating your workstation since that can also distract you from your duties. Too much decoration causes clutter, decreasing your functionality and work performance.
Optimal desk layouts have a healthy balance of professionalism and self-expression. So, experiment to discover what works for you.
Invest in a Standing Desk Converter
Sitting at your desk all day isn’t ideal for staying physically fit and mentally alert. Extended sitting makes people restless and can even lead to serious health issues such as increased blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, spine damage. Although extended standing also causes detrimental health effects, it is best to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.
Investing in an standing desk converter that allows you to alternate positions will diminish the health risks while improving your efficiency. Most are relatively inexpensive and permit you to adjust the desk’s height to your liking. You may also investigate standing-desk converters that enable you to transform your traditional office table into an adjustable workstation.
Purchase a High-Quality Mouse and External Keyboard
As stated before, staying comfortable is vital to your productivity. Aim to reduce strain in your wrists and arms as much as possible so you can perform at your peak. Buying a high-quality mouse and external keyboard can heighten your comfort, allowing you to tackle your workload more effectively.
Cheap computer mice and keyboards often lead to cramps and discomfort. Upgrading to a better model facilitates better quality work while remaining comfortable. Many external keyboards allow you to adjust their height to suit your hand placement, while high-quality mice feel and function better than most stock brands.
Additional Tips to Improve Productivity
Having the best desk layout will take your productivity only so far. However, there are other ways to boost your activity when you find yourself stuck in a rut. Below are some tips and tricks to help keep you on track and conquer your workload.
Stay Hydrated
Your water intake often correlates with your productivity level. Dehydration leads to sluggishness and drowsiness, drastically reducing your efficiency. Drinking ten or more cups of water a day can significantly increase your productivity and overall well-being.
Although many people turn to coffee when they start feeling lethargic, this caffeinated drink can speed up the dehydration process, making you feel worse than before. Try keeping your coffee intake to a minimum and substitute your third or fourth cup of coffee with a tall glass of water.
Move Around
Getting up and moving around your work area can sometimes help you overcome your mental blocks. It’s always a good idea to take a short break and stretch your legs now and then to readjust your perspective.
Experts recommend moving for 15 minutes every hour to prevent stagnation and increase productivity. Even hourly five-minute breaks can help. Briefly walking around can also reduce your chances of experiencing the adverse side effects of long-term sitting, therefore keeping your body healthy and sound.
Increase Your Productivity with Small Business Bonfire
If you want to learn more about constructing the best desk layout for you or if you are interested in discovering new ways to increase your productivity, visit www.smallbusinessbonfire.com. We provide established business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with premium tips, tricks, and resources to take their companies to incredible new heights. We’ve helped countless people improve their business, and we can do the same for you.
Get the most out of your budding company with Small Business Bonfire. Visit our website and allow your small business to reach its full potential today!