If you are like most people, you struggle to be productive 100% of the time and you have ups and downs. While some people are night owls, preferring to work in the middle of the night, a far larger amount excel in the mornings, just after they have woken up, when their brains are fresh from sleep.
The trick is organising your house to help your brain and mood level rise. But there are some basic things that your brain needs in the morning to get going: sunlight, food and interaction with the world. We at homify have come up with a list of ways – centred on uplifting the brain and your mood – to design your house around these essentials, in order to help you have more productive mornings.
Our brains thrive on light. Sunlight enhances our moods, provides us with much-needed Vitamin D, relieves stress and actually makes us sleep better by regulating our internal sleep clock--and sleep is the most important factor for a productive brain and thus, productive mornings.
If your bed is far away from natural sunlight now, far from a window, move it into a space that gets plenty of sunlight in the morning. You can always install some dark, sun-blocking curtains for those mornings you know you’ll want to sleep in.
For folks who live with other people, you should design a home that encourages interactions between people living there in the mornings. Even when you think you do not feel like being sociable first thing in the morning, having a chat is actually a really great way to turn your brain on and get it doing flips.
Homes that let us to isolate ourselves too much have adverse effects on our productivity and happiness because our brains get switched on by social interactions—especially in the morning. If you live alone, we recommend putting a little radio in your office or kitchen and spend some time absorbing the world before you begin, while you enjoy your morning tea.
Food. Our moods and brains are affected greatly by the food we eat – especially in the morning. Design tip for this: get a desk that is big enough to also be an eating and drinking space, so that when you are ready to begin your work in the morning, you always have snacks handy to keep your motor running.
We recommend snacks on the lighter side, so as to not weigh yourself down. For folks who struggle to eat in the mornings, a nice smoothie or healthy milkshake is a great option.
Again we turn on the principle of natural light, which means organise your workspace so that you are sure to absorb enough of it.
An office that gets sunlight is sure to be more helpful in getting you to feel inspired and an office with sunlight and a view on the outside world fulfills a double function of connecting you with light as well as the world – a double whammy for a cheery, productive brain.
Aside from natural sunlight, also be sure your workspace has plenty of lighting generally, meaning lamps, ceiling lighting or whatever – as long as its bright.
When you enter your office to work, open the window and turn on some lights for a cheerier, more motivating atmosphere.
We have all lived in spaces where we hate the decor design, and instead of lifting our moods – key for productivity – it lags us, brings us down. So the last tip is simply said but more difficult to realise: make the design of your home and workspace generally line up with your tastes, because if the style of your home is in sync with you, then you are just much more likely to feel great every morning waking up in it.
In conclusion, just remember: light, interaction, food and sleep, and you won't go far from your productive goals indeed! For more design tips, we recommend this great article about how to decorate your home with books!