The kids have gone back to school, and the temperature has dropped. You’re probably already thinking about ways to make your workspace a comfortable and inspiring place to be during the winter, when it’s less tempting to go out.
An excellent article in Entrepreneur magazine (called How to Work from Home Without Losing Your Mind!) points out that uninspiring surroundings, and neutral colours like beige and grey, not only look depressing, they can actually make you depressed.
Don’t be grey inside when it’s grey outside! It doesn’t take much time or money to brighten up your workspace walls:
Feature wall – simply painting a wall in your favourite colour will give a welcome boost. You can choose the wall that faces your desk, and/or the one that’s the backdrop when you have a Skype call. Or think what would make a good background if you post photos on Instagram or are shooting products for sale.
At the opposite end of the spectrum from grey, add a little sparkle to dull winter days with glitter wallpaper. There is a huge choice of solid colours to choose from, or add a shimmer and textured effect with a print like this pretty butterfly design:
Whiteboard – did you know whiteboard paint can turn an entire wall into a whiteboard that you can write on and then erase? Our review of Ideapaint is one of our most popular Work from Home Wisdom reviews.
Our home working reviewer was delighted with the quality and her newfound ability to brainstorm ideas. Although not cheap, she found it cost less than a large whiteboard and looked a lot better.
Dream board – don’t just brighten up your workspace walls, make a dreamboard that could help you achieve your goals! Collect images of the things you’d like, work and home-related – the logo of the company that’s your ideal client, the awards ceremony where you’d like to receive recognition in your industry, the house you’d like to live in etc.
Looking at these every day keeps them firmly in mind, and encourages you to keep taking action when you lose a bit of motivation. I’ve heard stories of these dreams coming true in quite unexpected ways.
Sticky sheets – if you live or work in a rented property and can’t paint or paper your walls, and or make holes to hang pictures, don’t despair. These Gripping Stuff memo boards are A4 press-on, peel-off sheets that are easily removable. Just on press cards and photos – an instant notice board.
For more inspiration on workspace walls, and any other aspect of creating a vibrant office, have a look at my review of Studio, a beautiful book by Sally Coulthard that’s lavishly illustrated with colour photos like this one:
This post was kindly sponsored by The Best Wallpaper Place.
(Top photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash. Bottom photo from Studio by Sally Coulthard, published by Jacqui Small)
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