The power of changing up your workspace

Working and studying from home can be a challenge, despite this having been the norm for the majority of the past year. With the difficulty of setting hard boundaries between work and relaxing spaces at home, finding the motivation to get work done instead of succumbing to the never ending Netflix line up can be difficult.

Staying in the same workspace for too long can quickly lead to the working day becoming stagnant and getting even the most simple tasks done impossible. So here’s a few ways to change up your workspace and get back into a productive flow…

Change up your music

When it comes to changing your workspace, the first thought would be rearranging your room or angling your chair in a slightly different way, but music can have the same powerful impact.

When I’m working, I always need some kind of noise to keep me focused, and music is my go to. I’ve tried podcasts in the past, but often find I get too engrossed in the conversation and lose focus on work. I also stuck to listening to my usual music for a while, before finding that this often made me lose focus.

Since then I’ve moved over to listening to Lo-Fi beats whilst I work. This has the benefit of having rhythm to keep me focused, but without the addition of lyrics which often make me distracted. You can find some great extended tracks on YouTube, or the Spotify playlist ‘lofi hip hop music’ has over 12 hours of music to get you through even the longest study session – you can find a link to it at the bottom of this post.

Choose a neutral space to work

Since working from home, setting myself boundaries between work and relaxation has been more important than ever. For that reason, I always make sure whenever I am ready to get some work done, I do it from my desk or the sofa. No matter how tempting it is, I never work from my bed as it makes it harder for me to draw the line between work mode and sleep mode. Instead, working in a neutral space, such as the living room, means I’m able to focus on my work without the temptation of getting back into bed!

Catch those rays

With us being stuck indoors at the moment, especially during the winter, trying to have a light and airy workspace can seem impossible. However, I love to work close to a large window to allow me to get as much natural light in as possible whilst I’m working. I also try to get up at a reasonable time every morning to allow myself enough time to make the most of the day and the sunlight!

Try and work close to natural light, but if that isn’t an option fairy lights are also a nice alternative. If you find you are more productive in the evenings, so miss the sun, aim to go on a walk each day before it gets dark to get a bit of vitamin D.

These are some of my favourite ways to change things up when I feel that I’m in a creative rut so definitely give them a go if you’re struggling to get motivated to do your work. Sometimes a change of scenery and environment is just what you need to get inspired again!