Of the many resolutions that have come my way in the early days of 2017, one thing is obvious. Change. You can almost say that the common denominator is change. The lady down the street wants to change the way she styles her hair and learn to cook so she can be more appealing to a certain man and possible be married this year. The CEO up in his penthouse wants to restructure a bit to accommodate his growing vision while weeding out staff who are not keying into the corporate goal.
Change somehow is the ribbon that ties it all, coloured by an innate desire to see better results when 2017 rolls out. After all, it is said that insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. So change indeed, is a good lead to sanity.
In the bid to feel better in your work-space which in turn will subliminally affect your output, it may just be necessary to remodel your work space. This doesn't apply to every work-space but if you've experienced any of these points below in the past year, then that change may just be knocking on your door.
1.Lack of creativity and inspiration- There's a surge of creativity that comes with coming into a work-space that aesthetically appeals to the eye. It calms your inner being and gives you a relaxing room to achieve more. If you have too many files scattered all over the place, you'll most likely be as clogged up mentally as you are physically. A work-space remodel is very much needed.
2.No team communication- Did you notice in the past year that it was difficult for your team members to communicate efficiently while in the office? Were they excited to leave and dull most of the time they were in the office? Did you notice a certain monotonous way to working and a creative void that you couldn't really explain? Maybe a remodel could bring back the spark.
3.No brand alignment- Your work-space should ideally be an extension of what your brand identity is. It's possible that down the line, after 5 years of catering to customers, your work-space gradually lost the connection to your brand image. Now is as good a time as any to get it back. It will inspire your clients/customers to walk in gleefully when a meeting is fixed. It will inspire you to keep your goals connected to the world around you.
How then can you remodel without creating a dent in your wallet this time of the year?
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1.Clean where you can- This should arguably be the first step to remodeling your work-space. Cleaning gives a fresh disposition to a work-space especially when it's intense cleaning. Throwing out the trash, dusting out shelves, changing the blinds and scrubbing out carpet stains will most definitely effect a new positive reception of your work-space.
2.Sell what you can- This could be a subtle way to raise operational revenue in your business. Look through your work-space and take stock of the things you genuinely don't need. Someone in the next building may just appreciate that extra projector screen that's lying fallow. Sell off the things you don't need and create more clean space for yourself.
3.Use what you have- Just before you spend thousands of dollars buying new stuff to birth the mental picture you have, take a good look at your building/work-space and see what you can use to achieve that. Take away hanging ceilings if you must, get a circular saw and divide an otherwise huge desk in two, to accommodate more staff and engender bonding and team communication. Look within and see what you can make off the things you have.
4.Equip your work-space- It's always best to draft out a work sheet that'll highlight all the changes you desire to make, as well as the cost implications. In the same line, outline the equipment you and your staff will need to function optimally and get them strategically placed in your work-space. Barter or buy second hand if you must to cut cost but by all means, equip your work-space this 2017.
5.Creatively decorate- This will highly depend on the kind of business you run. However, a little decor never did any harm. Simplicity is king so get some simple art work, or designs that speak your brand message and infuse them into your work-space. It'll go a mile in creating that inspiring work-space for yourself and your staff.
Change doesn't have to be bad if we embrace it with the right side and make the best off it. Make the necessary changes in your work-space to improve your work output this year.