RWL210:How to boost your mood and thrive within a Remote Work Environment

Checkout today's episode where I touch on the rapidly evolving work culture and the concept of a remote workspace. The freedom to work outside of a traditional office setting presents unique opportunities to personalize our work environment for optimum productivity and satisfaction. As we adapt to this shift, creating a space that not only meets our professional needs but also contributes to our overall well-being is essential.

The power of plants in a workspace goes beyond mere aesthetics. Research indicates that the presence of greenery can improve air quality by filtering out common pollutants, thus enhancing cognitive function and reducing stress levels. The psychological benefits of plants, backed by studies such as the one from Cardiff University School of Psychology, suggest a significant increase in work output, potentially up to 15%. Incorporating plants into a home office setup not only creates a more pleasant working environment but also has tangible effects on performance.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Alex from Remote Work Life.
I hope this finds you well,wherever you may be.
And in today's episode I'mcovering yet another quick tip,
and these quick tips havederived from my own insights of
working remotely since 2008-2009.
And also from the manyinterviews that I've done with
remote work leaders, ceos andcolleagues alike, as well as my

(00:24):
own general work experience aswell.
So today's tip is all aboutincorporating plants,
incorporating natural light andmood boosting elements into your
workspace, and this issomething I really need to work
on myself, because there'sinformation, there's research,

(00:45):
particularly where plants areconcerned, for example, of the
benefits of having plants in theoffice space.
There's even studies that go asfar to say that plants increase
productivity.
There was a study done byCardiff University School of
Psychology I think it was astudy done by Cardiff University

(01:07):
School of Psychology whichbasically said that an
inexpensive addition to anoffice can boost work output by
as much as 15%.
That's something that intriguesme, because, you know,
productivity is a bit much of awatchword, isn't it?
It's a buzzword these days,especially where remote work is
concerned.

(01:27):
Remote work is being accused ofa reduction in productivity in
many, many ways.
I don't necessarily believeeverything I read, because my
own personal productivity has,uh, has increased since I
started working on a remotebasis.
But anything, anything that canbe used to increase
productivity is welcome, andplants apparently are one of

(01:49):
those things that can do that.
So, yeah, introducing thingslike plants, plants and greenery
apparently can incorporate notjust the greenery but it can
bring nature indoors.
It can apparently as well.
Well, I'm sure, being somebodywho understands how, the biology

(02:09):
, I guess, of plants, it canimprove the levels of oxygen
that are available to you whenit comes to working from home or
working in your environment,your own sort of space, your own
remote workspace.

(02:30):
So you can imagine, obviously,when you're working from home or
in an office sort of scenario,there are pollutants like
formaldehyde, there's carbonmonoxide, there's your own sort
of carbon dioxide that you'rebreathing out.
So if you've got a plant there,that can, I guess, help to

(02:50):
reduce some of that.
But again, that's not somethingI've researched but it does
stand to reason.
But if you're just going to geta plant for the simple
aesthetics of the whole thing,then that's good enough.
I guess Another thing toconsider and I think these are
some things that, as I said toyou before, I the simple
aesthetics of the whole thing,then that's, that's good enough.
I guess another thing toconsider, and I think these are
some things that, as I said toyou before I I, when I first

(03:11):
started working on a remotebasis myself, um, for me it was
just about doing the work.
I didn't necessarily thinkabout the peripheral things and
the things that, even though maybe peripheral may have been
peripheral then to me areimportant to to actually
increase wellness, to increaseproductivity.

(03:32):
So, yeah, let's just coverthose, let's cover these four
things that um, I've um foundthat can help with, um, you know
, the mood boosting elements andimproving your workspace.
So, as I said, I just touchedon number one, which was the
plants and the greenery.
Number two is is natural light.

(03:54):
So, again, um, there's pointswhere I would just um, just put
my desk where I could, or justwork where I could, until I was
more deliberate about where Iworked.
So I would then place a desk ina situation where I could

(04:15):
benefit from natural light inthe morning and in the evening,
especially during times when thenights are longer.
Natural light is something thatI really cherish now.
So, positioning your workspacenear a window to maximise
natural light, which can improvemood and reduce eye strain, but

(04:36):
of course, you don't want toplace your chair and your desk
next to a window where you'vegot distractions, so you need to
find a balance there.
Number three is introducingmood boosting elements.
So, for example, artwork orpictures, calming colours or
personal mementos, evenphotographs, your favourite

(04:59):
photographs of family, offriends, of occasions that
you've had as well.
So that can help to boost yourmood as well, but it can also
obviously help to enhance yourworkspace.
And number four on my list iscomfortable furniture.
So this is something that I'm areally strong advocate of is

(05:22):
comfortable furniture.
Being somebody who started outworking from my kitchen table,
so I would work from my kitchentable, work from a regular
kitchen chair, wooden kitchenchair, with no cushioning, no
support, no thought of anyergonomic sort of benefits at

(05:45):
all of, I suppose, a moresophisticated chair.
I just would just sit down onmy kitchen table, on the kitchen
chair.
But there's so much to be said.
There's a lot to be said forinvesting in furniture that's
comfortable furniture that cansupport you, not to the point

(06:06):
that you feel so comfortablethat you want to sit down all
day, but furniture that is morein line with what your body
needs.
So invest in comfortablefurniture and if you canomic
furniture I know, I know,sometimes it's a bit more um, a
bit more expensive but thatinvestment, that extra money

(06:30):
that you invest in ergonomicfurniture, can support your
posture, can reduce physicalstrain, especially if you're
sitting down for periods of time, long periods of time, or
required to sit down as part ofyour work.
So yeah, by incorporating plant, natural light and mood
boosting elements into yourworkspace, remote workers, I

(06:53):
believe, can experienceincreased inspiration, improved
mood and enhanced overallwell-being.
So it's essential to treat yourremote space, your remote
situation, with the level ofintention as a traditional
office environment would be.
I mean, I think it's even moreimportant.

(07:15):
So I hope this has helped insome way.
If it has, please share withyour networks, with your
colleagues, and if you can thinkof anything else that I've
missed I'm sure there are lotsof things that I could have
added Please get in touch, letme know what you think, either
through LinkedIn you can find mydetails in the show notes or

(07:40):
leave a review below and I'llread all the reviews.
And if you feel urged to do so,please also leave a rating.
But until then or until nexttime.
I'll see you on the nextedition.