If your office seems like it is too small to be able to add your own personal touches, think again. If you create an office that is inviting to be in, it will actually feel larger and more comfortable. Depending on your office environment and policies you can decide how much personality to put into your office. Use these helpful tips to make your small space personal to you.

• Decorate with pieces from home: The easiest and simplest way personalize your space is to bring items from home that will make you feel great! Family and friend framed photographs, your kid’s artwork from school, or a digital picture frame are a way to start. When you’re at home, look around to see what items would make your office feel more inviting. Simple items like a special chair cushion, a decorative lamp, or your favorite sports memorabilia will create the perfect office area.
• Make utilitarian items colorful: There is a trend in office culture to have colorful and personalized office supplies, trash cans, and organization tools. Consider using these to take your small office environment from boring to engaging. If you have cubicle walls, consider pinning colorful fabric or craft paper to have an interesting backdrop behind pictures, bulletins and memos.
• Get organized: Believe it or not, an organized office can have your own personal flair that makes your office feel better, and in turns makes you more productive. Define an organization system that works best for your small space. Try to maximize vertical storage with vertical filing cabinets. Cabinets can be colorful and modern, or utilize the company colors to take full advantage of ‘personalized décor’ in your office.
• Personalized lighting: The fluorescent office light that may hang above your head isn’t very personal, and it’s just for an ambient light source. Add funky table lamps, wall light sconces, and cool lava lamps to bring whimsy to your desk and serve as task lighting. Surf the web for office lighting inspiration; you would be surprised at all the choices that are awaiting your small office space. Did you know your office space will feel larger if it has more light?

Personalize your small office and create a space that you enjoy coming to everyday. With these simple tips you can bring pieces of home, comfort, and light into your office and improve how you work in your office.  If you want to boost your spirits instantly in your small office, bring in a green plant or flowers – instant personalization!

If you are still trying to fit all the contents of your office into one file cabinet, you may need creative ideas to store your office life. An office is one of the most challenging areas to store items you use every day, and items you only use periodically. In order for your office to look professional but not over cluttered, you need creative storage solutions. Here are 10 ways to get your desk back again!

1.) Use small decorative containers: For paper clips, tacks, and rubber bands, use small decorative containers to keep small items in their place. Pick a coordinating color scheme for your desk or use the company colors to make your desk look organized and festive.

2.) Clear mason jars make great display: Use jars in varying sizes to hold snacks on your desk or inside a lower cabinet. Glass or plastic jars with closable lids will keep nuts and other snacks at arms reach and sealed tight.

3.) Vertical storage: Use paper or stationery organizers at your desk, bookshelves on the floor, and in/out boxes that hang from your cubicle/permanent wall. Vertical storage will help free up your desk space for important day to day papers and reports.

4.) Use dry erase boards: For keeping track of day to day schedules and coordinating meetings at a moment’s notice, dry erase boards will keep your monitor free of sticky notes. If you still prefer the desk paper calendar, block of a dry erase board in blocks for a greener approach to a calendar.

5.) Organize drawer clutter: Use rectangular drawer organizers intended for silverware in your desk drawer. They are sold in multiple sizes and colors and can be used for pencils and pens to glue sticks and scissors.

6.) Hidden storage: If you have a desk that backs up against a wall, consider using low stacking storage boxes or bins to store office supplies, binders, and items that aren’t needed on a day to day basis. Use vertical storage from the floor to the underside of the desk, against the wall, but not hindering with open space for your legs.

7.) Publications storage: Use coordinating colored magazine storage to organize the piles of print publications at your desk. Storage also comes with labels to organize subscriptions and find at a glance.

8.) Coordinate recycle bins: For the office space that is going green, decorate small cardboard boxes with subtle colored wrapping paper to separate your color and white paper in your office. Recycle storage bins don’t have to be unattractive!

9.) Hooks: For hanging work and conference badges use hooks on the wall to keep them organized and easily accessible.

10.) Planning board: Use a pinup or bulletin board to assemble loose ideas and swatches for client projects and assignments. These work great for professionals that have many samples, i.e. interior designers, journalists, etc…  This will organize your thoughts and double as a presentation area for clients.

Your office supplies can be cleverly organized with the help of these 10 storage tips. Be creative and think outside the box.  Also use household items that can double as storage at work. You will be surprised what multifunctional items you will find.

Eating healthy throughout the work day can be a challenge. Between meetings, phone calls and deadlines, eating tends to be the least thought about part of your busy day. There are ways to eat healthier and start a more active lifestyle at work. If you could save money, get exercise, and eat healthier wouldn’t you love to learn how? Here are 8 tips for adopting a healthier lifestyle at the office.

