The Importance of Aesthetics

Do you like your work space? Not your job, or your office building, but your own personal workspace. Does it make you want to show up everyday and be productive? It turns out that whether or not our workspace is aesthetically pleasing impacts our productivity.

At a very early age I knew that if I was not visually attracted to a project I was less likely to complete it; as evidenced by my collections of multi-color gel pens and highlighters. My mother interpreted it as Attention Deficit Disorder but I just wanted my notes to look nice. It motivated me to revisit them.

Years later I heard a story about the evolution of computers from black and white screens to color. A man by the name of Donald Norman was given a color monitor to take home and try to see if there was any benefit to having a color monitor. His conclusion, he reported back, was, "color added no discernible value for everyday work. However, I refused to give up the color display."

The color, the aesthetic element , evoked an emotional response.

Another observation Norman offers to support the connection between perceived utility and visually pleasing objects to create a "harmonious result" is that we continue to wash and wax our cars though that doesn't not make the car drive better. Wo do it because it makes us feel better and we enjoy the experience more. We are less apt to be deterred by minor inconveniences and distractions.

I find this same thought holds true for my work space and it has become exeedingly important now that I work from home. Instead of plain cream filing folders I use files with beautiful designs and color. My planner by Erin Condren is visually pleasing and I enjoy writing things down in it- as a result I get more done and forget less. A vision board of vibrant colors and scenic pictures of far-off places I hope to visit keeps me positive and motivated. I like the color; for me it mutes the sounds of distraction in my head. My boyfriend, on the other hand, has the desk of a disciplined minimalist. A monitor, keyboard, mouse, and library lamp are all he will allow.

We have clearly created two opposite work spaces. He cannot work at mine and I get distracted at his, but it shows that visual impact of a workspace on happiness and productivity is real and that increasing the beauty (whatever that means to you) of your workspace can make you more efficient and more successful.

What have you done to boost the beauty in your work space?