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In this blog post, I want to introduce you to ‘deskteriors’, the art of creating joyful work spaces. While I’ve always been into decorating my desk, the concept of deskteriors has recently become all the rage in places like South Korea. Social media is flooded with images of people’s decorated desks aimed at making their working day more fun and enjoyable. In South Korea, you’ll find office desks and cubicles bursting with brightly coloured action figures, stuffed toys, stickers, posters and stationery.
Years ago, I worked for a large employment and training company and was lucky enough to have my own office. My office walls were filled with holiday photos and postcards, travel memorabilia, positivity quotes, plants, a tiki statue, and even a zen sand garden which I loved to rake when work got too hectic.
It is possible I might have taken things a little too far, (especially after a trip to Hawaii when my office took on an Aloha theme complete with lava rocks, flower leis and a frangipani scented vaporiser), but I really loved my little office! It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling when I arrived at work each day, surrounded by my many, meaningful treasures.
It’s not always possible to indulge to the extent the South Koreans do but most of us are able to introduce personal items that make us feel good in our work space. What can you introduce to bring a little daily joy to your work space?
Music/Sound – If you are able to play music this can set a mood for your work day. If you find music distracting, you might prefer to hear sounds of nature such as a rainforest or ocean sounds for example.
Plants – Not only do plants make us feel great just by looking at them, scientists have proven how powerful certain species are at filtering the air we breathe, removing toxins and boosting oxygen levels. Plants have also been found to reduce stress, anxiety and depression as well as boosting worker productivity.
Motivational quotes – Motivational quotes can take the form of computer screensavers, posters or calendars and diaries. You’ll find many good ones here.
Personal items – Photos of loved ones can be placed discreetly in your work space where you can be reminded of what’s important to you. Likewise, gifts you might have received from family might take pride of place on your desk.
Meditative aids – From miniature zen sand gardens you can rake, to vaporisers that expel natural essential oils into the air, there are all sorts of products on the market that can help you create a place of calm and peace. You don’t want to be too relaxed though to point your productivity drops – consider using uplifting essential oils like citrus, ginger and spearmint
Colour – Office spaces can often be grey and drab so consider bringing in splashes of colour to stimulate you visually. Bright blues, greens and yellows are uplifting and can help boost your mood and productivity. Colour psychology has shown that while some personality types respond to different colours, certain colours universally affect human behaviour. Colourful stationery, chairs, cushions, art, folders etc can all be used to introduce colour into your work space.
These are just some of the ways you can spice up your work space. If you’ve got ideas you’d be happy to share please comment below. I’d love to hear them!