I spend so much time in this space, hours upon hours brainstorming, editing, creating content, sending out invoices, etc that I thought I would share my recent update to this space and the 5 essentials you need for making your office space more productive. If you work from home or head into an office each and every morning, I think these 5 tips will aide in helping you create a comfortable yet productive office space.
1.) Have warm lighting
I am someone who is incredibly affected by the light around me. If you have been following me for a little while, you know I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. My parents, 4 siblings and future in laws all still live there. Despite how amazing the city of Pittsburgh is, we could never move back because the lack of sunny days. Pittsburgh unfortunately has more gray, cloudy days than sunshine. Add in the snow and cold that seems to last 5 months and it honestly feels like the end of the world for me. I need my sunshine…and now that I have it almost every single day here in the Carolinas, I could never do without! My office is no exception and I need to have warm light to feel cozy and happy. Often times, offices have fluorescent lighting and I think it makes you feel drab. When I worked at my last corporate job, my friend Taylor gave me his sun lamp and the thing worked wonders because it was this illuminating warm glow in front of me! A warm lightbulb in your lamp will do the same!
2.) Have a place for everything
I swear that organization is the key to living a successful and happy life. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, frustrated or stressed, the root cause is almost always not being organized or prepared. And preparation comes when you put a plan into action, so we are back to the whole organization thing! I like everything to be minimum. How much of anything do we actually need? [Exception: You can never have too many pairs of shoes :-)] I can’t work in a space where I just see clutter everywhere. And unfortunately, Pat has to deal with this everyday-all day, but in my eyes anything extra is simply clutter. He can be reading a piece of mail and I’m ready to ask if its trash. I know, I know, I need to chill with that. Anyway, for my office space I have found a few essentials that create a productive space. The hanging gold file rack is perfect to store the papers you need up and out of the way. I have pretty glass jars to add a little bit of color to the desk but it holds my pens, markers and scissors. You’ll will never see a pen sitting on my desk when I step away from it. It takes the same amount of effort to lift it off of this desk as it does to grab it out of one of the jars! I have a little gold trinket dish to hold the pins for the bulletin board. When I receive specific guidelines from brands that I need to include when I post, I write them down on a sticky note and pin it to the board. These things can be the contact rep’s name for a specific brand, the brand’s hashtag or campaign name, etc. I find that if you have a place for everything then you always know where everything is!
3.) Must have cute accessories
We all know we have a better day when our hair looks great. Our workouts are more effective when we are in our new cute leggings and tanks. Our big meetings seem to go better when we wear a new dress and favorite heels. Well, I work better when I am surrounded by white and gold things, pink accents and lush plants! Hahah! So yes, I think it’s important to have cute accessories at your work space! I am obsessed with my new laptop skin & iPhone case from Caseapp. You can design your skin and phone case by simply going to their website and uploading an image. They also have a ton to choose from too if you wish! The entire design process was super easy: Select the product you want, upload an image, receive product a few days later. Super easy and yet super effective. Love these two products!
Calendar is from Target, all else Homegoods!
4.) Have pieces that inspire you
I believe that if you surround yourself with positivity, positive things will follow. The things you have in your life are directly correlated to the view you have on your life. I have really been trying to cut out anything negative in my life because we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow and there is no reason to harbor negativity when there is so much room for positivity. In my office space, I have photos, greenery, illustrations all things that breathe life to me. These things inspire me to be creative and focused. They help me move through my day while making it good time well spent.
[Memory board from Homegoods. Vase from Target. Frames from Bed Bath Beyond.]
5.) Incorporate a standing desk
This number isn’t the easiest thing to simply just find and incorporate in your space. A lot of offices do not provide this and they can be quite expensive if you ask for one or if you want to purchase one.
Mine is from the company InMovement, whose mission is to make your workspace healthier. You can purchase the desk here through Amazon and while I know it’s not the cheapest Amazon purchase, I ensure you that it’s an incredible product and I really enjoy having it.
It does require ample amount of space for the desk to sit on but it’s really cool that you can adjust the height to over 10 different settings. If you see in the last photo above, you simply put your hands on both sides and squeeze the lever to adjust the desk. It’s super easy! I find the combination of sitting and standing helps me focus and fuels energy. After a few hours of working, I don’t feel tired or annoyed that I am in one place! I just keep sitting and standing as I work away!
How cute is my Ruby girl? If you follow me on instagram [@brittanyanncourtney] you know Pat and I are off somewhere again this weekend. We are meeting his best friends (after 10 years now, my closest guy friends :-)) in the big apple! I used to live in NYC, I had interned in the PR department at Oscar de la Renta, so I am beyond excited to be back in the city. Talk about productivity- I see those city lights and my heart pounds with energy and excitement! Anyway, per usual I am bouncing with excitement to travel but I cried leaving Ruby. And I know she is 100% fine, she is with one of our good friends here in Winston. She’s with her boyfriend Aster (he is our friend, Matt’s red goldendoodle you probably have seen on my instal-stories before!) so I know she is entertained and in good hands! It’s always just so tough! Where are my fur mamas at, do you agree??
Enjoy your weekend! Follow me as we hang out in NYC!
Thanks for stopping by,
xx, Brittany Ann
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