3 Unusual Ideas for a More Productive Personal Office

How important is it to keep your office organized? After all, many geniuses, including Albert Einstein, have worked in cluttered conditions and done amazing things. One has to wonder though if even Einstein would have accomplished more if he had kept his office organized, or perhaps had someone to help him organize.

We may never know how, or if, better clutter control might have helped geniuses like him, but we do know a bit about how clutter affects the human brain. It can lead to distractions, lower levels of concentration, and decision fatigue, all of which lead to making poor choices, especially when in the office.

A key phrase for organizing is “A place for everything and everything in its place.” However, what if you don’t have enough spaces for everything in your office? Whether you work in a home office, an office at a separate work location, or in a cubicle, having a great organizational system can lower your stress levels while making work more efficient.

Here are some unusual ways to organize your office. Remember, you can always modify items to bring in your own personal style!

Bibliochaise

Bibliochaise is French for “library chair,” and no description could be more accurate. A bibliochaise is a chair with built-in book shelves, and it’s one of those things that bookworms see and then think, “I need one of those, now.” There are several types, including the Open Book Lounge Chair and the original bibliochaise.

If you can follow assembly directions to the letter, then you may want to make your own. If you’re a carpenter, you could modify the design. Your bibliochaise could sit in the corner of your office as a comfortable place for you to read, or you could even use it as your desk chair. Many office chairs can’t handle a lot of weight, and you may find the the library chair more comfortable and longer-lasting.

The advantages of this chair are clear. By combining your seat with book shelf space, you make room for books, both those that relate directly to your business and those you just want to enjoy, without having to put up a new book case. Also, it’s a great conversation piece!

Create a Reminder Board

This is a lot like a bulletin board, though instead of putting up information for other people, you put up reminders for yourself.

These days, there are many ways to keep track of tasks we need to get done. You can use one of several online calendars or note keeping systems, write them down on your wall calendar, or set alarms to remind you when to get things done. A reminder board above your desk, however, keeps those things fresh in your mind and makes it less likely that you’ll miss something. Your reminders can be text, pictures, or a combination.

These instructions for how to make a bulletin board should help you come up with something that will work for your office.

Welcome the Outside In

This means several things. The first you may think of is having a plant or two in the office. Aloe plants, peace lilies, and bamboo palms are particularly nice. They freshen the air, and their calming presence helps lower stress.

Letting the outside in also means opening the windows to let the air in, weather permitting, opening the shades to bring in natural light, or putting up images of outdoor scenes. These could be large paintings or photographs of things like waterfalls, the coast, a redwood forest path, or anything else that you can look at to regain your calm on an especially busy day.

When outdoors on the beach, in a field, or on a mountain, there’s a huge sense of space, and a sense of peace that comes with it. You can also bring that to your office. Make sure to keep the room, especially your working space, clean. Keep the room somewhat spartan. Go through piles of papers regularly so they don’t build up. Keep things that you don’t need in the office out of the office. This goes for any paperwork that you don’t need on a regular basis, which you may want to put in self-storage. Also, consider storing books that you may have needed for work once but now rarely do.

With the clutter low, a reminder board, a sense of nature in the office, and possibly something as cool as a bibliochaise, you’re sure to have a more pleasant, more productive working life.