When you’re setting up your home office, you might be thinking about the computer, fax, and copier, but there’s more to consider than how you arrange your workspace. People spend most of their day in an office, so it’s important to make it the healthiest place it could possibly be.
Air Quality
Green plants can enhance the look of the home office, but they can do much more than that. Plants like ivy are beautiful additions to a home office, and they have the ability to make chemical pollutants harmless. They can also help eliminate mold. If you’re a beginner gardener, choose a type that will be easy to keep alive like a spider plant or a Philodendron. They are hardy plants that can take occasional neglect while keeping the office air clean.
The Scent of the Office
Aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years. Inhaled essential oils can promote healing and recovery. In the office, they can be used to help boost energy levels and relieve stress. Aromatherapy has been shown to help with memory as well. It’s the perfect accessory for the home office.
Brightness and Light
Many people are impacted by the loss of natural light. When you’re sitting in an office all day, your body craves the benefits of natural lighting. Winter depression is a real condition that is caused by less natural sunlight. There are light bulbs that emit a full-spectrum of colors missing from standard bulbs. Along with helping your mood, natural lighting can reduce eye strain and fatigue.
Surrounding Color
Color can also have a positive or negative impact on your mood. There’s a psychology behind the choice of color as well as which ones will have the greatest impact on productivity and creativity. Orange is used to stimulate creativity while yellow stimulates a person’s intelligence. The color you choose will help heighten the traits you’d like to incorporate into the home office.
Ergonomic Furniture
It’s been proven that being hunched over your computer for eight hours a day can have a detrimental impact on your health. You should be sitting with your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be at a 90-degree angle, and your back should be straight and tall. This means you have to have the right chair. Ergonomically correct chairs will help you maintain a healthy spine alignment, which will reduce pain in the back, head, and neck.
When It’s Time to Stand
Even with an ergonomic chair, you shouldn’t spend your entire day sitting. There are health concerns when people are sedentary. Joints start to ache. Muscles are slower and less responsive. If you’ve ever sat for too long without moving, you know it can be almost painful to start moving again. A standing workstation can relieve many of those aches and pains. You could even purchase a working treadmill, which has a desk built into it for computer work or reading.
The Sound of Music
Silence can become a vacuum when a person is alone all day in their home office. Soothing music playing in the background can help increase emotional well-being. Music can also mask sounds from outside the office that create distractions. The kind of music you choose should be based on whether it will motivate you, distract you, or increase your energy. You might want something soothing to help relieve stress or more energetic music to keep you energized. In the home office, the choice is yours.
Conclusion
A healthy office can increase productivity and reduce stress. Working from home allows you to create your perfect environment.