How to Create and Maintain a Productive Workspace

Balance is the most important ingredient to sustained productivity. You may find it hard to believe, especially if you’re a “workaholic”, but having too much of anything, including work, can cause a bad reaction for yourself and others around you. I strongly encourage you to find, create and maintain a sense of balance in your work place. To maintain a productive workspace could make for a better experience! When there is goodness, there is always productivity that follows. Work should not be looked at as a place of hell or confusion. You get to work to use your gifts and talents to help the day-to-day functions get achieved. When people talk bad about their work place – it is solely because there is no productivity surrounding them.

Set Boundaries for Your Workspace

Creating a productive workspace isn’t as difficult as one may think. You do not need a lot of money to make your place of work productive, you just need to set some boundaries. Boundaries could mean a wide range of things, but to start off, it could simply be voicing to your colleagues your work ethic in the most professional way possible. For instance, as soon as you enter the office, you would like a couple of minutes to go through emails or check any voicemails prior to engaging in any work-related items. Or perhaps you would prefer people to make appointments with you to meet instead of them just barging into your office without a request. Setting boundaries in the work place isn’t costly but the reward is so big. Make your opinions known and others will follow suit.

Keep Up or Speak Up

To maintain something, including a productive workspace, you have to keep up – according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, maintain means “to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity): preserve from failure or decline.” Therefore, you should not fall behind on the responsibilities of your position in your company. If you feel that falling behind is inevitable, you have to keep an open line of communication that allows you to voice where projects are and where they need to be, whether you are a manager or a teammate. In the instance you are given too many projects at one time, it is your responsibility to maintain that line of communication with your team and ask for some assistance, or inform your supervisor. There is nothing wrong with spreading the wealth! We have to remember we are all humans and humans are not perfect. The key is not let the errors continue without voicing your concerns.

Change Your Scenery

Aside from keeping open lines of communications and creating boundaries, it is also important to know when to take time away from the office. Trust me, I get it. Work sometimes can get the best of us, and somehow we lose track of time because we are so focused on getting the best outcome. While this may be true, it’s important to take time for you. ME TIME is so very important when trying to maintain a professional work environment. Taking those few days out of the office to just do nothing or perhaps your favorite past time activity is vital for your own well being and your job. Taking some paid time off is beneficial for your health because you don’t want to stress so much that you can’t perform to the best of your abilities.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are always a nice little desk decoration that keeps the aroma of good energy along with cute accents. I encourage you to get a mini oil diffuser for your desk that allows essential oils to steam through, providing tantalizing scents to keep a productive work energy for you and others in the surrounding area. Scents such as lavender, jasmine, eucalyptus and peppermint can help you focus throughout the day. They are also great beginner scents for the office. If the oil diffuser is too much, then you can opt out and try oil diffuser sticks. It’s similar in concept. However, instead of the oil being diffused as mist, the oil is being scented through the tips of the sticks. You’re still able to smell the oil, just not in a mist form. Related: Beautify Your Workspace Incorporating these suggestions will have your work improve, and your well-being be at peace. Its never too late to start implementing! What suggestions would you offer that you know worked? Have you tried any of the suggestions we listed above? Post a comment below to share your tips for creating and maintaining a productive workspace.

-Taelor

The CGS Team