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Whether you pay attention to it or not, lighting makes a big difference in your workspace.
Working in a well lit space not only makes the space feel less closed in, it opens up the area so you feel like you can breathe. You’ll feel more awake and energized and it highly impacts how focused you are throughout your day to day schedule.
Finding the right balance of light that works for you is key. When you combine a healthy amount of natural light and artificial light, you’ll feel much more grounded throughout your day ahead. You’ll focus more on your work and at the end of the day you’ll most likely complete much more compared to a working environment that’s in the corner far away from quality lighting.
When you have dull artificial light that doesn’t light up a whole room properly, you probably have felt drowsy or unfocused at times. If you don’t have the correct lighting for your dedicated workspace, whether it’s in an office or your own home office, we have the perfect tips for you to take advantage of when adding that extra light to your space.
Are you ready to find out the perfect way to light up your space for your health and quality of your work?
Something is better than nothing
If your workspace is currently in a space that has no natural light or windows nearby, something is better than nothing. While natural light is ideal most of the time, you have to make do with what you have. If you focus on warm tones that brighten up the space you’ll have much more focus and energy.
While you can choose to go with cool tones, it will depend on your personal taste and your surroundings to know exactly what will look best. Just remember that a balance is important because too much artificial lighting can be uncomfortable and cause an unhealthy strain, but just enough to illuminate your surroundings in a “natural” way can completely change your work schedule.
Don’t be afraid to combine
Natural light is a much better energizer, but let’s say your workspace doesn’t take full advantage of the window light because you aren’t right by the window. Use this to your advantage by incorporating a stylish desk lamp and learn to combine natural and artificial light. Molding the space for optimal brightness throughout the day.
Try to use the natural light as much as you can and use the lamp as a way to offset the natural light as it changes throughout the day.
Reflection of paint
Sometimes the best way to make the most out of your light source has to do with other elements in your workspace, such as paint. By selecting lighter paint colors in your office and less colorful options, you’ll be able to make the space open up. As tempting as it is to have a rich statement wall in the office or your home, it soaks up the light and makes a room so much more dim, compared to a light grey or white wall.
Keep this in mind if you’re redesigning a space, keep it open and fresh, this will not only motivate you, but everything will seem much more bright, especially with the combination balance of natural light and artificial elements.
Your decorations make a difference
Just like the paint advice we have above, using your decor to amplify how open a space is is very important even if you already have a well lit space.
First of all when you have too much clutter in your space, you’ll find that it will make the space seem small and cramped, as well as a bit dull when it comes to the light element. A great way to step forward with amplifying your quality of light is to de-clutter the space and focus on adding simple and minimalist mirrors and metallic accents to reflect light in the space.
When you have reflective surfaces this can really take your lighting to the next level, they work as decorations while also brightening the space. This is a clean and inexpensive way to maximize how much you get out of your space.
We also have an article on the benefits of a well lit workspace, here.
Experiment with style
Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you don’t want a basic office desk lamp, look for different ways you can create a statement with your lights. Whether you want to diffuse the sunlight from a large window with airy sheer white curtains, or you want to use the cords of a pendant light to be a part of the statement instead of trying to hide them. You can easily do so!
We recommend finding different ways to incorporate pendant lighting to really maximize your work space to keep it clean and decluttered, but to also provide you with great lighting as well.
There are even temporary solutions you can use if you are in an office setting, be sure to check them out here!
Final thoughts in achieving the perfect lighting
Whether you’re in a large office space or a private office in your home, your dedicated workspace is your grounding space for the quality of work you create, no matter what it happens to be. If you don’t have a high quality workspace that works and functions for you, how do you expect to be able to create high quality work? With this in mind, lighting plays a crucial role in promoting focus and energy, don’t be afraid to find what works best for you and your space.
Experiment with lighting so it’s tailored to you and before you know it, your space will seem perfect for you and what you do day to day.
Will you be incorporating some of these tips and tricks for lighting in your space? Let us know by sharing this article, and what tip you’ll be getting involved with for the fresh new year of 2018!
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Desk Advisor
Our team covers many categories to help you hustle better, from ergonomics to productivity, and technology. We are willing to ask questions (lots of them), seek experts, and dig deep into conventional wisdom to see if maybe there might be a better path towards the healthy workspace. We apply what we learn not only to our company culture but also how we deliver information to our readers. Ergonomic and productivity research is changing all the time, and we are 100% dedicated to keeping up with breakthroughs and innovations. You live better if you work better. Whatever has brought you here, we wish you luck on your journey towards better hustle.