The journey toward success will begin from your workspace. A bad workspace will leave your amazing mind uninspired. I was recently asked by a colleague, “How can I change my workspace to become more inspired?”. I gave him the following advise.

I hate the following about your workspace:

1. It is grey

People are such that their mood will reflect their surroundings and colour is perhaps the first thing which defines a surrounding. Bright vibrant colours will make you feel bright and vibrant and similarly a dull and grey workspace will make you feel depressed.

Try injecting some colour, it is the most effective way of lifting your mood and creating an inspiring workspace.

2. Lifeless

Plant”life” will add life into your workspace. A workspace full of lifeless machinery and lifeless books could really do with some life. A plant is a perfect way of adding nature to a dead workspace.

The best plant to use, in my opinion, is a bonsai tree. Any household plant, however, can be a healthy addition. Remember photosynthesis – the plant will even give off a creative juice known as oxygen.

3. It is dark

Try to have your workspace near a window. The scenery is secondary to the light which will flood onto you and your workspace making you feel bright.

An alternative of moving your entire workspace is to install mirrors and lights in order to reflect the light around the room.

4. Your wooden chair

Okay, it may not be wooden, however my gluteus maximus would disagree! A comfortable bottom will aid you to work for longer and more efficiently and productivity will thrive. I would not worry about price too much, as I believe my chair has paid its due.

5. Your dying desk

A crumbling brown grazed desk is a minor point perhaps, but compare it to a glass table, or one with more colour and you will see the advantages before you. The majority of your work is done on your desk, so it should help elevate your creativity.

6. One monitor

This may not apply to everyone, but personally, an extra monitor has really helped my productivity rocket. I have found that the brain will work certain areas at certain times and I can take advantage of this by using dual monitors. For example, I can write in one monitor and when I am tired of that, continue with something else on the other monitor and thus multi-task.

7. Wires

Wires can look unpleasant and sometimes even be dangerous. I would recommend that you buy a wire tidy, it is hardly expensive and will hide any wires around your monitor and on the floor. This will look better and could save your life (I know how cheesy that sounds!)

8. No whiteboard

A freelancer spends a lot of the time planning and scheduling their work. This is because of the level of self-discipline which a freelancer must possess in order to become successful. A whiteboard, therefore, is a mandatory investment.

A whiteboard can help you in several ways. If you choose to have it near your monitor, you will be forced to look at it several times a day and therefore help keep you on top of your objectives. If you have it further away, it will give you the opportunity to get off your arse!

9. Smell

Your workspace can begin to smell of your body odour or even smelly socks. This can be off putting and hardy helps creativity to thrive. Try an air refresher or some incense, although personally I hate incense sticks, they may work for you.

10. Lack of Oxygen

This ties in with the above point, however this is not only just about odours. I have experimented with workspace and found a park, river bank or any part of nature is what gives me the most inspiration. One of the core reasons as to why it is such an inspiration is due to the fresh air and good supply of oxygen. Your workspace does not have to be any different, open windows and let that outside freshness in!

Conclusion

One of the privileges of being a freelancer is the freedom to manipulate our surroundings to our taste and liking. An employee sitting squashed at a desk in a grey office does not have the freedom to do all of the above points. You do, so appreciate it and make the most of it.

Now it’s your turn. What changes have you made to your workspace to boost inspiration? Please tell us below, its great to share knowledge and experience.