Declutter Your Workspace and Thrive!

Does your office have a pack rat?  The desk that is always cluttered with piles of paperwork strewn about, never able to find what they are looking for? Tackle the mess with these helpful tips to help declutter and clean up your workspace to get back on track:

 

The Worksurface

With work stations often shrinking in today’s office, if we clutter it up with papers and personal items, we lose this valuable real estate.  Take time to work through the stacks of paperwork and organize them into the following categories:

1. Keep — Keep important documents, current projects, and similar items by organizing them into well labeled folders.
2. Trash/Recycle — Recycle old projects and drafts that have been digitized and throw out any old documents that you’ve already looked at. A good rule of thumb: if you haven’t read the articles within the week, recycle or donate them!
3. Shred — We all work with documents that need to be kept confidential. When you are done with them, make sure they end up in the proper shred pile and are discarded properly.
4. Belongs Elsewhere — If something is out of place, return it to its home. Regardless, they don’t belong on your desktop cluttering your work area.

Drawers and Storage

Once you have your work surface organized and decluttered, it’s time to move onto your drawers and smaller office supplies.  Handy tip: if it is smaller than a breadbox, it belongs in a drawer or storage cubby.

 

My desk has a single mug filled with pens, highlighters, and sticky notes.  For a personal touch, I switch out the mug based on the seasons to dress up my desk.  Regularly test your pens and throw away any that are drying up.  Plus, let’s face it, we all have our favorite pen and tend to grab it over and over anyway.  To keep your small supplies handy, use drawer organizer.

 

Personal Items

What about personal items?  We spend a great deal of our day at our desks, so it’s nice to have a few items around to remind us why we’re there. To avoid distraction, try to keep personal items to 3 or less.  Whether that is a small plant, a fun calendar featuring your beloved pet, or a framed photo of the grandkids, keep the items small and swap them out every few weeks to freshen things up.

 

Keep your desk free of bulky items like jackets, purses, and blankets.  Store those in a drawer or overhead to keep your area decluttered.  Don’t forget your work tote/laptop bag—take 10 minutes to clean it out once a week!

 

Putting It Together

A clean desk communicates professionalism; clutter can project a poor work ethic.  Here are a handful of other useful tips to get back on track in the workplace:

• Don’t forget your computer desktop! Schedule set times to check email and answer pending inquiries. Remove temporary files, discard drafts, create folders, and spend time to get organized to make a more productive work day.
• Good lighting is critical—preferably natural lighting. If not, a good task light such as our HLED1 improves mood and causes less stress on eyes.
• Don’t use worksurfaces for storage—use drawers, shelves, and paper management products

• If you find you need more space, enlarge your work station or make creative use of storage options such as the cubes/shelves like HON’s storage cube HLSL1212 available in a variety of fun colors.
• Don’t forget to schedule a time to sanitize and disinfect your work area. Make it a priority to wipe everything down once every other week.
• Make it a habit to tidy up and clean off your desk area during the last 5 minutes of your day. This allows you to have a fresh start with a clean work area every morning.
• If you’re stuck on an item, ask yourself what purpose it serves, how often you use it, and why you’re keeping it!

 

A well-organized, declutter work space provides better focus, improved productivity, less distraction, and peace of mind. We are all leading busy work days but following these tips will help keep your work day on track and live a less cluttered life!

Written by Jen Krambeck

7 Ways to Spice Up Your Space

Despite the groundhog’s (seemingly false) claims of an early spring, we’re buried under an increasing amount of snow and ice here in the Midwest. Reminiscent of the forlorn offices of yesteryear, the grey and white canvas leaves us wanting more!

Bypass the winter blues (and greys) with these seven tips to spice up your workspace!

1. Add Color to The Cube – It’s no secret that color can do amazing things to breathe life into your workspace. Adding a new Colorwav lumbar to your Solve chair in Bullseye red or Krypton green can break up the monotony of a dull or colorless space.

2. Let in The Light! – Pull down those dreary drapes and let in the natural light! Brightening your workspace not only allows for a little extra Vitamin D, but it also provides measurable health benefits. Try your hand at an open office with loads of natural light!

3. Splash Some Paint – White walls are boring walls. Adding an accent wall can infuse some fun into an ordinary space. Whether you choose a bold color, wallpaper, or even a texture like woodgrain, they make a statement and spice up the conventional workspace.

4. Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize – Don’t let bland be the standard. With Colorwav now available on Voi Cubes and paper management, you can banish the boring. Accessorize your workstation with your favorite color!

5. Give Greenery a Go – While you may be unable to escape into the wilds of the Amazon, you can always bring greenery to you. Studies have shown that adding indoor plants can have numerous benefits including increased productivity, stress reduction, and improved health. Who wouldn’t want that?

