10 Ways to Update Your Workspace to Enhance Your Energy

If you’re concentrating on improving your health and wellbeing in 2024, you’ve likely begun to realize just how much your health and wellbeing are intertwined with your energy levels. A dip in energy often signals underlying issues related to health habits, such as an unbalanced diet, inconsistent sleep patterns, insufficient hydration, or a lack of physical activity.

Yet, there’s a critical factor that might be slipping under your radar: your surroundings. The quality of your environment plays a pivotal role in shaping your overall health and energy levels. This is the case even for high performers who may excel at living a healthy lifestyle in other ways.

Consider implementing these ten straightforward adjustments to your workspace to help you revitalize your energy at work, improve job performance, and enhance productivity.

1. Declutter

It’s amazing how much a little clutter can distract you and negatively impact your flow and focus. According to Arootah Life Coach Debbie Chueh, “Decluttering your desk is the prelude to mastery. Remove the excess pens, paper and wires. Watch as concentration sharpens, fueling productivity and energy like a focused beam of light.”

2. Focus on Lighting and Scents

Have you observed that prolonged exposure to certain types of lighting can leave you feeling lethargic or somewhat disconnected?

For an energy boost, natural light reigns supreme. If your workspace is blessed with a window, let the sunshine in by drawing back the blinds or curtains and bask in the sunlight as you tackle your tasks. In the absence of natural light, choose full-spectrum incandescent bulbs, which are preferable to fluorescent or dim yellow lights.

Additionally, invigorate your workspace with energizing fragrances. A dash of peppermint, lemon, or cinnamon essential oil in a diffuser can transform the atmosphere with a refreshing scent that stimulates the senses.

3. Add Oxygen-boosting Plants

Plants can make any workspace feel more productive, but certain plants are better than others for boosting oxygen, making you feel more energized and livelier. Snake plants and aloe vera are both effective energy-boosting options and are relatively easy to care for.

4. Decorate with Energizing Colors

The mere sight of specific colors can elicit varied responses in the brain. Certain hues can calm you, others may provoke irritation, while some can invigorate your energy. Blue, for instance, is an excellent choice to foster productivity.

If you’re working from a home office, it might be time to wield a paintbrush. For those in a traditional office setting, consider refreshing your space with some changeable decorative elements.

5. Optimize Air Quality

Fresh air is essential to high energy levels. Consider investing in an air purifier if your workspace doesn’t naturally come with enough ventilation. You can even purchase a desk air purifier to save space.

6. Keep a Water Pitcher Handy

Even mild dehydration can have a profound effect on your energy levels, with minimal fluid loss leading to noticeable consequences. Studies indicate that a mere 1.5% drop in your body’s usual water content can result in feelings of tiredness, challenges with focus, and the impression that tasks are more arduous than they truly are.

However, keeping a pitcher of water within arm’s reach in your workspace eliminates any reason for not staying well-hydrated all day. For added zest and detoxification benefits, consider infusing your water with lemon.

7. Replace Your Coffee with Matcha

One thing you’ll find on most workers’ desks every morning? A cup of coffee. But have you considered swapping your daily java for a healthier alternative?

Matcha, a finely ground green tea, is rich in L-theanine. This amino acid provides a gradual release of energy, offering sustained vitality rather than the rapid surge and subsequent slump often associated with coffee consumption. Beyond energy, matcha is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals absent in coffee. Plus, the L-theanine in matcha doesn’t have the addictive qualities that caffeine does.

8. Keep a Vision Board of Your Goals in View

Sometimes, you need that burst of energy from seeing your goals before you. A vision board can represent what you can gain from achieving your goals and aspirations and motivate you to act when you’re feeling discouraged.

9. Keep Superfood Snacks on Hand

The right foods will efficiently fuel your day. Keep snacks on hand to enjoy throughout the workday with little effort. Many require no meal prep or cooking. For example, blueberries can boost brain power, and goji berries may increase energy. Look for superfoods worth the hype and make a point to incorporate them into your diet.

10. Track Your Energizing Habits

If you notice that some of your habits boost your energy levels while others deplete them, it’s time to monitor them with the Arootah Habit Coach app. This tool will help you stay focused on cultivating beneficial habits for your daily regimen and assist in eradicating those that fail to meet your needs.

The Bottom Line

With just a few changes to your workspace, you can see impressive improvements in your energy levels. For more insights into improving your health and energy levels at work, sign up for our Energy Principles Workshop on March 14 at 6:00 PM EST.