What Is The Best Color For Productivity?
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Productivity is more than just the right tools and avoiding distractions. A more holistic approach will give you much better long-term results than applying one trick or implementing just one new strategy.
You’ve probably heard me talk about using a “framework” before – and that’s the basis of The Foundation Guidebook.
Although even a small change can help, I am convinced that good productivity lies in a framework. Know what you need to change, what results you want to achieve, and what works best for you. Then slowly start building a whole framework that will ensure you boost your productivity levels in all areas of your work.
However, you can get some great long-term benefits from tackling some simple areas like changing the color of your surroundings – or even your monitor background.
One often overlooked factor is our working environment. I’m not talking about distractions and comfortable desks, but our office spaces – at home, remote, or otherwise.
If you’re thinking that color psychology could spark creativity, offer a sense of balance, or increase your office productivity…you’re in the right place. Even better, if you don’t believe it please read through and check out the references!
Learn from the Marketers
The way colors affect us is fascinating and nobody has studied it better than marketing professionals. Think about the big brands — IBM, Coca-Cola, Facebook … I’m sure you’re already picturing their logos in your mind and the moment you read Coca-Cola, your brain thinks red, blue for IBM, etc.
Credit: The Logo Company
This is just a simple example of the power that colors hold. It’s been proven, for example, that blue evokes calm and trust. It is obvious then that companies decided to take advantage of this information when coming up with their logos and business colors.
How Colors Affect Your Productivity
The University of Texas decided to apply what marketers had discovered to the workplace and publish their results. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that “boring” colors undermine your productivity. An office painted in white, beige, grey, brown will be uninspiring for the professionals working in it, who become noticeably slower and less creative than those surrounded by green or orange.
Of course, it’s a double-edged sword: you don’t want to use colors that will hyper-stimulate you and even make you feel anxious. In terms of productivity, relaxation, and focus, the best colors — among others — turn out to be blue colors and green colors.
What You Can Do to Benefit from Color Change
I’m not saying you should go and paint your office walls entirely green. Your eyes will pick up the color even if it’s in the details, such as your computer background, your mouse pad, some artwork on the walls.
Without doing anything radical, these small changes will influence your subconscious, improve your ability to focus and your mood, and help you relax.
Consider also the lighting: it is well known that fluorescent overhead lighting is not the best for both your eyes and your productivity, so it is worth thinking of alternatives, like lamps lighting from the sides or behind.