9 Tips to Boost Your Office Productivity and Motivation

How can a cozy, cleverly furnished office enhance your productivity? Studies show that working in a comfortable office can significantly improve employees' mood, well-being, and productivity. A comfortable office also fosters a positive and warm atmosphere, leading to increased motivation and better work results.

It's important to have a practical, functional workspace in the office where employees can concentrate well. Equally essential is to create a space where employees can relax and connect.

Here are 9 simple hacks to transform your office into a super office:

1. Get some plants for your office - plants are your friends!

Whether it's a moss wall or easy-care indoor plants – a green office not only reduces your stress level! They bring some nature, color, and most importantly, oxygen into your office. Poor air quality can drastically hinder your productivity. Plants are particularly helpful in filtering air and providing clean, purified oxygen.

You can find suitable, affordable indoor plants and a wide selection at Ikea.

If you want to make it even easier, you can also rent plants effortlessly. At Plantclub, you don't have to worry about anything, from watering to repotting or replacing your plants - everything is taken care of!

2. Get the right office furniture.

Appropriate office furniture is crucial for optimal focus. The desk and chair should be properly adjusted to avoid incorrect posture and constant shifting. Aim to maintain a distance of 60 to 90 cm from the screen and ensure that the top of the screen is at eye level or below.

Find out which office chairs might be right for you in our blog post here.

If you're looking for other essential pieces of furniture with good quality and a little inspirational extra, then Westwing is worth a visit!

3. Create a creative community area.

As mentioned above, it's important to set up a creative community area in addition to the typical productive office area. Here, employees have the opportunity to exchange ideas on challenging tasks, gather ideas, unleash innovations, and promote inspiration and creativity. This promotes more restful lunch breaks, enabling employees to continue their work with optimal attention and energy afterward.

Reservations about such creative areas in the workplace often lead many companies to completely forego them, thinking that they distract employees from their actual work. However, it is particularly important to recognize here that this restricts creativity and well-being, and potential may be lost.

But how can you set up such a community area in the office?

Whether it's a home office, meeting lounge, or open-plan office - the design can be versatile and implemented with various elements. Furniture elements like hanging chairs, swings, or bean bags create a cozy atmosphere, contrasting with the more static office chairs, and invite relaxation and socializing. Comfortable armchairs or sofas provide the same relaxing effect. Special lamps or wall decorations such as chalkboards or bulletin boards, which encourage participation and can be used as vision boards, also create a friendly atmosphere.

For those lacking creativity or time, you can contact wir sind raum, who develop a tailor-made, worker-centered office concept with and for you to ensure maximum productivity in the workplace.

4. Install special lamps or lighting in the room.

The fact is that lighting conditions are a crucial factor in work, especially in health and performance.

Optimal lighting conditions promote motivation, concentration, efficiency, and can help to recognize hazards in time.

Not every office is flooded with an ideal amount of natural light. Especially in winter and in the evening, it is necessary to create the right lighting conditions.

For our eyes, perfect light, such as sunlight, is very pleasant, as everything appears clear and vivid. So it's important to ensure sufficient brightness at the workplace that doesn't strain the eyes. Bright, natural light (500–1000 LUX) is particularly focusing at the desk. Learn more about the impact of poor lighting conditions and the optimal mix of daylight and office lighting here.

A comprehensive selection of lamps can be found at SLV, which is established in the lamp market with its individual lighting solutions. A cheaper option in the industry is, for example, Lampenwelt, one of the largest lamp and lighting providers in Germany.

5. Place a music box or sound system in the office and play concentration-enhancing music.

Loud external noises such as street noise are not only disturbing due to their volume, but they also act as distractions and interrupt workflow. A music box or sound system can counteract this. Background noise is muted, and attention to work is promoted!

But what kind of music should be played? According to a 2007 study, certain music genres help your brain absorb and interpret new information more easily. Additionally, music can beneficially affect stress reduction and mood.

For this purpose, classical music, ambient music, and any music that is not too fast-paced or wordy are suitable.

As a sound system, the Z333 speaker system by Logitech, which has scored 'Very good' in terms of price-performance ratio, is recommended.

6. Place an aroma humidifier in the office.

Studies show that the sense of smell is closely linked to brain function, especially with memories and emotions. The right scents can trigger well-being, reduce stress, have antibacterial effects, and increase productivity.

Aroma diffusers are not only the perfect way to create a cozy and vital atmosphere - certain essential oils can even increase concentration and reduce fatigue (e.g., sweet orange, rosemary, lemon, or mint). Even if you have the right mindset, the environment must be able to support it. An aroma diffuser is a good starting point!

One of the top-rated options is the ultrasonic aroma diffuser by Zoeson, which comes with 7 different LED modes and can also be used as a humidifier and night light.

7. Provide cozy blankets, pillows, and hot water bottles.

They bring a touch of comfort and warmth to everyone's desk - especially on cold winter days. Hot water bottles also help with muscle pain!

You can get a cozy blanket + pillow set for little money at BestLIVINGS. If you also want to do something good for the environment, take a look at the products from Kushel. In addition to environmentally friendly production from beech wood and rain-fed organic cotton, 2 trees are planted per product! As an additional source of warmth, the hot water bottle from Larovita is suitable, which convinces with its particularly soft cover and long-lasting warmth.

8. Last, but not least - keep your workspace organized and clean. Remove unnecessary items.

There are countless benefits to working from home. But especially the urge to make your workplace homely can have a detrimental effect in retrospect.

"As it looks at your workplace, so it looks in your head."

Make sure that your desk and office remain free of unnecessary items, decorations, or trash. The less clutter on the surface, the clearer your mind, and the higher your concentration and productivity.

Tips such as the 'Clean Desk Policy', which states that the desk should be paperless at the end of the day, can help keep your desk clean.

Here are 6 tricks to make an overloaded desk a thing of the past:

1. Digitize as much as possible - less paper, fewer (material) worries!
2. Put small, individual items like USB sticks, paper clips, or writing utensils in separate boxes or desk organizers.
3. Label documents, folders, drawers, and anything else that needs to be labeled. This way, you won't waste time and will keep track!
4. Bundle cables together with Velcro straps or hang them over adhesive hooks attached to the desk to avoid cable clutter.
5. Replace Post-it Notes on your monitor with a small notebook where you write down your to-dos.
6. Instead of putting more than 3 picture frames on the desk, use a slideshow or desktop background to see your loved ones during breaks!

Do you know any more essential tips? Or have you already applied some for your own office?

Share your thoughts and feel free to write a few lines on the topic of 'Office Design Tips' to vanessa.walter@setting.io!

If you're still desperately looking for your next office, we're happy to assist you in your search. Write to us at hello@setting.io