Upgrade your office

Decor can influence how productively you work from home, says Raghav Gupta

With Covid-19 impacting us like never before, most of us are spending more time at home. Working from home, around the same environment, can become a mundane task. Along with work stress, being locked up at home, can impact us majorly. Changing the set up at home can increase our productivity as what we see and interact with directly influences our well-being.

A home office that inspires creativity is easy. It is also a great way to utilise quarantine time. Here are three basic tips which you can play around with and also infuse with your personal

style.

• Use bright colours as these help you stay awake and alive while keeping lethargy away. An accent piece is a great way to add a fun element to your space. Stress can sneak up on you but the good news is that you can keep the levels down by simply using the right colours in your home. You might not even notice it, but your body and mind react to colours. For 2021 Pantone hasn’t chosen one but two colours of the year — the neutral ‘ultimate grey’ together with a lovely yellow called ‘illuminating’. This mix of colours conveys a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting. Practical and rock solid but, at the same time, warming and optimistic, this union is one of strength and positivity. As grey is a neutral, soothing shade, hints of yellow can bring in a bright element that your space would be happy to have.
• Working from home is the norm for plenty of professionals, but for some of us, we’re just getting in the groove of working remotely for the first time. As we get used to that work-from-home life, it’s important to rearrange your home work space in an organised way that will keep you focused on your daily tasks with all the essentials you need. To help you upgrade your new work station, avoid getting too cosy or comfy, invest in a good office chair, a desk and, maybe, then add a fashionable cushion to go along with the arrangement.

WFH can get boring and it’s here to stay, so keep changing your cushions every month or so as these can add a new look to your home-office every month.

• Last, keeping your surroundings clutter-free can change the entire game. With fewer distractions around, your eyes will remain focused on tasks at hand. It’s essential for your productivity — and your mental health — to keep your workspace organised. It may seem like a daunting task, but the incentive to start organising is undeniable.

The author is director of e-commerce of an Indian brand of handmade rugs and accessories that are exported to over 90 countries across the world