How to create an inspiring office or home workspace

You might be all business, but that doesn't mean your office has to be. While it goes without saying that it should be functional and practical for the work you need to do, an aesthetically pleasing workspace can help you stay focused, motivated and inspired. Drab, grey, cookie-cutter cubicles are a real downer, especially when a few simple tweaks can make such a huge difference. Studies say we spend over ten years of our lives at work, so you should make it a place you look forward to being at, and more importantly, somewhere you can get things done effectively. Here are some tips to make your office perfect for you.

As an entrepreneur and student, it is important to create a workspace unique to your personality and work needs. If we were surrounded by inspiration, it can make a huge difference, like changing the way things are set up. Even small changes matter! Since we are working for more than 50% of our waking hours, each element can make a difference and it is worth it to take the time and money to invest in our working space. 

Organize, Prioritize, Simplify

You're not alone if you're wondering how to clean your office desk. At the very minimum, spend a few minutes every week clearing the clutter. Toss or file any papers on your desk, and leave out only what's strictly necessary for your day to day work. A messy desk can add to your mental load and slow you down with distractions. Prioritize what you need on a regular basis and place other secondary items in beautiful acrylic desk organizers with drawers and or cabinets. 

Eco-tip: Think about giving away items that you no longer need or just sell them to pass onto owners that may need these. 

Create space for a vision board

We all have goals (and if you don't, set some)! When you're bogged down in the details, it's easy to lose track of the big picture. Carve out a bit of real estate on your office wall to create a vision board as a daily reminder of what you're striving for. Put up pictures of your dream vacation spot, inspirational quotes, anything that will help you keep going for it. If you're in a shared office and want to be a bit more subtle, try making a digital one for your computer wallpaper, for example. 

Set up a calendar to keep you on track and inspired

This one is 100% non-negotiable. Everyone needs a calendar to keep track of what they need to do, when their meetings are, and how many more days until their next vacation. While many of us rely on digital reminders, there's something to be said about going analog. Fumbling with an unresponsive app can be very frustrating. A good desk calendar keeps everything at your fingertips and is great for jotting down quick notes.

Place your desk near a window

Location matters! Place your desk in a spot with optimal lighting - bright, but without too much glare on your computer screen. While it might not be practical to work outside most days, being near a window can help. The great outdoors can provide a dose of natural inspiration and sunlight has a positive impact on our health and well-being. It can give you a bit of work motivation when you need it the most. 

Choose beautiful and practical desk organizers

If you've done the hard work of clearing out your desk, motivate yourself to keep it neat with desk organizers you love and enjoy using. Minima Basics offers a line of sleek and stylish acrylic desk storage products, including a slanted pen organizer, an acrylic storage box with drawers, and a clear file holder. Designed for the modern office, the see-through organizers help you keep track of what's where. 

Not only that these three acrylics were designed to be both aesthetically beautiful and very practical for any space. Each one of them serves for certain purposes, but you can get creative on how you want to use it. Our slanted pen shelf organizer has a minimal slanted design in order to pick up the pens faster, but we have seen people using it as their lipstick holder as well. Our clear 3 slot file holder is known to store important documents like letters, papers and notes. Finally, our best-selling product, the acrylic storage box with drawers is a multi-functional drawer box to store all the essentials like notebooks, wires, a whole collection of pen and even makeup and skincare products. Each one of them has a unique way to use it, but it is very customizable on how you want to use it for.  

Put up some art

And there's no need to go highbrow unless you want to. Art is an excellent form of visual inspiration. It can be a print from a famous painter or a super unique find from an up and coming artist. It can be a photograph you took yourself or a funny picture that always makes you smile. Or pick out a few of your favourites and swap them out often for novelty and variety. Bottom line: choose something that makes you happy for a dose of workspace inspiration. It can serve as a mini pick-me-up every time you look at it. 

Use diffusers and essential oils

Essential oils are effective in evoking a certain mood or mindset while you're hard at work. For example, rosemary stimulates the senses, lemon helps increase concentration, and lavender soothes frazzled nerves. A few drops in a stylish diffuser can help freshen the air around you while helping you stay focused and alert. A note of caution: if you share your office space, be mindful of any fragrance sensitivities your coworkers may suffer from, and check before you start using scented products. 

An inspiring workspace helps with organization, motivation, and more!

Whether you work in a corporate office or a workspace at home, make it a priority to personalize as well as purge. Keeping a work desk clean is a process, but also a worthwhile habit to develop. Believe it or not, a clean desk is linked to better productivity. Improve your motivation at work with a space that's clean and organized. Having an inspiring workspace can encourage yourself to keep a space clean, organized, reduce procrastination and keep yourself happy and motivated. 

Have you seen our recent blog post that is very much linked to this topic? We spoke about how a clean desk is linked to work motivation, it is as important to know the reason behind it as much knowing how to create it.