Working in an office has its perks as the environment promotes collaboration, creativity, and productivity. Apart from that, you also get to have access to tools and facilities that are essential to your job. However, it can also become a chaotic experience as some of us have to work in packed offices, and the noise, clutter, and even the lighting can have an impact on one’s performance and mental health.
According to medical experts, harsh lighting and loud noises in a working environment can lead to anxiety or agitation, while cluttered spaces can make a person feel stressed or overwhelmed. To prevent your working environment from affecting your mental wellbeing, you’ll need to make a few changes to it to give it a calm and uplifting vibe. To improve your working experience, here are some simple ways to create a serene office environment.
Keep it Organised
Organisation is the key to creating a peaceful work environment. According to a study by scientists at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, MRI scans reveal that the human brain likes order, so visual reminders of disorganisation can affect our mind and reduce our ability to focus. This is why whether you’re assigned a cubicle or a private office, you need to ensure that it’s clean, free of clutter, and everything should be in the right place at all times.
First, tidy up your workspace by filing papers and documents and keeping them inside a filing cabinet or drawer. Next, dispose of unnecessary items, such as pens with dried up ink, old calendars and planners, and empty plastic water bottles. Keep stationery neatly hidden away in drawers, and contain pens in a pen pot. You should also get rid of plastic or disposable coffee cups and use a bamboo coffee cup for your beverages. Also, keep decorative items to a minimum to cut down on visual clutter and give your work area a relaxing feel. If you must decorate, stick to a minimalistic theme or a neutral color scheme to create a feeling of calm and inner peace.
Drown Out the Noise
Reducing noise in office spaces can help to improve productivity and decrease workers’ stress levels. To create a quieter and calmer workspace, consider soundproofing your cubicle or office with acoustic panels or acoustic blankets. You may also install carpet or use soundproof paint to drown out indoor and outside noise.
To muffle loud or unpleasant sounds, try playing white noise on YouTube or use white noise apps like White Noise Lite, Headspace, or BetterSleep. These apps offer nature, white noise, water, and forest noises, among others, so you can personalise your ambient sounds. You may also try to bring a small HEPA air purifier to the office and turn it on whenever things get too noisy around your work area. This device not only emits soothing white noise, but it will also help to purify the air and improve your indoor air quality.
Your computer setup may also contribute to the noise levels in your workplace. If the click-clacking of your keyboard is distracting you, replace it with a quiet keyboard. If you’re not allowed to do so, you can dampen the sounds from a mechanical keyboard by taking it apart and putting some foam in the base, or place it on top of a rubberised desk mat. Meanwhile, to fix a noisy computer fan, make sure to regularly clean the fan and vents, and remove anything surrounding your computer that can block airflow and make the fan work harder.
Bring Nature into Your Workspace
Another way to introduce calm into your space is by adding nature into your place of work. Consider having a small potted plant, like a money plant or a lucky bamboo plant, and place it on your desk to add a touch of green to your cubicle. For those lucky enough to have a private or enclosed office, a medium sized potted plant like a peace lily, fiddle leaf fig, or a rubber plant placed in a visible area can create a feeling of tranquility and relaxation. Add a small bamboo tabletop fountain or a miniature Zen garden on your desk, and you’ve got a serene space that you’ll love to be in everyday.
Some offices can be noisy and a bit chaotic, but thankfully, there are ways to create your own little haven in your workplace. Try these office improvement hacks to add serenity to your work area, and see what a difference it makes to your performance and mental wellbeing.
