Changing up your workspace isn’t just about feeling comfortable and at home when you’re on the job; it can actually have an effect on your overall productivity. Whether it’s the sounds you hear or how well you see, your senses are engaged for better or for worse at work. By making sure that these senses are focused on the task at hand, you can more effectively match your workspace to your productivity.

Eliminating distractions and creating a space geared toward efficiency could be the difference between a focused worker and one who struggles with staying on task. Here are some things you can do to make sure your workspace promotes productivity:

Blocking Sound: There’s a lot of hustle and bustle that goes along with working in an office. From the sounds of machines, printers, and computers to interruptions from noisy co-workers, noises in your office could have you struggling to tune out distractions. By putting safeguards in place to effectively block sounds out so you can focus, you’ll notice fewer interruptions.

If working in a cubicle, fabric can be used on the cubicle partition to help muffle outside sound. If trying to block out sound seems like a losing battle, consider investing in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones, which emit frequencies that can help block out sounds so you can finally focus and improve your overall productivity.

Better Lighting: While you may not have much influence over the sound level in your office, you can tweak the lighting if you find that it’s detrimental to your productivity levels. A good workspace should have ample lighting, not just from overhead sources, but from desk sources as well. Bringing in a desk lamp from home can help brighten up a dark space, but also soften the harsh fluorescent lighting common in most offices. Play with a few different light sources to see whether it makes a difference in your ability to focus on tasks.

Task-Specific Areas

Whether you’re a pro a multitasking or you prefer to take your jobs one at a time, it’s easy to get sidetracked when your office is disorganized. Say you’re supposed to be organizing and stapling reports, for example. You’re doing it in front of your computer and you notice an instant message pop up. You’ll probably stop what you’re doing to read and answer the message, which could disrupt your workflow. That’s why one brilliant office design concept is that of task-specific workstations within your office.

By creating one space for computer work, another for organizational and office work, and yet another for personal time, like eating lunch, you help delineate between the different types of tasks in your mind. In the future, when called upon for a specific task, you’ll be able to focus on the work at hand, instead of being distracted.

Comfort And Design

Finally, the most important component of office and interior design is to make sure that your office is a place in which you actually want to spend time. While it may not be your favorite place in the world, having a comfortable office decorated in a way that you love can make work more pleasant. When work is more pleasant, you’ll be less likely to spend time looking for a way out. While you may not be able to paint your office, you can hang pictures of your family, create displays of things that inspire you, and adorn your desk with pictures and souvenirs that make you smile.

If there’s no place like home, then you know your office can’t possibly compete with the comforts of your living space. Still, making sure your workspace is outfitted with everything you need to stay on task, you might enjoy your work more—all while increasing performance.

Read more at http://www.careerealism.com