You may have heard that working from home is supposed to relieve work stress, but is it really true? What we know for sure is that it saves you money which in turn makes you less stressed about finances. However, does working from home truly reduce your stress or not?
The opinions are many, mostly, people working remotely find that sort of working less frantic and stressful – no commute, no rushing to get to work, more time with family, and so on.
On the other hand, some find working from home distracting and chaotic. It’s difficult to focus on work in a house full of people, juggling work and family life, parenting, and other chores.
Thankfully, there is a solution for all of you struggling to work from home. And the solution is quite easy – you need to make yourself a dedicated office space. Whether that is a whole room or a secluded corner in your home, anything that will help you feel separated from the craziness of home life and more focused and productive at work.
You can go a step further and create an eco-friendly office space for added comfort and a greener planet. Not to mention that going green can relieve work stress, increase productivity and boost cognitive thinking, as well.
So, here are some ways to relieve work stress by creating an eco-friendly office space.
1. Eco-friendly or second-hand furniture
Start by choosing eco-friendly or second-hand furniture for your home office. If you’re looking to invest in new office furniture, make sure you choose furniture made of eco-friendly materials.
Probably the best eco-friendly material used for furniture is bamboo. Bamboo, unlike your regular wood, takes only a couple of years to grow. So, it’s a much more sustainable choice. Plus, bamboo is equally as durable as any other type of wood and it comes in different colors as well.
If investing in new furniture for your home office seems a bit too pricey, a much affordable solution would be to buy second-hand. A good way to be sustainable without spending too much money is finding used furniture and refurbishing it to fit your style.
2. Maximize natural light to save energy
The lack of natural light in an office can be the reason you’re so stressed at work. Not enough natural light makes us sleepy, depressed, without energy, less productive, and also it can cause other health issues.
If you can, make sure your office space has plenty of natural light coming in. Not only will it improve your mood at work and your well-being, but it will also help you save energy.
Instead of using lamps and other light sources, you can open up your windows, add more reflective surfaces in your office that will additionally brighten it up. You’ll immediately see the change in your mood and your electricity bill as well.
3. Declutter and clean your office
If you still feel stressed despite having a designated office space in your home, look around you. What can you see? Is the space messy, cluttered, not clean enough?
Not everyone enjoys the so-called “organized mess”. Mess and clutter are often some of the most common stressors at work. But since you’re working from your own home, there’s something you can do about it.
Keep your office space clutter-free and organized. Create a system that works for you without making much mess every time you need something. Or, if in your line of work mess is inevitable, designate cleaning and decluttering days. When cleaning your office try to be as eco-friendly as possible. Use green cleaning products, or better yet, DIY your own cleaning solutions.
You can easily DIY cleaning products that are natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable with only household products such as vinegar, baking soda, salt, lemon, and distilled water, to name a few.
In case you don’t have the time to perform the cleaning as often as you’d like yourself, you can book the end of lease cleaning services. Professionals who specialize in end of lease cleaning will make sure your office is clean top to bottom.
4. Go completely green with office plants
Sometimes going green means literally going green. Invest in some plants and flowers that will liven up the place. Indoor plants have a greater purpose than just making your space more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing – which is not a bad thing either. Maybe your office needs a bit of sprucing up.
Plants purify the air and boost oxygen levels in any space. They purify the air by removing the toxic pollutants from it. In addition to boosting oxygen levels and keeping the air clean, plants also have psychological benefits – they increase happiness and lower the chances of depression.
So, think about investing in some plants – maybe that’s exactly what your office is lacking.
5. Invest in eco-friendly office supplies
If you’re looking for ways to reduce waste, there is something ideal for every office – eco-friendly office supplies. You can invest in office supplies that are recycled, biodegradable, and even waste-free.
For example, you can completely stop using paper in your home office. Instead, switch to digital solutions. Using less paper will also mean cutting down the use of printers and ink. And if you really need to use paper, try going for recycled paper and eco-friendly notebooks.
Similarly, you can look for biodegradable pens, refillable markers, pencils made from wood or bamboo, and so on.
Creating a green and sustainable office that generates little to no waste is very much possible these days. If your goal is to go green, one of the steps would be investing in eco-friendly office supplies.
6. Turn down your thermostat
There’s another thing that you can do to make your home office more sustainable – turn down the thermostat.
During the winter months, turning down the thermostat seems like an impossible thing to do. However, turning down the thermostat, even just by one degree, can have a significant effect on your energy bill, as well as on carbon emission.
Working from home allows you to put on some extra clothes so that you can easily lower your thermostat by a couple of degrees. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not suggesting you freeze to save the planet, just be mindful of using the thermostat.
You can go a step further and invest in a programmable thermostat. This type of thermostat will allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature in your office and the rest of the home, and in that way increase efficiency.
7. Unplug to save energy
At the end of a working day, there is one more thing that you can do to make sure you are saving energy – unplug all devices. Most devices when not used still use energy if they are plugged in. Not to mention that when plugged in the wall, they create harmful emissions as well.
To cut down on your electricity bills and to additionally protect the environment, when you’re done with work, unplug all your electronic devices from the wall. There is no need for monitors, printers, and laptops to be plugged in when you’re not using them.
The perks of working from home are many and one of them includes creating a comfortable space where you can feel relaxed and focused. So, there is no need to feel work stress when working from home.
Another benefit of working from home is being able to create an eco-friendly office space. With an eco-friendly space, you’d not only be helping the planet but you’d also see the benefits.
Image sources:
Ken Tomita from Pexels,
Andrew Neel from Pexels.
