Have you ever thought about the fact that in just one day, we all spend in average eight hours sleeping, two in commutes, at least eight at work, leaving just six or less hours to actual live… life? Then you shut your eyes for two seconds and when you open them again, Puff… is the next day.

I truly believe that since we spend so much time at work, we should make it enjoyable. The work environment affects our state of mind and really plays a big role in our psychological well-being, creativity and ultimately our productivity.

Whether you work from home or in an office there’s always little improvements you can do that change the vibe of the space you work in. When you do work from home…Oh Boy, I think this aspect is even more important to take into consideration. As freelancer I’m always jumping from agency to agency but I do have periods where I work from home, so I needed to establish a corner at our flat dedicated only to work but also could blend nicely with the living room.

Being a very visual person, I’ve noticed that when I’m in a space that is clean, has good natural light, is organised (with not too much stuff to distract me), has beautiful furniture and some art decor pieces to complement, I immediately feel more inspired to create. This doesn’t mean that I have OCD or anything (although sometimes I feel I go a little bit overboard with the cleaning). I just think there’s a place for everything and everything should have its own place, but has to look beautiful too. Occasionally, depending of the projects I’m working, I do have the need to spread my art tools on the top of my desk and do enjoy seeing the different sketches and materials so I can have an overall look of the job. Sure, sometimes this is absolutely necessary and that’s OK, but once I’m finished with it… everything goes back to their place and this not only helps me organise my workspace but also my thoughts and have a clear mind.

Ultimately everyone is different and has their own preferences. I think the less time you spend trying to find that piece of paper where you wrote down an important idea, or the less clutter you have around your desk will be more time you can concentrate in your task and be ACTUALLY productive.

Recently, I had the pleasure to collaborate with Chris from DailyTekk. He was very kind to invite me to be in one of his YouTube episodes about inspiring Apple setups. You should definitely check out his video below to get inspired by all the different featured setups and also to know more details about the stuff I use.

I’ll leave you with some tips and little improvements you can do that will help you feel better, more comfortable in your workspace. Hopefully, this will pull you in that perfect state of mind to tackle productively your TO DO list.

Light It Up
Relocate your desk close to a window to catch most of the natural light possible.

Connect To Nature
Add a plant or two (or all the plants you want), this will help reducing stress and add more pleasing air.

Take Care Of Your Body
I cannot stress the importance of a good ergonomic chair and a standing desk enough. These will help you be more comfortable, promoting good posture, blood circulation and your back health will thank you in the future. Mine already has!

Keep Drinking
No, not alcohol! Water, plenty of it… use a reusable bottle and keep it at your desk. I know this one is so obvious but honestly, I cannot tell you the number of times that I keep forgetting to drink water during the day, especially when I’m in trying to concentrate and the last thing I want to do is to interrupt that state of mind to go grab a glass of water in the kitchen.

Clear Of The Clutter
I personally noticed that stacks of random stuff on my desk kept pulling my eyes away from my computer or iPad. I removed most of the unnecessary gadgets and decor from my desk so I could have plenty of elbow room. This gives me the sense that the desk is larger, one of those cases to say… Less Is More.

Sound To Inspire
Movie soundtracks and podcasts are my favourite things to listen while working. ‘The Intern’ soundtrack as been my favourite lately, is just one of those happy, feel good movies where if you pay attention to the soundtrack is actually pretty good.

Design Your Space
Add your own creative input into the look and feel of your workspace, this will empower you and motivate you to work better.