How else can you improve your office design and organize your office ao that you've got both an attractive and a functional work space? Try these tips:
6) Give your eyes something attractive to rest on.
Sit in front of your computer with your hands on the keyboard and look away from the monitor, sweeping 90 degrees (or as much as you can survey comfortably without craning your neck). The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety recommends looking away from the computer screen every few minutes and focusing your eyes on more distant objects to help combat eye strain and fatigue. But is there anything attractive in your range of vision? If not, add something worth looking at to your office design, such as a painting, print or poster that you like. If space allows and the conditions are right, a living blooming plant can work wonders for dressing up an office space and feeding your spirits. Pressed for space? Put up a small corkboard and use it to pin up things that make you happy, such as photos of family and friends, drawings by your children, or even a colourful calendar.
7) Give your revamped office desk the reach test.
Sit at your new and improved desk and work. Is everything you need within easy reach? Adjust your office design as necessary, moving the items or equipment you need the most into easy reach. You should not have to get up and leave your desk to staple something, for example. Take note of what you don’t use, too. If you don’t use it much, the organize your office rule is that it should be stored further away.
8) Check your storage needs.
Small and home offices seem to produce more paper than anything else. And a lot of the stuff that clutters our offices is just stuff that’s sitting out because there’s no where else to put it. Organize your office by getting another filing cabinet if you need it or adding a supplies cupboard. Then you’ll have a place to put it and keeping your office design uncluttered will be easier.
9) Set up a recycling centre.
Paper, cardboard, glass, plastic bottles and drink containers – so much of the material that we throw away in our offices is recyclable. Make it easy for people to do the right thing and get the clutter out of your office by setting up a small recycling centre with labeled bins, either in or close to your office. Plastic totes are inexpensive and easy for one person to carry when it comes time to take the recycling to the curb or recycling depot.
10) Revamp the window treatment.
If your small or home office has windows, remember that the window treatments are part of your office design. A new type and/or colour of blinds or drapes can make a striking visual difference to the atmosphere of your office. Like what you have or don’t want to spend the money on updating your window treatments right now? Then opt for a cleaning. Nothing says spring like clean and fresh.
11) Realign your office desk.
Just because you've used one office design for years doesn't mean you can't change it. Take a critical look at how your office desk is positioned within the room. Moving your desk can give you a whole new perspective and even make you more productive. If your office desk is jammed into a corner, for example, and space allows, pull it out into the middle of the room. If your desk is facing away from the only window, move it closer to the window so you can take advantage of the increase in natural light.
12) Paint it blue.
If you’re serious about giving your office design a fresh, new look, a coat of fresh paint is the answer. Blue is the big colour this season, in all kinds of soothing shades. Have a look at your local hardware or paint store and you’re sure to find a shade that appeals to you.
Whether or not you choose to repaint your small or home office, if you’ve worked through the other steps to organize your office, you’ve now got an office space that not only looks neater but will be easier to work in. And with the changes you’ve made, keeping your office organized will be easier, too.
