January
I’ve spent most of working days as a freelancer, working from various locations: Starbucks, bars, libraries, backyards, and my home office. If the place had free WiFi, I probably worked there at some point in time.
My experience of working in these types of environments has been a fun thing for me, and as time went by I’ve picked up on some techniques that you as a small business owner can use in your own work environment. Ready? Let’s go!
Make it flow
I know there are several of you out there in Internet land clacking away with bad postures. Teaching yourself the art of Ergonomics will help you use the proper equipment that works with your body, not against it, helping you to fight off long-term injury. An aligned back, correct heights and exercises are mandatory to incorporate a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be that guy who brushed off the priceless information, eventually paying for it with a miserable existence: Ergonomics will save your life. Computingcomfort has a neat workplace planner to get you going in the right direction.
Add some green
Adding some plants to your office is an inexpensive, simple way to increase the feel of your work area. Real plants radiate calm and pleasure, adding a better look to your overall surroundings. Aside from the pleasing factor, plants give off fresh air and reduce the amount of pollutants from man-made materials. Even NASA has dedicated some hefty dollars to research plants that improve air quality, and check out a book called How to Grow Fresh Air that covers the best plants for fresh air. It talks about how much nasty stuff they get rid of and how easy they are to maintain.
Build a relaxation room
I know it’s one thing to include breaks, but do you actually get away from your work area? Dedicating a certain space that’s totally the opposite of what you were doing helps you to forget about deadlines and physically soothes you from that stress of it all.
Keep it organized
Organization is key if you want to have a silky workflow. An organized office is an extension of an organized mind. Experiencing an organized setting makes you jump right into the project you’re working on. Disorganization is a sign of not dealing with your problems, it’ll get it the way when you need to focus your entire being on getting stuff done. For the updated office environment, a major source of disorganization is your computer cables. Papers laying about, notes jotted down here and there, books off to the side, empty coffee cups and much more will pick at your consciousness. One of the best feelings is working in an environment that you love to look at. If you’re highly interested in this topic, take a look at Lifehacker’s Workspace Show and Tell on Flickr for some great ideas.
Promote breaks and interaction
Taking a breather from work is mandatory when it comes to your health. If you stare at a monitor all day without walking away, you’re going to end up carrying tons of stress. Think of ways to include exercise in small doses throughout your workday to keep your batteries charged and wit sharp, allowing you to work at your optimal settings.
Buy a comfortable chair
I remember thinking that any computer chair would work and it’s just the same as those super expensive designer chairs. On the other hand, you should at least take the time to sit in a relaxing, ergonomically designed computer chair. For the startup worker, your office furniture is a wise investment since you’re going to spend countless with it. Check out Aeron’s highly adjustable chair, which is probably the most widely used, but there are inexpensive ones out there for the small business budget. I know it seems like an outrageous office expense for a small company, but it’s at least worth checking it out for a couple of weeks and if you don’t like it, simply return it.
