172298 Resource 149176 155860 149257 1182185556797 1182187669980 Controlled Home Office Management: Small Changes Can Raise Productivity

Small business tips to make your home office feel fresh, improve your environment

Do you ever stop for a breather while working hard in your home office, take a look around, and feel closed in or frustrated by your surroundings? Has it been a while since you evaluated your office environment and made improvements? Perhaps the beginning of summer is the perfect time to freshen up your office and even increase productivity. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make your home office a successful and productive working atmosphere. Here are a few tips that can improve your at-home surroundings and help you work at a higher level: Open it up. Does your computer face a corner or blank wall? Sometimes simply improving your view can help you feel less claustrophobic and more energized. If you can, change your daily focal point by either making your desk face out and away from the wall, or have it face a window. Shed new light. Receiving natural light into your office can help your mood and your level of productivity. Try to keep your windows free from obstruction. If you don’t have access to a window, consult a lighting expert for better options in lamps or overhead fixtures. Add some color. A fresh layer of paint can do wonders for a tired space that needs a new lift. Some colors can actually fool your eyes into thinking that your space is larger than it is. Your local paint store employee can help you identify the right shades for this result. Also, keep in mind that cool colors, like green and blue, can be calming, while bright and vibrant colors like yellows and oranges can help you feel energized. Consider rearranging. Take a good look at where your printer, fax and other work surfaces are placed. Does the current placement encourage traffic flow and efficiency? And are your desks arranged in an order that helps good communication without distraction? Ask a colleague or friend for input. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can help you see ways to rearrange your workspace for a more efficient, pleasant set up. Think ergonomics. Make sure that your phones, cabinets and other furniture are arranged in an efficient and body-friendly manner. Perhaps an update in seating, key boards or mouse pads would help you or your workers feel better while at work. There are hundreds of sources on the Internet or at your local bookstore that can help you find ergonomic business supplies to promote health and wellness in your office environment. 10 application/xml false home office home office management improve your environment office management raise productivity small business small business tips your environment Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 1.1.4322) 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 cmalmstrom false true false false true 189572 false false true false false false true 149176 blog blogsite/FreedomVoice/web