5 easy ways to improve your home office

The vision we have of our perfect working from home environment doesn’t always align with the reality; cramped quarters and bad connections aren’t the creativity-sparking surrounds we envision for ourselves.

According to interior designer for Living Edge Design Studio Zoe Murphy, investing in your work environment has a direct and positive impact on productivity.

Zoe believes a home office should be afforded the same ergonomic tools considered vital in a traditional workplace and has put together five simple ways to do so.

“(With) a few minor interior tweaks, these deskside tips can turn a home office, whatever shape it takes, into a space that’s functional and pleasing to the eye,” she says.

1. Take a seat

The right chair can improve cognition and your ability to handle stress. The special features of the Herman Miller task chairs are designed to work together to comprehensively support the human form, creating total spinal support.

2. Desk decisions

Clutter is the enemy of a calm work environment, so be sure you have appropriate room to spread out documents and focus on the task at hand. Sitting for hours at a time can wreak havoc on your back, so consider giving your back a break by using a stand-up desk. This is proven to make the user feel more alert and productive on the job. The Atlas single freestanding desk by Herman Miller is a great option, an electric-powered height-adjustable desk system that goes beyond the sit-to-stand desk.

3. Surround yourself with sound

Productivity often means having your phone out of sight and out of mind. It’s a wise decision to invest in a Bluetooth speaker that will play podcasts, classical music and playlists without distracting you from the work at hand. A shape that remains unchanged after 50 years thanks to its unparalleled style, the Radio.cubo by Brionvega has become a cult object.

4. Signature scent

Another of life’s mood effectors, fragrance can turn the physical world around us into a soothing green forest or musky field of flowers in seconds; an essential that can do wonders for the mind, body and soul.

Tom Dixon’s Elements fragrances are inspired by the medieval alchemist and eastern philosophers’ quest to reduce all matter to four simple elements; four scents of extreme simplicity and individual character that reflect the elemental names of Fire, Air, Earth and Water.

5. Let there be light

Office lighting can have a major impact on your health. Overly harsh fluorescent or dim lighting is draining for your eyes, and can trigger migraines, eye strain and headaches. Lighten things up to ensure you are feeling and working your best.