6. Picture This – Stuck staring at walls you can’t paint? Wall decals and framed prints can break up the monotonous white or add some backing to your brand. Try adding some historical photos of your company’s roots or breakthrough ad campaigns!

7. Let Them Lounge – Collaboration and comfortable seating? Yes please. Common areas are in high demand and are gaining popularity. Lounge spaces built with comfortable seating like Flock create a space that’s anything but bland.

Don’t let the winter blues keep you down – spice up your work space! Add your own tips for a colorful and vibrant office below!

5 Ways to Reinvent Yourself in 2019

January: a time for the post-holiday blues, scraping icy windshields, and of course, New Years’ resolutions. Resolutions aren’t your thing? As an alternative to the singularly focused resolution, let’s try an overhaul in 2019! Here’s five areas where you can revitalize and remake yourself this year:

 

Minding Your Mindset

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” This well-known quote by Charles R. Swindoll illustrates that your mindset can change how you view the world. While there’s plenty of negativity out there, one thing that’s solely dependent on you is your attitude. Half full or half empty? Take a different approach in 2019 if you’re envisioning just how empty that cup is!

 

Learn Something New

Expanding your horizons, while cliché, is an excellent notion. Learn about recent furniture trends or read a new book about leadership. Or, if you only have ten minutes a day, let your curiosity find a worthy Ted Talk about business.

Don’t Settle for Second Best

Still sore from losing out on a big account in 2018? Take that passion and plow forward into uncharted territory. Go after your next big sale with an appetite to win. If you’re a naturally competitive person, try to take things up a notch from 2018 or try out some of the new skills or ideas you came across while learning something new!

 

Failing Forward

Fortunately, failure isn’t fatal. And while failure does occasionally sting, it’s also a recipe for innovation. Without an obligatory red mark on a report, we’d never learn to improve. When these ‘failures’ do happen, step back and say why? You might just find that the freedom to fail liberates you to do your best work.

 

Be Well While You Work

Yes, even we’ve been bitten by the inevitable wellness resolution. Why? Even if we only spend eight hours a day at the office, that’s half of our awake time on any given day. Invest in yourself and try a few healthy habits while you’re working. Check out our blog post, 15 Tips to Find Your Fitness at the Office from last year!

 

Bursting at the seams to try these out? Strive to be a better version of yourself this year. Give it a go and let us know!

3 Tips for Staying Ahead of the Holidays

As the holidays approach and we welcome a time of celebration, ensure that everything is covered prior to closing time. To do this, plan ahead so that you don’t fall behind in the interim. Check out our three tips below on how to get ahead of that work:

 

Tip 1: Create a To Do List

Make a list of work that could be completed before you leave the office. Once the list is written, go back over it and prioritize things that must be done before the break. The more you accomplish before break, the better position you return to. Not only is this beneficial for customers, but co-workers who count on you in everyday tasks will appreciate your preparedness!

Tip 2: Reach Out!

Prior to closing for the holidays, reaching out to customers and coworkers can open the door for any last-minute assistance they may need. Additionally, letting customers know when you will be out of the office and when you’ll return is helpful in determining important deadlines or if work needs to be covered.

 

Tip 3: Enjoy the Holidays

Getting ahead and leaving yourself in a good place before you leave allows for a less stressful return. Though there may be tasks that need completed once you return, clear expectations and priorities can aid in some transition back to work.

 

As we near the holidays, zone in and accomplish what you need so that you can enjoy the festivities. Make a list, check it twice, and get ahead. What are you some of your tips for staying ahead of the holidays?

 

Written by Stephanie Roan

5 Tips to Tackle Your Internship!

Starting an internship can be exciting, but a little nerve racking. You’re not the only one who was once in this place; I’ve recently completed my Internship with the HON Company. By following these five tips, you’ll be able to find success in your internship and will advance above and beyond everyone’s expectations.

Ask Questions

By asking questions and wanting to learn more, you’ll be able to gain more insight. Learn more about the company that you are working for and know more about the work that you’re tasked with. Asking questions is never a bad thing, in fact, it’s the opposite. Asking questions lets people know that you’re interested and engaged in the information and you want to understand it better.

Express Your Interests

If you enjoy a certain type of work or have an interest in a specific field or industry, speak up! Learning and gaining experience in different fields that you’re interested in is only going to make you a well-rounded individual with a variety of different skills and knowledge. Speaking up to express your interests will only broaden your horizons. Your manager will be appreciative that you have those interests and, many times, would like to explore them to gain new insights.

Be Personable

This is an extremely important tip to become successful in your internship. When starting your new internship at a company, you may occasionally feel overwhelmed. Interns can sometimes be the only new ones in the office. Often, that can mean mixed emotions. By being personable and wanting to get to know your manager and the people you work with, you’ll be able to build those relationships and learn more about your coworkers on a personal level. After those connections are made, conversations will flow more smoothly and you’ll feel more comfortable in the office.

