Think about your ideal home office.
What does it have? A nice comfy chair? A big desk, maybe even one of those cool standing kind?
How’s the lighting?
If your home office doesn’t have the right kind of lighting, you
aren’t doing the best work you could be doing. While fluorescent or
incandescent lights give you light to see what you’re doing, they
actually create a work environment that is less than ideal. What is the
ideal lighting? The oldest light source known to man… The sun!
Sunlight is good for us in so many ways. It has physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and can literally
brighten our mood. It’s no wonder that all the best companies have
designed their workspaces with sunlight in mind. You don’t have to work
at Google to have that kind of work experience though. Just let the
sunshine into your home office!
Incorporating natural sources of light into your home office will help you get more done. New windows can invite the light into your home office space and do wonders for your productivity. Read on to learn all the ways that natural light will make you more productive!
1. Boosted Creativity
Natural light can boost creativity. Researchers found that people who worked in places with ample natural light were 15% more creative. Boosted creativity can help you soar through your work- and not just for those in traditionally creative fields. Creativity makes you a better problem-solver too, and will prevent you from getting stuck and getting less work done!
2. Improved Sleep
Exposure to natural light improves sleep. Our bodies have a natural
sleep rhythm, called the Circadian Rhythm. It’s basically our internal
clock. This natural rhythm cues our bodies when to be asleep and when to
be awake. Sunlight calibrates our Circadian Rhythms to make sure that
we feel tired when we are supposed to feel tired: when it’s dark out.
There are few things that interfere with productivity more than suffering from exhaustion. When you feel tired you work slower and with less focus. Researchers found that those who had exposure to natural light while they worked got an average of 46 more minutes of sleep per night! Better rest = Better work!
3. Improved Health
One of the perks of working from home is not having to go into the
office when you are sick. The downside is that sometimes you still have
to work even though you are sick. If you feel sick, your productivity
will suffer. Your immune system relies on proper sleep to function and
keeps you from getting sick. As we noted earlier, exposure to natural
light helps you get better sleep.
Inadequate lighting can cause other health problems such as headaches
and double vision. You can also experience eye strain if you are
reading or using a computer for a lot of the day. All of these can be
helped with better lighting.
Additionally, sunlight can actually help prevent certain kinds of cancers. Though too much direct sunlight can contribute to skin cancer, boosting the amount of sunlight in your home can help you get more sun exposure without increasing your risk of skin cancer. More sunlight can reduce your risk for the following types of cancer:
- Prostate cancer
- Colon cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Ovarian cancer
4. Better Concentration
Natural light will help you stay focused and give you better
concentration. Our bodies are in many ways attuned to the sun. Our
brains are triggered to release different hormones depending on light or
dark. We get sleepy at night because darkness triggers our brains to
release melatonin. This hormone makes you feel dreary and lethargic and
helps us fall asleep.
In contrast, sunlight tells our brains to release serotonin. This is
what is known as “the happy hormone.” It produces feelings of happiness
and calm. It also helps you feel relaxed, and when we are relaxed we
have a better ability to focus. When you are comfortable and feeling
good, you can get a lot done!
5. Reduced Stress and Anxiety
If you have ever struggled with depression and anxiety, you know that
these can be huge roadblocks to productivity. When you feel depressed,
you don’t have the energy to do even the most simple things. It can take
so much effort to do even the smallest task.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is something that many people suffer from which is directly related to exposure to natural light. Natural light helps the body produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D aids in controlling mood and produces feelings of contentment. Many people end up deficient in Vitamin D because it is not in many foods, but sunlight is a great way to get your daily dose of vitamin D and feel better!
Time to Make a Change: More Natural Sources of Light!
If you find yourself struggling to be productive while working from
home, or just want to squeeze the most out of the time you spend
working, it might be time to evaluate if the windows in your home office
space are doing the job.
New windows can be the difference you’ve been looking for, and more
natural sources of light in your home will leave you feeling better.
Make a change and transform your dark home office into a bastion of
warmth, happiness, comfort, and creativity!
We have 40 years of experience under our belts that can help you make the most of your home office space and brighten up your work life. Call us today for a quote and let us help you get your home office shining bright!
