Does your office make the City Dump look good?

We can well understand why many lawyers don't what to go to their office in the morning. 

The typical lawyer spends more waking hours in their office than anywhere else.

So, when a lawyer's office makes the City Dump look good, it could be a "turn off" spending time in their office.

Marissa Candela, in an article appearing in ENERGY TIMES in June 2007, says "the more time you spend on the job, the more important it is to make sure your workspace is designed with your health and well-being in mind (to say nothing of your productivity and effectiveness)."  And, "...just as we take the time to enhance our home settings, we can take steps to create and appealing, healthy office environment."

She suggests...

• AROMATHERAPY MAKES SCENTS.  A whiff of a pleasant scent can do wonders.  Difference scents create different physical and psychological experiences throughout the workday.  Unless you like the smell of the City Dump, you don't want your office to smell like the City Dump.
• FENG SHUI YOUR OFFICE SPACE. Feng shui seeks to improve the human condition by arranging inhabited quarters to achieve the most harmonious flow of energy.  For example: it is best to back up furniture to walls; sit facing the entrance; store papers in files; return papers to their proper place when done; and, periodically sift through and discard unneeded items to avoid a paper pileup.
• CLEANSE YOUR OFFICE AIR.  Stagnant, recycled office air can impede productivity and instill misery, leading to lethargy, allergies, mental fog, headaches, congestion and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.  It is suggested that live plants in your office may be your most valuable ally in neutralizing these contaminants and keeping office air clean, moist and pure.
• BE ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT. Ergonomics is how humans interact with machines - - and proper ergonomics are essential to a healthy workplace. For example, take time to examine how you interact with your computer.  Is your keyboard the right height for you?  Do your palms rest comforably when you use the mouse?
• BRIGHTEN YOUR WORKDAY.  For people who spend the majority of their time indoors, balanced lighting is vital for a healthy work atmosphere.  Full-spectrum lighting is the next best thing to natural sunlight, but flourescent lighting is stil the norm in most workplaces -- where it contributes to numerous office health concerns.  Flickering from flourescent light and computer screens can trigger migraine headaches and cause eye fatigue; wherease, full-spectrum lighting is more balanced, helping to reduce eye strain and counteract drowsiness.

To these, we would also add the following:

• HAVE COMFORTABLE, ATTRACTIVE OFFICE FURNITURE.  There is nothing worst than coming into an office in the morning and sitting in an uncomfortable office chair, or a desk that looks like it was retrieved from the City Dump.
• HAVE SOME NICE BACKGROUND MUSIC.  Have a small stereo system that can play some soothing music from time to time.  When the walls of your office seem to be caving in, there is nothing better than leaning back in your (comfortable) chair and playing some soothing music for 5-10 minutes.
• PUT SOME THINGS ON YOUR OFFICE WALLS THAT GIVE YOU A "WARM FUZZY" FEELING.  Sure, you (or your firm) may want you to hang your 85 framed diplomas on the wall, but they hardly give you that nice warm feeling when you most need it.  Put a picture (or two) of your family, your favorite sport or hobby, or an outdoor scene on the wall(s) - - that puts a smile on your face when you glance that way.

Comments

[Pine Wardrobe]

Wonderful Post. Thank you for sharing your views and tips on making a perfect office suitable for work. Your hints for a perfect office are very relevant.

[Susan Medwied, Attorney at Law]

An ergonomic chair, inspirational artwork, good smelling air- all nice, but what works for me is "methodical Mondays." An avid multi-tasker, I had way too many files on my desk (especially at the beginning of the week) with the weird notion that they would somehow get more attention there than in the file cabinet or elsewhere- wrong! Now (at least on Mondays) I work on one thing at a time until it's done;- with nothing else on my desk. My fear was that "nothing would get done." I was wrong- I leave with more accomplished by the end of the day and less stress. My goal is to bump this new way of working up to two days a week.