Manage Your Time

Learning how to manage your time is essential to being successful in any field. If you are able to take on a variety of different projects, attend meetings, and manage a work-life balance, you have it figured out. Don’t be afraid to voice if you feel overwhelmed in projects, or feel that you will not be able to accomplish them all properly due to limited time. Being able to effectively communicate your needs will earn you respect from your superiors.

Ask for Resume Help

As your time at your internship comes to an end, make sure to update your resume. This means taking the time to list your current position and writing a quality, accurate description of your role. Many interns may mistake their projects as tedious, busy work, and not know exactly what to write as their description. In sitting down with your manager, you can create a strong overview of your role by gaining knowledge of the bigger picture. Enhance your resume by understanding how your projects throughout the summer benefitted the company.

By taking these 5 tips into consideration, you’ll be able to succeed in your internship and grow professionally. Tell us your tips below!

 

Written by Brenna Johnson, HON Intern

Three Ways to Add Color to your Workspace

Have you ever thought about ways to spruce up your work space? We often find ourselves to be in a dark, bland space, with little to no excitement. By adding some color to your workstation and your office’s common areas, you can brighten up your day in a few easy ways! Here are some ways to add color to your office:

 

Greenery

Creating green space in your personal workspace can result in a happier, healthier, and more productive workday. According to studies, being surrounded by greenery can create a shift in the way you think, resulting in increased productivity and creativity. Not only do plants give you a sense of being out in nature, but the color itself is known for reinforcing a relaxed state of mind.

ColorWav

Not into decorating your personal workspace? Adding color to your workstation can be fun and easy with the latest expansion to the Solve collection. With thousands of options for fabric, three different frames, mesh and ReActiv backs, and seven different colors of lumbar, outfit your chair as a reflection of your personal style. The Solve chair makes it easy to add a pop of color to your office.

Common Areas

Looking to liven up the common area ambiance? Retreat and relax in common areas that are outfitted with splashes of color. Flock, a collaborative seating solution, is a great way to add color with the hundreds of fabric options offered. Between ottomans, lounge chairs, and wedge chairs, you can mix and match to fulfill the unique style and needs of your organization.

No matter where you are in the office, there’s always a way to add color to brighten up the day! Whether it be in your personal workspace or common areas around the building, HON products that can easily revamp your workspace. How will you add color to your work area?

Written by Michelle Mathis, HON Intern

15 Tips to Find Your Fitness at the Office

Do you struggle to find the time to work out in the midst of your busy life? You’re not alone. Many Americans cite the lack of time as the top reason for not hitting the gym. If your spare time doesn’t grow on trees, or you’d just like to up your workout game, check out these 15 tips for finding your fitness at work!

Take a Hike. In other words, get up and move! Every hour or so, get up and take a brisk walk around the office. It’ll add up!

Hold a Standing Meeting – Literally. Just because you’re meeting doesn’t mean you have to be sitting. Schedule it at a standing table or desk!

Do Mini Exercises at Your Desk! Hold your feet just off the ground for sixty seconds or alternative holding your legs parallel to the floor. Trust me, it’s a workout!

Take the Stairs. Don’t take the elevator if you can help it. Climbing a flight of stairs is nearly equivalent to running!

Turn Off Your IM. Need to message a co-worker? Jog over to their desk instead of taking the technological easy route.

Take Advantage of your Lunch Hour. Join a local gym, or walk down by the river when you have a block of open time.

Snack Smart. Don’t load up on caffeine and sweets if you want to shed some extra pounds. Any variety of healthy snacks can help you take the edge of your hunger.

Stretch It Out. Nothing feels better than a couple of stretches to mix up your morning. It gets the oxygen flowing and gives your brain a break.

Walk, Run, or Bike to Work! If you’re close enough (and rain clouds aren’t on the horizon), take the opportunity to ditch the car!

Exercise at Your Standing Desk. Standing desks are a great start to finding your fitness. Want to up the ante? Try throwing in some calf raises and one-legged squats throughout the day.

Maintain Good Posture. Don’t slouch. Good posture has innumerable health benefits, including a straighter spine.

Schedule Out of the Way Conference Rooms. Up the stairs, around the corner, and down the hall? Yes, please! It’s a great excuse to get in your steps and get away from your desk.

Park in the Next Zip Code. Walking a few blocks to the office is a great way to start your day and arrange your priorities, or clear your head and stretch your legs after a long day!

Walk While You Talk. Conference calls scheduled all day long? Take a walk during those calls to get in your steps and energize your mind.

Change your Space. Don’t be contained to your desk – go seek out your collaborative spaces and common areas. Mix it up!

What are some of the ways you find to add fitness into your work day? Add your tips below!