How to Make Your Office More Efficient
Some people work at an office space, some work in a store front and some work at home. Wherever you do your livelihood, you need to customize your space to help you maximize your performance. Here are my tips on how to get the most out of your work space.
Keep it PRACTICAL I like to have everything I usually use 3 seconds away. I like drawers, shelves, desks and counters than can hold all my art supplies, materials, and equipment within a 2 meter radius of where I sit. If you can make it look all organized, GREAT! But it gotta be practical with how you work so you won't get slowed down by looking for what you need.
Make Room for Visual Inspiration
Your space is YOUR SPACE. It's where your creativity should shine best. And all our creativity is inspired by someone or something. When I was 18, instead of keeping my favorite comic books in a box, I hung them up all over my bedroom wall. It reminded me of what I liked and each cover I looked at made me think of that story in rapid speed. I was always ready to draw like my favorites and my work got way better so fast only because I felt I was surrounded by the greats. When I opened my first store 19 years later, I did the same thing. I lined the upper wall of my shop with my favorite comics just to keep the creative juices flowing.
Keep It Clean
There is CHAOS, and there is CREATIVE CHAOS. Creative chaos is when things are arranged in a way that makes sense to you and only you. No one else will get it or will be inspired by it. Some things might be in a weird place, but for some reason, it doesn't bother you or has a sentimental reason to be out of place. But apart from that, if it isn't part of YOUR creative chaos.... clean it up. I use to be a janitor for the Catholic School board and learned the significance of keeping a place clean. Coming to work in a mess disrupts your creative flow. Messiness doesn't increase artistic creativity, it distracts from it. So at the end of your day. Take a few minutes to wind down your mind by cleaning up. It's like organizing for the next day while you put your things in order in your office.
Make It Inviting to Others
Your work space is your inner sanctum of creativity for other to benefit from. So, make it open for other people to experience and enjoy. Create space for others by adding a comfortable chair or a couch for them to relax on. Make them feel at home with a hot beverage or a cold drink. Your guests will understand YOU more and will have a better understanding of what they can ask of you. It's like having other people share YOUR brain and creativity and they will become fans of your way of thinking, which will make the creative process much easier.
Eliminate Distractions
This is the hardest thing to do because damn near most of our work depends on being online. And the internet is THE most distracting thing in our lives now. If the nature of my job does not primarily have to do with social media, then I make it a rule to stay away from social media and video platforms at all costs. No diss to Facebook and YouTube, they're my primary source of entertainment right along with Netflix, but in order to enjoy those things, I HAVE TO GET MY WORK DONE FIRST.
Music
Personally, my brain gets distracted pretty easily. If there is work to be done that need reading or writing or calculations, corrections, editing, strategics or planning, I can't listen to my favorite music, like hip hop or RnB or Rock or some pop tunes. The music I work to are electronic house music instrumentals that goes on for hours. My mind isn't INVESTED in those tunes but my brain can appreciate the rhythmic beats.
Create RULES
This is the place where everyone depends on you to produce RESULTS. So don't be afraid to set the terms on how you treat your office space. If you need a close/open door, appointment only, food or drink, shoes on/off, smartphone or social media policy, then have one. It will give you a sense of discipline and others will learn to respect your process more.
Remember that your work space is a reflection of yourself. Design it according to your practicality, creative flow and comfort. It's your sanctum of doing great things and you need it to be an extension of yourself in order to kick ass at what you do.