How To Make Your Office Space More Productive

We spend a significantly less amount of time being productive than the majority of us believe.

Between water cooler conversations and email notifications, ‘the average employee is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes per day’, highlighting how small this window of productivity actually is.

A productive workspace is somewhere you can work with limited distractions, and should also be somewhere you can easily tap into your creative energy with ease.

So, how do you make your office space more productive?

There are numerous ways to make your office space more productive. These include:

1. Keeping your office space tidy 
2. Mixing things up with a coworking space
3. Making time for breaks
4. Keeping frequently used items in reach
5. Adding greenery where possible

1. Keeping Your Office Space Tidy

The first tip for making your office space more productive is to keep it tidy.

When you’re busy with work, it can be easy to let papers, stationery, and more items clutter your desk space.

Research carried out by Princeton University has suggested that human ‘brains respond to order, and an untidy desk can lead to a loss of focus’, emphasising the importance of keeping your office space tidy.

At the end of every day, make sure you do a pick-up of anything that is cluttering your desk so you can walk into a clean and tidy office space the following day.

After all, a tidy workspace can set you up to have a more tidy mind, allowing you to focus on what’s important. 

Between water cooler conversations and email notifications, ‘the average employee is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes per day’.

2. Mixing Things Up With A Coworking Space

Whether you work at home or are used to working on the go, why not mix things up with a coworking space?

Coworking spaces have boomed in popularity in recent times, offering a sense of flexibility to hybrid workers and digital nomads alike. 

The benefits of coworking are vast, from endless networking opportunities to being around creative and driven individuals, and research has shown that coworking increases productivity and output by 46%.

We at Tramshed Tech have multiple coworking spaces and offer coworking memberships across our sites in South Wales.

Recently, Tramshed Tech has transformed Newport’s historic ‘Information Station’ located alongside Newport train station into the city's new tech hub, the Innovation Station.

The Innovation Station boasts everything you’d possibly need from a coworking space, from meeting rooms to an on-site coffee shop.

We also have an introductory offer. Use code 'INNOVATION50' to get 50% off coworking and meeting rooms between Friday 27th October and Friday 10th November 2023.

If you’re interested in joining the Innovation Station or are interested in any other of our coworking spaces, get in touch with a member of our team or book a space online today. 

3. Making Time For Breaks

It sounds simple, but making time for breaks it’s crucial for increasing productivity in your office space. 

While it might make more sense to you to power through, failure to take necessary breaks can actually result in you being less productive when you’re trying to work.

Additionally, this will begin to impact your focus and performance, and will inevitably lead to you making avoidable mistakes as a result. 

Regardless of the deadlines you have, be sure to take breaks and make breaks and time away from your desk a priority for a more productive and positive work environment. 

Failure to take necessary breaks can actually result in you being less productive.

4. Keeping Frequently Used Items In Reach

A tip to make your office space more productive is to keep frequently used items within reach.

No one can maintain focus and attention if they’re consistently having to break their workflow.

Failing to organise your office space so that everything you require frequently is conveniently accessible either inside your desk or nearby is setting yourself up for distraction. 

From electric notepads to staplers to your laptop charger, keeping frequently used items in reach will minimise the number of times you need to break focus to find something. 

5. Adding Greenery Where Possible

If you’re in the position to, adding greenery where possible can help you to be more productive in your office space.

This is supported by the first-ever study uncovering that ‘plants in the office could increase productivity by 15%’.

Aside from looking aesthetic, adding plants to your office space also improves air quality as well as workplace satisfaction, bringing a new lease of life to the space.

Bearing these benefits in mind, a variety of plants are a great addition to any office space.

The first-ever study on the topic uncovered that ‘plants in the office could increase productivity by 15%’.

So, there you have it. Hopefully this article has shown you how to make your office space more productive. For more articles on productivity, such as 'Does Flexible Working Help Productivity?', check out our tech startup blog.

We are Tramshed Tech: a startup ecosystem home to 50+ companies ranging from pre-revenue start-ups to scaling businesses with 600+ registered members from the digital, creative and tech communities. We’re currently based in Grangetown, Cardiff Central & Newport, as well as Barry and Swansea. 

If you’re interested in joining us at any of our locations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Written by Jemima Thomas for Tramshed Tech.