By Sahira Dharamshi

As the new year begins I’m sure many of us have a list of projects we’d like to delve into. With the new year comes the idea of a clean slate we can’t wait to colourfully decorate with our array of new ideas. However in order to achieve them a positive work environment is required. Something that makes you excited to sit at your desk and tick off the long to do list. Something that makes the early mornings and late nights bearable. Something that makes getting through the mundane tasks doable. 

At times I find myself sat at my desk with my head in my hands overwhelmed by various tasks. After a period of doing anything I can to avoid eye contact with my screen what can be nice is catching a glimpse of little decorations dotted around that make me smile. Whether it’s a painting, a quote with a positive message or even a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that little positivity sparked from looking at these items can, at times, be enough to push me to carry on with the tasks at hand. 

I know it may seem small but it’s so simple to do and why not test out the impacts of decorating your workspace for yourself? 

To get a kickstart on what to collate for your Pinterest board of workspace decorations here are a few ways I spruce up my space: 

Flowers

“I can buy myself flowers” Miley Cyrus said it best! A colourful addition to one’s work environment has a plethora of benefits. Apart from the fresh scent of various florals wafting through the air adding a spring feeling regardless of the time of year, the impact on your mood could be great. This can be explained by colour psychology. 

Colour psychology shows bright colours such as red, yellow etc. can help boost one’s mood whilst subdued colours such as purple and blue can evoke calmness in individuals. Thus, depending on what you feel you need energy or tranquility, get some decorative objects to help.

Add a pop of colour to brighten your day or help calm your mind, Lublu Flowers have gorgeous bouquets to do just this!

Decorative Objects:

Personally I also adore having objects with motivational phrases on them in my workspace. During those moments where I’m sat overwhelmed and overthinking about work or just life in general embarking on that trip down the rabbit hole of ‘what if’s’, catching sight of a motivational quote can be enough to cut the rabbit hole journey short. A few months ago I discovered @homebird_makes brand and have become quickly obsessed with her beautiful products. Sometimes we all need that little reminder saying we’ve got this when things look a little bleak.

I also find these sort of products very useful when the warm embrace of the sofa beckons, its call getting louder and clearer and before I know it I’m wrapped up in a cosy blanket with a TV show on thinking “oh I’ll just get to the rest of my list tomorrow”. Tomorrow rolls around, the same thing happens and then suddenly I feel drained because clearly two things are happening. 1) My to-do list is not accomplishable in a day and I’m now beating myself up about not getting things done. 2) The stress of thinking about what needs to be accomplished is overtaking my ability to sit down and do it. A vicious cycle. 

Since I noticed this trend, I started shortening my lists, making them realistic, and taking the time to create a peaceful environment. Now, I actually get through my tasks and enjoy the little things that make my work environment productive. Maybe it’s setting down that large cup of coffee in your favourite mug/thermos, lighting those aromatherapy candles, having an aesthetic notebook that makes taking notes fun or even a little poster with a quote that makes you smile. (@burntpeach.design has some gorgeous ones, ideal for providing you with that little pick me up when the lull begins)

Don’t get me wrong there are definitely days when the call of the sofa drowns out the call of tasks to do and the evening is whiled away watching Gilmore Girls for the 100th time but we all deserve some downtime and to cut ourselves some slack!

So, get decorating and don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter by clicking here!