Posts Tagged ‘office tips’

If you’re like many people, you probably like your job, but you’re far from loving it. Maybe you find yourself staring at the clock every day, counting down the hours to the weekend. Or perhaps you’re one of those workers who has learned to “milk the clock” until you reach your 40 hours and head home. What you need is an overhaul! Here are three creative ways to make work fun!

Take a Break

Many workers feel guilty about taking breaks, but your brain and body really need that time to unwind and regroup. You can compare it to recess as a kid back when you were in grade school. You probably came back inside ready to learn after a mere 15 minutes outside. It still works in adulthood!

Take time to clear your mind of all that office clutter. Try a brisk walk around the parking lot, or try a few yoga poses right at your desk. Your boss should be pleased to see how much more productive you are after you have your own recess at the office.

Healthy Ambitions

More and more people are following their dreams, taking a risk, and starting their own business. If you’re among this daring bunch of entrepreneurs, you might be starting your business venture from the comfort of your own home. Whatever your reasons for staying on the home front, chances are you’re short on space. This blog will discuss the best way to create office spaces in small places.

Take Inventory

The first step toward making a home office is to take a thorough inventory. Do you have a lot of files? Are you plugged into a lot of technology? How about supplies? Exactly how much space you’ll need is determined by the amount of stuff you require to keep your business flowing.

If you don’t have loads of stuff, and are equally short on space, you can create a workspace in all sorts of unexpected spaces. Even working from under the stairs can be perfectly fine if you’re able to piece together an area that meets your needs!

Décor Pad

If you have an office, you might have spent hours picking out paint for the walls, thumbed through countless magazines in search of the perfect chair, and then devoted even more time to picking out the finest accessories that would help make the best statement about you. All this is certainly important, but how much effort went into the break room?

Perhaps the most underrated and neglected part of any office is the employee break room. If you think of this area as just a place to top off a cup of coffee and grab a doughnut, you and your co-workers are really missing out. Break rooms can be a mecca for creativity, chivalry, and even productivity if you set them up right.

Consider Color

Given that colors can impact mood in big ways, the color of the break room is majorly important. For example, red can increase your heart rate and breathing, and is typically used as an accent color. Green is a good way to bring in the outdoors and induce relaxation. Blue symbolizes loyalty, so it is no surprise people tend to be more productive in blue rooms. This site has more information on different colors and how they may impact your break room.

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The average American spends about 8.7 hours per day tending to work-related activities. Just what is going on in the office certainly varies, but some studies indicate that we actually spend a lot of time, well, wasting time. By all accounts, it adds up to almost 2 hours each day!

Here are tips to help increase your office productivity.

Learn to manage email.

Many people have email systems within their workplace to help increase communication. In reality, reading and responding to emails can be a real time zapper.  It takes valuable time to open them, read them, and then to decide on when and if you need to respond. The good news is that people do not always expect an immediate reply, and some are even willing to wait up to a week for you to get back to them. 

To save time, skim through emails right away in the morning, and respond immediately to the ones that take less than a minute. Next, you can file all the remaining emails in your inbox into categories such as “Respond Today,” “Needs More Info,” and the like. This can help you to move on with your day without ruminating on messages you still need to get back to. At the end of the day, set aside time to follow up on the remaining emails. This also works for phone messages.

Inspired by This

New job, new department, new location. All of these scenarios entail making new friends at the office, a task that can often seem daunting at best while you navigate through your new environment. It’s hard to make connections while you’re busy learning all those policies and procedures. Here are tips and tricks that are sure to impress your new co-workers and have them begging to share a cubicle or a cup of coffee with you in no time at all.

Image via Shoqbox

If you spend much time at an office with other people, it’s likely you will have conflicts to resolve, quirky habits to adjust to, and pet peeves to confront. This happens even if coworkers become close friends. Personalities sometimes clash or communication breaks down, and we just need help coping. But what if there was a better solution than just coping? Read on for a few tips and tools to bring peace back to your office space.

Communication Foundation

You’ve heard it before, communication is key. To keep communication lines open with coworkers, make yourself an approachable person. How do you do this? First, get to know your co-workers. The simple act of listening lets them know you care. Find some common interest to talk about, preferably non-work related. But don’t use this as a form of gossip within the workplace. Your coworkers will get to know quickly that they can be honest with you about work-related needs, concerns or ideas.
Continue reading “Office Tips for a Peaceful Workplace” »

With laptops changing over to tablets and cell phones replacing all landlines, the way we work is changing too. Office floor plans and designs need to keep up with the current flow of today’s workers. Check out what trends are helping companies run at the peak of their productivity and how you can adapt these trends to your work place.

Continue reading “Office Design Trends: Improved Collaboration, Unplugged, and Outdoors” »

Listen up managers, employers or any others who have people working under you. Does your office productivity level have room for improvement? The answer is probably yes. There is almost always room for improvement in office productivity. Now, did you realize that your employees are not solely responsible for work productivity? You probably do, or you wouldn’t be in a position of leadership to begin with. Take a minute to look at a few of these tips to help improve your workplace from the top down. Setting a good example is important, but there is far more to it than that.

Your To Do List Never Ends

Continue reading “Office Productivity Improvements from the Top Down” »

Do you take pride in your corner cubicle or are you always wishing you had a bigger, better workspace? Dreaming has its place, but why wait for a promotion to happen for an office you enjoy? Create a space that suites you, makes you comfortable and inspires you to work right where you are. We’ve gathered a few ideas here and hope you will have fun checking them out.

hlminteriordesign.com

If you are reading this on a Monday coming off of a fabulous and long weekend, then taking a moment to consider office productivity may be the best way to ease back in to the work week gracefully.

Continue reading “Boost Your Productivity” »