As corporate career girls, we always try to get the most done in the shortest time possible. But, to do that, the space around us must reflect a productive environment. If our place is messy, our thoughts and work will reflect that. Changing our workspace from a chaotic to a productive one can be the easy switch we need to be more efficient, motivated, and effective in our work. So, in this blog post, I will go over how to create a productive workspace whether you are at home or in the office.
Understand Your Workspace
The first thing you need to do when learning how to create a productive workspace is to understand what you are working with. Is your desk in your bedroom or a separate area? Maybe you have your own mini office at home or you’re sharing the office space with your family. To create a productive space you need to understand the environment you are dealing with.
Ideally, your workspace is separate from your bedroom. I am lucky enough to keep my desk in my living room which keeps the two environments separate. Knowing your environment will help set up your expectations and the adjustment possibilities.
Clear the Clutter
The next step in figuring out how to create a productive workspace is clearing the clutter around you. Get rid of old sticky notes and random items. Put your dirty dishes in the sink and simply clear your desk and any drawers you might have.
To get an efficient work environment, we first start from scratch. Now, everything we add to the workspace will be useful for making a productive desk setup.
Pick Out the Essentials
Next, we want to think about the essentials for our work desk setup. Learning how to create a productive workspace means only keeping items that will add value to the space.
My must-need items are blue light glasses, a notebook, a pen, sticky notes, chapstick, sunscreen, a monitor, my laptop, a keyboard, a mouse, and a coaster. This seems like a long list of items, but it doesn’t take up much space. Identify your essential desk items that need to be in easy access. These are the items that will go on your desk.
Create Your Set Up
Now comes the fun part of how to create a productive workspace. We want to lay out everything on the desk to maximize efficiency and space.
Depending on your desk size, and if you have a monitor stand, you might be able to get away with keeping your monitor in the middle back of your desk and adding other items around it. Otherwise, I like to move my monitor to a corner to maximize space.
To utilize more space, I use the foundation of the monitor to keep small items like pens and chapstick. This way it’s not taking up any extra room. Then my laptop, keyboard, and mouse can shift around because there’s plenty of room and zero clutter.
Feel free to add a small plant or some color to spice things up, but make sure each item has a purpose.
Use Your Drawers
If there are any items that you sometimes need but are not of daily use, these can go in your drawers. Things like staplers, tape, extra pens, and more are easy items to add here.
If you don’t have drawers, try using bins under your desk or in other areas. We want to minimize the number of items at your desk when learning how to create a productive workspace.
Because the more items on your desk, the higher chance it feels messy and unproductive.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this mini tutorial on how to create a productive workspace helpful. Please let me know your favorite tips in the comments below and feel free to add any other helpful advice!
With love,
Aditi <3
Aditi Rani – Figuring Out Life in Your Twenties
*Disclaimer: This is not professional advice. Some links are affiliate. By clicking and/or purchasing, I may receive a commission. It does not alter the price or change your buyer experience.