Almost no one have the necessary willpower to entirely disregard what is going on in their environment. This is due to the fact that paying attention to everything that could jeopardize or otherwise affect our existence in any manner was critical to human survival throughout the early stages of evolution. Even today, our biology prevents us from entirely concentrating on a task when others are in our immediate vicinity or within hearing distance. Disruptive sounds or visuals (even a random reflection from a bright wind chime outside) have been shown to reduce our ability to concentrate.
Working as an environmental psychologist, I assist people in understanding how they may make their environments work to their favor by making tiny adjustments to their surroundings. I recently wrote about a few ways you can make your office work better for you, in which I discussed how to build an environment that would help you stay comfortable and focused while at the workplace. I’m going to talk about how sights and noises (or the absence thereof) can help you think more creatively and efficiently in this section. After all, who wants to spend more time at their job than is really necessary?
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Choose an isolated spot for your office
Place your home office as far away from your home’s communal rooms as possible, such as the family room, kitchen, and so on. Although it may seem like a no-brainer, there are times when we want to be in the thick of things while also believing that we can still get work done. Sure, you may believe that you are an expert at working, conversing, and watching television at the same time, but the reality is that you are not functioning properly.
Your mind will not devote its active capacity to listening or looking if you are unable to hear or see conversations and activity. As a result, you will be able to work more efficiently.
There are some drawbacks to this workspace, such as the lack of natural light, but the ability to close doors and filter out noise is critical for retaining creative energy in the workplace. In addition, closed doors indicate that work is in process and that only necessary disruptions are permitted.
Add walls and doors to cut distractions
Not every situation is conducive to the construction of new walls and a door. When you’re not working, you might prefer an open flow throughout the entire floor, or you might find that installing walls and a door would be prohibitively expensive. If that’s the case, consider adding something like these sliding doors and wearing headphones that play white noise while working.
If you want to accomplish your best job, white noise is preferable to listening to music through headphones while you work. It’s too simple to allow your mind stray into a song while you are listening to music through headphones while you are working. A good old-fashioned radio can be used to make white noise, or you can download free mp3 white noise recordings to play on your computer.
Keep a positive attitude
Your circadian rhythms remain in sync with your geographic location while you are exposed to daylight during the day. Do you really believe that doesn’t matter? The consequences of not having the appropriate rhythms are that your mental function is impaired, wounds heal more slowly, and you find yourself in an unhappy mental and physical state. Being free of distractions, on the other hand, is much more crucial than being in the sun. Increase the amount of light coming into your home by looking to the sun.
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With high windows, you can reduce distractions
If there is so much happening on outside your office window that distractions are constant — for example, if your office is next to your pool or a parking lot — consider adding high clerestory windows to the space. Put heavy curtains on the lower section of existing windows if all else fails. This will keep out as many distracting sights and sounds as possible while still allowing in sufficient light.
Color your light
It is recommended to use warm, golden light for calming purposes while blue light is indicated for attentiveness. Purchase cool lightbulbs in order to obtain the type of blue light you require. Never use the blue novelty lightbulbs, which give everything a dark blue tint since they are so bright. It’s best not to operate in light that couldn’t possibly occur in nature; artificial light is a distraction on its own.
Reduce the visual complexity
Visual complexity is a difficult concept to grasp and express, yet it is extremely significant. When you’re conducting significant work, it’s critical that your environment doesn’t have too much going on visually to avoid experiencing cognitive overload.
This area has a modest level of visual intricacy, which is exactly what you should aim for. Despite the fact that there is some items out and about, and some things to rest your eyes on while pondering, such as the sophisticated light fixture, the space is completely devoid of clutter.
Have high ceilings
Vertical visual space allows us to think more creatively. If your work at home requires you to be innovative, consider setting up your office in the region of the house that has the highest ceilings, provided that space is also free of distractions.