Is This Really Your Office?
We spend a fair few hours in our offices don't we? If your office is at home, the chances are you spend more time there than in any other room (save perhaps for your bedroom, where for a good chunk of time it's presumably dark and you have your eyes closed). So how come so many home offices are in the dingiest, smallest, darkest room in the house? Where's the sense in that?
If we are to work at our best we need the best possible environment. Great ideas rarely come from depressing surrounds. Trust me, I worked out of a damp shed for 18 months.
If you want this to be the year when things really move up a notch or two, try introducing noticeable improvement to your surroundings.
It's a wonderful means of truly signalling change.
Look around your office now and if it doesn't reflect the business you want try some of these tips:
- Don't be a junk magnet Start by looking at what junk you're accumulating and figure out some ways of organising it, or better still getting rid of it. Visible junk and piles of paper translate into clutter in the mind. Where do you have your best ideas, walking along a deserted beach or amongst a pile of files?
- Take a look at your furniture, colours and personality Take a long, hard look at your desk and other office furniture. Is it positioned as well as it might be? Does it look professional and tidy? Picture your dream customers or clients popping over unannounced: would you welcome them to your office with open arms, or torch the place and make a run for it? Consider colour schemes and artworks. This is your office remember, make sure your personality shines through.
- Prepare for Monday Finally, give some thought to the beginning of each new week. Make sure your office is friendly and welcoming. Consider having a nice, neat action list prepared; bring in a bunch of flowers perhaps; buy some new music or add a fresh fragrance. You deserve all the support you can get and your office can do more than you may realise to ensure you perform at your best.