These days, your work at home setup is probably where you spend the bulk of your time. That being said, your workspace does not necessarily have to bring about feelings of anxiety and stress. This is where hygge comes in. Here, we dive into this minimalistic concept and all its elements that can be used to provide work from home setup ideas.
Working from home is sometimes seen as both a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because it allows for flexibility, time with the family, and more importantly, time to take care of yourself.
However, working from home may impact creativity and productivity, especially if you have your kids at home or if there are other matters in your environment that require your attention.
One of the most effective ways to harness creativity and productivity, no matter what your work from home situation might be like, is to ensure that your work at home space is set up in such a way that leaves you calm, focused, and ready to take on your next task or meeting.
Look to the Danish concept of Hygge for work from home setup ideas
With this in mind, a design concept that is becoming increasingly popular among those who work from home is the Hygge concept.
Read on as we explore:
- What hygge is all about
- How to use the hygge concept to improve your work from home space
- How hygge fosters creativity and productivity as you work from home
What Is Hygge?
The Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a core aspect of Danish culture that dates back to the 20th century.
While it is difficult to accurately translate the meaning of the word, hygge is used to describe a feeling of coziness, contentment, and overall well-being.
As you can tell, hygge is more about invoking a feeling, than it is about being something to do or see.
Hygge-ing Your Work At Home Setup
The rationale behind invoking this feeling of coziness and contentment in your work at home setup is to make the process working from home more enjoyable and peaceful, despite any stressful situations that you might be facing.
If you are looking to bring hygge into your work at home setup, a great starting point is to remember to keep it simple. Hygge is all about minimalism, warm and muted colors, and a calm ambiance.
Here are just some work from home setup ideas to bring hygge to your workspace, for a better work from home experience.
Light It Down
To create the warm and cozy atmosphere that hygge is all about, lighting is key.
The ideal lighting for hygge workspaces is as much natural light as possible.
Make sure that you have good lighting at your work at home setup
However, if the space you are in doesn’t allow for this, then a great alternative is to go for lighting that brings a candlelight glow but is still bright enough for you to work effectively.
Harsh artificial lighting can leave you feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. So go for soft and warm lights that leave you with a feeling of comfort and relaxation.
Scent It Up
According to Scientific American, smells are capable of affecting your mood, as well as the performance of your work.
As such, you can use scents to enhance your work from home space to increase your focus.
Aromatherapy is a great way of doing this. A beautiful aromatherapy jar coupled with your favorite essential oils is bound to get you in the right frame of mind to sit at your desk and work with focus throughout your day.
Rosemary scented essential oils have been proven to have a positive impact on brain activity and moods.
If you are looking to create a calm and focused atmosphere, then lavender essential oils are the way to go.
Alternatively, you can make your own candles!
Calming Sounds
This can be pretty subjective and what may be calming for others may not be calming for you.
Music and sounds can contribute substantially to focus and productivity levels while you work from home.
Some people can get into the zone to the sounds of heavy rain, thunder, and roaring waterfalls (brown noise sounds).
Others may only be able to focus when there is classical music or jazz playing in the background. Spotify has some great focus and productivity playlists to help you create the perfect hygge work bubble for you.
A Clear Desk
This probably goes without saying. A clear and clutter-free workspace is an essential factor to creating hygge in your work from home environment.
One of the ways in which you can create a more organized workspace while invoking hygge is to have aesthetically pleasing baskets or containers.
A clear desk usually signifies an organised workspace
This will ensure that there is a place for everything and that you will be able to locate them easily, thus reducing unnecessary stress.
That being said, keep in mind that hygge is about a feeling. So keep things on your desk that bring you that feeling of contentment.
These can be pictures of your family or your cat. It can also be motivational quotes on your soft board or a painting above your desk that inspires you.
Add A Pop of Color
While a minimalistic theme and muted colours are wonderful for creating the ideal work from home space, it cannot be denied that bright and beautiful colors are great for boosting your mood.
One of the easiest and quickest ways to add this pop of color to your work from home space is in the form of flowers or plants on your desk or your shelves.
Alternatively, you can choose a striking sunshine yellow sofa for when you take a break from work or a rich maroon carpet to work as an accent to your minimalist workspace.
Choose a color that brings you a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Choose a color that brings hygge for you.
Work from home setup ideas include adding a pop of color to boost productivity.
Do Hygge Your Way
As you can see, there are many work from home setup ideas in which you can bring hygge into your work at home space to make it more conducive to productivity.
However, keep in mind that above all else, hygge is about doing what works for you. There are no strict rules. At the core of it all, hygge is about being present and mindful in all that you do.
Author Bio Aisha Preece ditched her corporate job in search of a career that allowed her to work remotely. She now LOVES Mondays and is passionate about helping others make and save more money, so they can live life on their terms.
Check out Outandbeyond.com for unique money tips, and to learn about all the best location independent jobs you can earn from.
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