1.) Pack snacks/lunch every day: To avoid overeating and trips to the break room vending machine, pack snacks that are healthy like vegetables, nuts, and low calorie foods.  When you’re distracted with work assignments it is easy to snack and eat. If you pack snacks and your lunch daily you will snack on healthy food instead of the alternative.

2.) Get up from your desk regularly: Taking breaks from your work on a regular basis is good for your mind to recharge and great for your body. Take a walk outside to get fresh air if possible and open a window to let stale air out of your office. For some, getting up gives a chance to stay creative throughout the day and not let your mind get stagnant.

3.) Drink more water: Water can act as a hunger suppressor as well as keep you hydrated. Water can also act as an excuse to have to periodically get up throughout the day and head for the bathroom!  Try and drink at least eight, twelve ounce glasses of water a day. You’ll be surprised how you will eat less throughout your work day.

4.) Schedule exercise on your lunch hour: If you have a job that you can take off at lunch time, consider using this time to go to the gym, or walk to a close destination. If you can’t use your lunch time, bring your gym bag in the car and head to the gym before or after work.

5.) Don’t skip breakfast: You’ve heard it before; breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  When you skip breakfast it takes longer for your mind and body to be productive at work. Eating breakfast will start your metabolism sooner in your day, and help you be wide awake when the work comes.

6.) Avoid eating at your desk: Try and eat in a break room, outdoor area, or location away from your desk. Eating at your desk can lead to food borne illnesses due to lack of cleaning routines at your desk. Desk eating also causes you to overeat because you’re concentrated on your work and not your food.

7.) Wash your hands often: To keep healthy at work wash your hands often, especially after using communal areas such as office copy and fax machines.  Keep hand sanitizer at your desk and use throughout the day to help avoid passing germs onto others and in turn keeping the office healthy.

8.) Keep strong minded: Coworkers who go out to eat every day, and office birthday parties that bring in fattening desserts can be a temptation and often times, you can feel peer pressure.  Stay strong minded in your goals to lead a healthier lifestyle at the office.

Your day at the office can be more productive and healthier with the help of these 8 tips. Start to implement them one by one. In a few days/weeks you will be on your way to a healthier you and workplace.

It has been proven that employees enjoy working at an office that employs a green lifestyle rather than not. Employers can do their part in making a workplace that is eco-friendly and practices sustainability. From reusing, and recycling to education, employers and office managers can create an office that shows an appreciation of their employees and the Earth.  Here are helpful tips for employers creating a green office environment.

• Make recycling accessible: People are more apt to recycle when it is easy and accessible, right? Therefore locating recyclable containers for glass, aluminum and paper on and off site is preferable. Break rooms, cafeterias and other office congregation areas are ideal onsite (inside the building). Offsite areas should use recycling containers approved by the city or recycling waste management company that you employ. Making the containers accessible will make employees think twice before throwing away their items in a trash can.
• Use eco-friendly office supplies: Office managers that are responsible for choosing office supplies can specify eco-friendly break room, bathroom and paper products.  In break rooms, Styrofoam should be replaced with eco-friendly paper cups and plates. Plastic hot drink stirrers can be replaced with wood ones. In bathrooms, toilet paper can be replaced with recycled paper toilet paper. To relieve paper towel waste, consider using heated hand dryers instead. Similarly with copy machine paper and stationery, paper that is compromised of mostly recycled content is ideal. Employers can also buy their employees logo embroidered water bottles to reduce the use of plastic cups (plus its a great branding opportunity!)
• Re-using can save the Earth: Office managers should employ a sustainability program at their office that addresses the mission for moving forward to address sustainability. One mission item can be for re-using. Re-using can save money, resources and time. Recommending employees bring washable mugs and silverware for their eating purposes is a good way to start. Using the backside of old copy machine papers for scrap paper and memo writing can help save paper.
• Pass along sustainability practices: When hiring janitorial and superintendent staff, discuss your company’s plan for how you practice sustainability. Ensure they use eco-friendly products when cleaning, as well as conserving resources such as electricity and water. Ask the maintenance staff and office employees to turn off lights and computers at the end of the day. These small practices will add up to savings in money and resources for your company.

Your office environment can be improved with small steps in the direction of saving the Earth’s resources. By instating a clear sustainability plan and educating your employees on the benefits for them and the Earth. Some company’s treat their employees to an office party at the end of the year for their saving money/ resources good work throughout the year!