May 19, 2012

Ways to Re-Energize Your Home Office and Yourself

When you work from home, it’s easy to fall into a rut. You get up in the morning, get your coffee, head to your office and start your day. It’s easy to lose enthusiasm for the day and thus lose a bit of energy and productivity. The good news is that sometimes all it takes is a little change in your surroundings to re-energize. Here are five tips to re-energize your home office and yourself.

1. Paint. Scientists have proven what many people have known for a long time: color has an effect on our mood, our energy and our productivity. Colors like blue and purple tend to lull us into a relaxed state while reds and yellows tend to make us feel a bit more energized and sometimes, depending on the hue, agitated. Paint your office a color that fits your needs. A change in color can be very energizing and it’s an easy way to spruce up your home office for relatively little money.

2. Add lighting. Anyone with seasonal affective disorder, SAD, can tell you that light, natural light in particular, is very important for energy levels, mood and productivity. If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your home office, add some. You can add light fixtures in key locations and you can use natural spectrum light bulbs to simulate the sun’s rays.

3. Plants and other natural elements are great (water element). Plants do more than clean the air around you; they actually help people feel good and energetic. Strategically position a few plants in your home office for energy and natural air filters. Some fun plants to try are the “Money Tree” to attract prosperity and a spider plant for its ability to filter toxins from the air.

4. Organize so you don’t feel like you’re working in a pit. Clutter can drain the energy from a person faster than a screaming toddler. Organize your office and if you need to, spend a few dollars on some fun organization accessories like colorful magazine holders. This adds color and organization to your office in one easy fix.

5. Add a few of your favorite things. Many home organization and business productivity experts recommend hanging pictures in your office. Consider making a vision board that represents your goals to inspire you throughout the day. Of course, pictures of family, nature scenes and art you’ve collected will also make your office feel like a welcoming place to be.

Other small things like a comfortable office chair, an easy way to listen to music if you like to work to the tunes, and small touches that make your office feel like it represents you will all help you re-energize both your office and yourself. It’s amazing what a little color, organization, and personalization can do.

Declutter Your Desk in a Few Easy Steps

A cluttered desk can significantly impede your productivity. If you can’t find an important file or even find a space for your laptop, you will waste valuable time looking for the file or just clearing off space. Worse still, clutter can be demoralizing and foster procrastination. Fortunately, decluttering your desk is possible – in just a few simple steps. Here’s how:

1) Manage your time. First and foremost, if the task seems overwhelming, set a timer and limit yourself to just 15 minutes of decluttering at a time. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in just 15 minutes.

2) Put up or give up. Clear your desktop and put back only what you use every day. Store everything else in drawers, on shelves, or in your supply closet. If you never or seldom use something, get rid of it. Give it away to someone who could make good use of it. Put anything that doesn’t belong on your desk in a pile. When the timer goes off, put all of those things away in their proper places. [Read more...]

Home Office Stress Busters

Stress – it’s known as the “silent killer” and can wreak havoc on your body as well as your personal life. It’s fair to say that most of us would like to do our part to relieve stress where possible.

Here are a few ideas to help you beat stress in your home office:

1 – Breathe. Deep breathing has been proven to slow down or even stop the onset of stress. Breathing properly gets oxygen to all your cells and can slow your heart rate in a matter of minutes.

Start by taking a deep breath in through your nose (mouth closed) and letting your stomach expand as though it is a balloon filling with air. Then hold the breath for three seconds. This shouldn’t really be uncomfortable but simply give you a moment to pause. Then exhale through your mouth as you flatten your stomach.

The next time you feel stress coming on, try doing five to ten of these deep breathing exercises.

2 – Exercise. You can’t beat exercise as a stress buster. It releases pent-up energy and anxiety. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety, stress and even mild depression. It helps keep your body flexible and in good condition. [Read more...]

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