Office Hacks to Improve Your Work Environment

When you work from home, the whole space is yours, so personalisation is easy. But when you are in the office, personalising your desk can significantly affect your happiness. How much personalisation you can add will depend on where you work, but just little touches can improve your mood. Perhaps it’s a picture, your favourite mug, some colourful stationery or anything that makes you smile. If you hot desk and can't leave your personalisation overnight, you can always take something small that you can pack in your bag to take home every evening.

Ever heard that a tidy workspace equals a tidy mind? Well, it's true! Ensure your desk is clutter-free and clean to improve your work environment. Clutter only distracts you and makes you unhappy, so have a way of organising your bits. Make sure you have a wipe down of your desk every evening to keep it clean.

You may not know this, but your keyboard is actually the dirtiest place at your desk, and it's not the easiest place to keep clean either. Use some sellotape between the keys to pull out any debris; you can also use a toothbrush to give it a good clean.

Walking into a clean and neat desk puts you in a good headspace at the start of the day, so you'll be ready for whatever your work throws at you.

Keeping yourself fuelled throughout the day is vital to staying productive, so having healthy snacks on the deck can keep you well-fed and energised throughout the day. Even though you may think you're "just sitting", your brain will be doing lots of work, and your brain needs fuel to do this work. You're better off with healthier snacks too, as these will keep you fuelled for much longer than unhealthy, sugary options. And healthy snacks don't have to be boring; check out our ideas for healthy snacks to take to the office for some tasty inspiration.

You might have been told to stop fidgeting when you were at school, but allowing yourself to fidget when you feel the need will actually help you to concentrate. Research has shown that fidgeting increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps with concentration.

Make your desk a place where you can fidget easily without distracting others (tapping your fingers might cause other people to lose concentration) by having fidget aids, such as a stress ball or fidget spinner. One study showed that allowing students to use fidget spinners made it easier for them to ignore distractions, and so were better able to concentrate on their tasks. So, having a fidget aid within reach will allow you to sit back and think when necessary without distracting others.

Natural light can help to increase your happiness, and being happy will help you to be productive at work. So, wherever you're working from, ensure your desk gets light by being near a window.

If all the desks near the windows are taken, make an effort to either get near a window or outside at intervals throughout the day. Whether this is on your lunch break, when taking your small breaks, or simply standing near a window when you need to think.

If you're not comfortable, how can you concentrate? If you're in the office, you should be provided with a good office chair, so ensure you adjust it to make it perfect for you.

When working from home, if you don't have a good office chair, this may be more difficult. So, use cushions and lumbar support to give you the support you need. Invest in a desk and chair so you have somewhere to sit, but also don't be afraid to move to different spots throughout the day – do whatever you feel comfortable with.

It's not just about the chair, however. If you're going into the office and you know you often get cold, take a blanket or jacket that you can use to stay warm. Maybe even take a hot water bottle if you get cold in the office.

When working with computers, wires and cables can cause clutter on your desk, and you can't simply hide these in a drawer. Use cable ties or bulldog clips to keep wires together so that they are more manageable. You can then attach picture hooks at the back of your desk and hang the cables on them, out of sight and out of mind.

If you have lots of cables, make sure you label each wire before you bundle them up. That way, you won't waste time finding what you need when something else needs plugging in.

One office hack for working from home, if you have pets, is having a pet bed near your workplace. This will allow your furry friend to settle down near you, rather than whinging when they get lonely or trying to distract you when they want attention. It'll also mean you know where they are, so if they've been quiet for too long and think they may be up to something, you can see they're being good with just a glance.