Adding small touches to your office can make a big difference in your overall happiness and productivity. By keeping yourself surrounded by things and images that inspire you, you’ll have constant mood boosters on hand that can kick you back into gear when you are headed for a slump. Creating a personalized office suite should definitely be high on your to-do list. So what can you do to bring inspiration to work?

Pick a theme

Having a color scheme or general mood for your desk or office suite will help you get started. It will also help you focus your mind, as you won’t have too many different styles battling for your attention. While the theme doesn’t have to be so strict that your coffee mug has to match, it’s nice to keep the flow of your work space within a certain style. Pick a theme that makes you want to be in your office and inspires you to get down to business.

Keep it functional

It’s hard to stay inspired when your desk is cluttered with junk. While small personal touches are great, you don’t want your desk to become overrun with stuff that doesn’t have an actual purpose. It’s much more important to keep necessary items like notepads, staplers, and pens on hand. Of course, not all functional items have to be boring. Feel free to make them over with Washi tape, which will add pops of color and make even the most mundane tools a little more fun to use. You can also swap basic pens for some more whimsical styles, find colorful paperclips, and dress up everything from binders to thumbtacks. Creative tools can lead to creative work.

Don’t forget windows and walls

When setting up your office suite, don’t focus solely on your desk. Make sure you take windows and walls into consideration as well. Whenever possible, set your desk up near a window. Not only will the natural light brighten up your space, it will also help keep you alert. Being able to soak up some rays and gaze out the window from time to time will keep you happy and feeling inspired to do your best work. If you can’t manage a window, try a daylight-simulating lamp. It may not offer a view, but the light will keep you from feeling cooped up.
As for the walls, make use of the space! Add dry-erase boards and corkboards so that you can easily switch up your decor every so often. You can also add prints of your favorite inspirational quotes so your eyes will land on some encouraging words when you’re feeling unmotivated. It also doesn’t hurt to hang some photos of your past vacations to inspire you to work towards another one!

Bring in a bit of nature

Fresh flowers do wonders for an office suite. They smell great and they are pretty to look at. Of course, they do require maintenance and can get a bit pricey if you are purchasing them every couple of days. A great alternative is a simple potted plant. There is a wide range of plants that work well indoors, even for those of you who don’t exactly have a green thumb. Jade plants are small flowering plants that require minimal watering and are also said to bring you financial success. A peace lily plant works well in low-lit offices and even helps clean and freshen up the air. Gerber Daisies are a favorite for tolorful blooms as well as their ability to filter toxins such as benzene, a substance released by some printers.

Add some artwork

What’s more inspirational than art? Try adding a few paintings, photographs, or even small sculptures to your office suite. Surrounding yourself with art that you love and appreciate is sure to motivate you to do your best work.
What sort of inspirational touches will you be adding to your office suite?