Making Entrepreneurial Work Space Healthy!

The ongoing signals your body perceives/receives about your environment can tremendously affect your overall health. The Chinese study of Feng Shui is the science of combing energy with space to achieve optimal health and good fortune. If you are an entrepreneur or work in a small business which you are dedicated to growing, consider these ideas to enhance your work space creativity, productivity and overall pleasure of what you are creating.  My friend and professional architect and interior designer, Lenore Weiss, will intrigue you with some simple, yet important, ways to make the most of your work space, large or small:

The Inspirational Entrepreneurial Space (by Lenore Weiss)
Design for work settings to promote a healthier, more productive lifestyle.

Do you enter your workplace each day with a renewed sense of vitality, creativity, and motivation?  Does your work space – whether a window office in a high-rise or a makeshift home office in an extra bedroom – inspire you to be the best you can be in whatever work you do?  If not, then consider that even small physical adjustments in your surroundings can make a tremendous difference between a workplace that feels like drudgery or one that promotes  the very best of your professional output.

With myriad of variables to consider, let’s examine just some of the improvements you can make in your office to help you feel – and work – better.

Lighting: 
Quantity as well as quality should be considered.  Poor lighting conditions can cause eyestrain, fatigue and headaches.  In one study, managers in a post office measured a 6 percent increase in productivity after simply improving their lighting.

Additionally, lighting from windows and skylights is proven to make us feel more optimistic. Having a “room with a view” not only brightens a space with natural sunshine, but can also reduce energy costs with a need for less mechanical lighting.

Color Therapy:
Have you ever “seen red” or “felt blue”?  The colors around us have a direct, proven impact on the way we feel.  Need a bit of excitement?  Add red or orange accents.  Want to be calmed and reduce your blood pressure?  Add a splash of blue.  There are infinite choices to make, but considering the psychological impact of a color can boost its power to delight a room.

Furniture layout and placement:
I know of someone who was working out of her home in a struggling business.  Although she had several empty bedrooms available for a home based office, she reserved those rooms for visiting adult children to occupy only a couple of days a year.  Consequently, she set up her desk in an out-of-the-way windowless corner behind an ironing board.  Each day she worked in this cramped, cluttered space with her stress level growing in some very unhealthy ways.

After I suggested ways she could easily accommodate visiting guests by allowing some other spaces to “do double duty”, she permitted herself to occupy one of the available bedrooms as a dedicated office.  She then acquired a properly sized desk and ergonomic chair, with adequate storage and file space for her needs.  She positioned her desk in a “power position” – with her back to a solid wall, and faced the room with windows and door in front of her.

After expanding her physical space, she was able to expand her emotional/psychological space for her business as well.  She no longer wasted time on the frustrations caused by an unsupportive workplace, and instead was able to concentrate on her tasks at hand.  The results were rewarding both internally and financially as she watched her business grow from there.

Organizational Systems – Decluttering:
A clean desktop is a productive desktop!  Open space promotes clarity and encourages new ideas eliminating the frustration and anxiety produced by a sea of unfinished paperwork appearing front and center.

The idea of having a clean desktop extends to the computer as well.  Since so much time is spent working on computers, having an organized computer filing system is critical to establish and maintain.  One popular example is the Zero Inbox method, which helps manage the onslaught of e-mail we all seem to get http://inboxzero.com/  .  Whichever system you choose, it can help you “clear the cobwebs” for better productivity.

Although it seems like a lot to do, these concepts are well worth considering in the interest of thriving in a place we spend most of our time!  If we think of our physical environment as a very effective personal empowerment tool, even small changes can have a huge impact on your workspace – well being – and associative bottom line.

More about contributor Lenore Weis

Lenore Weiss is founder of Lenore Weiss Studios, LLC., http://www.lenoreweissstudios.com, an architecture and design firm specializing in high-quality residential and commercial architectural and interior design. Its approach embraces the symbiotic relationship between people and their built environments, focusing on the many ways design can positively influence people’s lives. Contact Lenore today, and let her guide you to making your work space more creative and productive while making you healthier too!