So you just acquired a nice new office space and are pretty excited about the possibilities for the growth of your business and your own personal career. You are excited and looking forward to giant leaps in productivity, both personal and office-wide. That is all well and good, but you should not forget the effect the design of your surroundings has on your work output in general. Don’t fret, we are here to help with five pointers to keep an office that boosts productivity, morale and health. Enjoy!

1. Free up your desktop:

   The most important physical space in a place of business is the desktop. This has to be kept pristine. No clutter or unnecessary items. To achieve this, most people find that they are most productive when working at a desktop that is free of clutter. Others, usually the creative types, thrive in disorderly settings. If you, like the rest of us, find you do not fall in the creative category, a clean and orderly desktop is the best option. A clean work space creates a productive workflow. To have this kind of order, you should have a tray for documents; a drawer for items you need at work like notepads, pens and mugs; folders for important documents that need to be stored till later; and a trash can for items that no longer serve any purpose.

2. Have a dream board in your office:

   This can be a whiteboard, a dedicated section of the wall, or even sticky magnets on the fridge in the

   agency’s kitchen. You (and your colleagues too!) should pin goals, wishes, hopes, dreams and wishes for the company’s future on there. They can even be silly (5% pay increment every day, or our own personal chef). This is a great way to gain insight into the minds of your colleagues and it will not only facilitate interpersonal work habits, but will serve as daily inspiration to everyone in the place of business when the going gets tough. Pictures and colorful posts always make for a nicer looking dream board, so include them if you can!

3. Ergonomics:

   This has been spoken about so many times all over the Internet, we won’t even bore you with the scientific facts supporting this (you know that’s a lie, right?). You won’t be productive if your back feels like an elephant used it as a trampoline just because of an improperly adjusted computer screen or desk chair. Take some time to adjust over and over again until you get it just right: the positioning of your desk and computer just so your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor; your thighs are parallel to the floor, and your wrists are almost straight especially while seated with your hands on the desk or while typing. This will reduce stress on your back, hands, muscles and joints so you can go about your daily activities happily and not constantly break down from the aches and pains that are inevitable in the absence of good ergonomics in the office.

4. Lights:

   Letting in a lot of natural light increases positive, energy, creativity and overall productivity in the office environs . A somber, dark atmosphere gives the office a gloomy look and an air of melancholy, which is not good for employee morale.
   It is, however, unrealistic to assume every office can knock out a few more spots for windows and skylights, but you can make do with the light you already have by making sure that your desks are within view of a window as much as possible. Having them in sight also helps to ensure all the windows and skylights are cleaned regularly for maximum transparency for light penetration.
   Light in the office, apart from enhancing visibility in the office, also serves to make the bright colours of your décor appear brighter and more effective in improving cheer in the office.

5. The Dreaded Open Space Plan:

   OK, so you may have heard that working in an open space environment with everyone else is great for collaboration and teamwork, right? Unfortunately, you’ve been misled. In most cases, workers who are lumped together in an open floor plan are often much less than satisfied with their working environment, complaining of a lack of privacy as the reason. Need evidence, just walk through any open space office you know and take note of the number of headphones you find. Hardly anyone collaborates, because it’s annoying trying to talk to someone while they are clearly more interested in blocking out noise (through the headphones) so they can concentrate. Also, less is discussed when people feel their conversations can be heard by everyone in the office, whether they have something to do with the subject or not.