Staying consistently productive is imperative when you’re working from home. Whether you are a permanent at-home-worker or you’re at home for the pandemic. We all know, though, that with all the distractions—whether it be kids, pets or the tax preparation documents piling up on your desk, keeping your mind focused can be tough.

How would you feel if you could optimize your home office space to keep stress levels low, foster productivity, and help you stay hyper-focused? Thanks to science, you can! We did the research so that you don’t have to and found 11 different ways you can update your office environment to ensure maximum productivity.

For instance, buying rounded furniture can help increase positive emotions–did you know that? When your mind is calm, you are naturally more productive. Double the benefits!

Another great tip? Choose slightly-blue tinted lighting to help support alertness and keep your mind sharp all day. Just go to the store and buy those light bulbs labeled as “daylight blue” on the box. Then, head home and screw a couple of those babies into your office lamps.

And aesthetics and lighting aren’t the only ways to boost your productivity, you can also use scents. Just go buy a beautiful diffuser and use scents like cinnamon, pine, or citrus. They help boost focus, improve alertness, and lower stress.

Don’t forget the physical element! Picking an ergonomic chair for your office can help you stay healthy. Studies show that participants who used ergonomic chairs (and performed neck exercises) saw less sickness presenteeism and health-related productivity loss among a general population of office workers. 

You can also fill your space with plants to improve concentration, turn on some tunes to increase the quality of work and so much more. Changing the space around you can not only increase your productivity but also create a stunning space you can show off to friends and clients.

Home office decor hacks

To further explore all the ways you can use decor to your advantage, view the visual below. With the addition of each of these into your space over time, you may just end up with a home office you won’t want to leave. 

This infographic was created by homecity.com.