As a loyal reader of Office VIBES, we know you already love your workspace. If you are looking for fresh ideas to make you more productive and your desk space more appealing, try making it sensory-friendly. According to sensoryfriendly.net “Most people do not realise that they have ignored their senses when setting up their office. If you pay attention to all of your eight senses you will improve your workspace, expand your love for it and increase your productivity at work.

Sight

A minimalist desk set up helps many people at work. Ask yourself this question of every item on your desk, “have I used this today?”. If not, remove it from your desk. Clutter in our line of vision can be a distraction. Love your workspace by only keeping the things you use handy.

Sound

Noise at work can be the greatest distraction, especially in a shared workspace. What makes a good workspace is one where noise levels are safe and noises are not distracting. Use a noise-cancelling headset for your calls or to listen to music. Your colleagues will thank-you.

Taste

You might think this is the most obscure sense! Do you have access to food and drink in your workspace? Do you keep a bottle of water at your desk to stay well-hydrated? Did you know that snacking, especially on crunchy food can help keep you more productive?

Touch

A big part of productive workspace design is being comfortable at your workstation. First, start simple, is the chair you sit on comfortable? Are the armrests comfortable? Your body touches your desk furniture throughout the day and therefore, it needs to be tailored to your body requirements.

Smell

What is the air quality like in your workspace? Clean, fresh, well-ventilated air is important. Is your office scent-free or full of stale smells? Productivity at work can be negatively impacted by distracting scents and smells.

Movement

A productive desk layout is key to a healthy desk. Adopting awkward postures at your desk puts a great deal of strain on your body. Poor office ergonomics can put additional strain on your back, neck, arms, legs and eyes.

Balance

Moving around in both safe and comfortable postures is healthy. stand and move at every opportunity you get. Put the printer at the other end of the room so that you have to get up and walk to get what you printed. Make sure you move your head around when sitting at your computer as it will help with your balance.

Interoception You can learn more about your eighth sense, Interoception. It tells you when you are hungry, thirsty, tired, or need to use the bathroom. This is an internal body sense. Being well- hydrated is a huge bonus to your health and work, listen to your Interoception senses as they will tell you what your body needs.