Designing a Functional Workspace that Expresses Yourself, Plus a Showcase
Workspaces, or the places where we can often spend upwards of eight hours each day, are extremely important in terms of how we design them. While some could care less about how their “space” looks, others feel it is extremely important to have a well-designed and clutter-free workspace, to ensure you can focus on your current tasks, rather than trying to find space to place your current projects.
These areas can often say a lot about ourselves. Many offices contain a bookshelf of your favorite titles, while the walls may contain some of your favorite works of art. Depending on how your desk and other elements are arranged, you may be able to achieve more and get more work done, as you are more motivated or feel more comfortable.
In this post, we’ll explore some options for workspace designs, as well as some general tips to help you maximize the space and layout you may have.
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Tips for Improving Your Workspace
Because each workspace is different, I can’t suggest ideas for each individual case, but you can try to implement some of these tips, in the event they apply to your situation.
- Space – Having an open, collaborative space can often be beneficial if you want to create fresh, new ideas, but they can also lead to more distractions by others.
- Making Ideas Happen – Although workspaces have been designed as an area to generate ideas, you also must have room to actually create them, so you need some room to move about.
- Isolate Yourself – Sometimes, it might be impossible to find a distraction-free environment. In this case, you might want to invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
- Organize Your Workspace – While it takes time to organize all your documents and items, it can also take more time to find one when you really need it.
- Focus on Lighting – Lighting is extremely important. Using task lighting can help reduce eye strain, especially compared to overhead lighting. Hope-like table lamps will make the environment more relaxed. Keep in mind that the color of the light can have an impact on the overall effect of the room.
- Color Your Walls – Express your creativity on your walls with a color that isn’t white.
- Invest Money, Not Time into Your Space – When you spend more for a desk or chair, realize that the investment will pay off, as you won’t have to replace the item after a short period of time, Test each item out, if you can, before you purchase it.
- Keep a Paper Pad Handy – Having a quick place to jot down notes when on the phone can come in handy, especially if you don’t have access to a computer.
- Try to Use Natural Lighting – Although it isn’t possible at all times, you can try to position yourself near a window for more natural lighting. It can cause more distractions, but you’ll be able to take brief breaks to look out and enjoy the environment.
Showcase of Office and Workspace Designs
This showcase is meant to help you get some ideas about what effective office designs are all about and how they can be beneficial in improving your productivity. We tried to include a variety of them, ranging from larger workspaces to those that had to fit into smaller spaces.
Additional Resources
If you are interested in learning more about designing an effective workspace, there are many great resources on the web. Here are some of the best that I’ve found.
- WorthWorkingFor – Inspiring workspaces, because they don’t all have to suck.
- A Tip Sheet for Smart, Effective Office Design
- Great Workspaces on Lifehacker
Conclusion
If you have any pictures of your workspace, please feel free to post them in the comments or give your thoughts about any of the workspaces included.