Your Productivity Comes From Your Environment
Three techniques from my daily routine
Your daily routine should be an ever-evolving experience. The things that worked yesterday won’t necessarily have to workout today. I don’t depend on routines to get things done. I feel like my life would be lame if I fall into a single routine. So, I keep changing things, routines, notebooks or anything that brings a change. They help me because it’s simply motivating in a way that it is a new feeling; new day; new opportunity.
This is the second article in a series where I’m exploring on what improves your productivity. If you wish to read the first one in the series, the link is below.
Although I keep changing my environment, the underlying aspects always remain the same. And here they are,
Use Of Colours
Colours play an important role in deciding your mood. Dark colours can be dull and gloomy and therefore not a preferable option for a productive environment. White on the other hand is an imminent colour for any workspace. Because we’ve been so used to writing in white paper since childhood and the colour brings peace to our minds, it trumps my workspace. I either work on a white desk or ensure to be in a room that is painted in white.
White isn’t the only colour I prefer to keep around. Along with the peace-spreading colour, I frequently match one or a couple of positivity spreading colours — green, blue, pink or yellow. In their most lightest variation, these colours lighten your mood and instil creativity. I also keep a succulent plant or an artificial plant on my desk to keep me grounded and allow a ton of natural light to flow in my workspace.
White desks in front of window, a small yellow/pink pot with a green succulent, pastel coloured file folder are some of the options. Also, I’m so glad the colourful Macs are back. They add extra vibrance to your otherwise rugged and industrial-styled gadgets.
Organised Workspace
I cannot stress this enough. It’s okay to have a bunch of things lying around. But, the point is to have them organised. Human brains like structure and symmetry. Ever been in a library or a book store? The satisfaction of looking at all the stacked books just wants you to buy one even though, you know, at the bottom of your heart, that you aren’t going to read it.
Have a holder for all the pens, pencils and styluses. A rack for all the papers, letters and print outs. A small open bookcase for all your notes and books. You can get all of them from a thrift store, if you don’t want to spend money on them. Don’t hide all of them away in a drawer and keep an empty desk. It works opposite and diminishes your creativity.
Allow For Less Distractions
Who wants to be in a noisy place while working? It’s default to go to a quieter place. Social Media, mobile phones and tablets are unnecessary distractions that can be avoided by placing the devices far away from the working environment.
But here’s the thing, your productivity also gets drained by continuous focus on the same thing. So, allow for little breaks or distractions to come your way when you need them.
For example, I keep my devices in silent mode in the same room where I work. Whenever I feel like I need a break, I walk up there and scroll through them. When I’m done with my break, I get back to where I work. It’s nice to keep the workplace for work and another place for entertainment. Your brain likes structure, remember?
These are a few of my techniques that I use to get myself going with all that I do. I hope they give you a tiny bit of motivation at the very least.
TL;DR
- Use colours to inspire you in your working environment
- Keep an organised workplace to motivate you on a daily basis
- Allow for less distractions in your workplace to keep yourself balanced while working
Thanks for reading. Until next time, Ciao!
