Is your WFH set-up culling your creativity?
Almost half of Gen MZs say their WFH set-up clutters their personal space, impacting their mood, creativity & productivity
Research reveals almost half (45%) of Gen MZs (1981-2005) say their ‘working from home’ space has cluttered their home, impacting their mood (28%), creativity (22%), productivity (21%) and inspiration (19%).
The study by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. found nearly three quarters (72%) have had to make changes to their homes to adapt to the new working conditions, such as installing IT equipment from work (43%), buying additional furniture, such as a desk or a chair (40%), and changing the layout of their living space (36%).
Regarding where Gen MZs work within the home, 32% sit on the sofa and 30% even work from their bed, showing a lack of suitable space within the home. It’s not surprising that just 20% are ‘very satisfied’ with their work-from-home set-up. And compared to when they first started working from home, almost two in five (39%) feel less productive now, and 38% are bored of doing it.
The top WFH bugbears include:
Other family members distracting in the house (32%)
Not getting to go outside enough (29%)
Limited social interaction (27%)
Lack of space (25%)
Clutter (24%)
Not being able to switch off after work (23%)
Renowned decluttering expert Lucy Mansey - hailed by Davina McCall as ‘the Marie Kondo of Britain’ - has shared to share the best ways to minimise clutter and be more organised in the home.
Lucy Mansey’s ‘top tips’ on minimising clutter in your WFH space:
Get products off surfaces and the floor by utilising your vertical space. Whether that be a pegboard for paperwork, pots to house stationery, or cleverly built shelves around a doorframe to store books and folders, using the wall space right in front of you will alleviate the clutter around you.
Look at every area in your house, could you create an office under the stairs by carving out some space? Or even an area in between wardrobes with a little desk nestled in might double up as the perfect solution to your WFH needs.
Have multifunctional and space-saving products.
A chunky, solid desk can take up valuable space, so why not look at space-saving options such as a modern-day bureau or one that neatly folds away? You could even build shelving that doubles up as a standing desk for when your legs need a little love.
Adopt a ‘bouncer’ attitude to your working area and allow for a ‘one in, one out policy’ so if you buy something, think about what may need to be donated or given to a friend to ensure items don’t build up.
If you’re shooting content from home, have a caddy that neatly stores backdrops and props; this can then be easily tucked away at the end of the day for when you want to revert back to using your Samsung Smart Monitor as a TV.
Build in storage wherever you can. Ironically, the more storage you have, the more space you will save!