How To Stay Productive

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Here at Office Furniture Outlet, we not only want to sell you the best quality of furniture, but we want you to have complete satisfaction while in your office.  Your comfortability, productivity, and all-around wellness are of upmost importance.  Below, there’s an article we’ve found that gives tips on how you can stay productive and perform at your highest potential. Maybe you can start implementing them into your daily routine!

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1. Drink a glass of water when you wake up. Your body loses water while you sleep, so you’re naturally dehydrated in the morning. A glass of water when you wake helps start your day fresh. When do you drink your first glass of water each day?

2. Define your top 3. Every morning Mike asks himself, “What are the top three most important tasks that I will complete today?” He prioritizes his day accordingly and doesn’t sleep until the Top 3 are complete. What’s your “Top 3″ today?

3. The 50/10 Rule. Solo-task and do more faster by working in 50/10 increments. Use a timer to work for 50 minutes on only one important task with 10 minute breaks in between. Mike spends his 10 minutes getting away from his desk, going outside, calling friends, meditating, or grabbing a glass of water. What’s your most important task for the next 50 minutes?

4. Move and sweat daily. Regular movement keeps us healthy and alert. It boosts energy and mood, and relieves stress. Most mornings you’ll find Mike in a CrossFit or a yoga class. How will you sweat today?

5. Express gratitude. Gratitude fosters happiness, which is why Mike keeps a gratitude journal. Every morning, he writes out at least five things he’s thankful for. In times of stress, he’ll pause and reflect on 10 things he’s grateful for. What are you grateful for today?

6. Reflect daily. Bring closure to your day through 10 minutes of reflection. Mike asks himself, “What went well?” and “What needs improvement?” So… what went well today? How can you do more of it?

Check out the original article here

www.OFOVA.com

How to Promote Trust with your Office Design

According to the article by Kath Walters, the way that an office is designed can enhance or undermine trust between everyone in the workplace.  Trust in the workplace is extremely important- Not having it leads to low morale, lots of micromanagement, and other factors that discourage people from doing their jobs.

When employees see that their boss has a huge office that he’s rarely in, while they slave away in tiny spaces, their trust diminishes.  Would you perform your best work for a company that you feel doesn’t value you? To fix the issue, you must promote fairness.  Employees deserve to have the latest technology, comfortable seating, and an adequate space to work in.  Communication is key, so go for designs that will promote clear communication.

These days, everyone in the office wants the same thing; The article states that trust level drops when someone has better quality furniture than others. If you want to have a nice chair for everyone, you can do that affordably by buying used office furniture.   If you’re looking for a great place to buy from, Office Furniture Outlet has the largest office furniture inventory in Hampton Roads.  We provide affordable new and used furniture and offer a range of services including space planning and design installation.  Let us assist you in building up that office trust!

Read the full article here

www.OFOVA.com

4 Wise Words to Keep You Motivated at Work

Maintaining motivation can be difficult. Careerealism.com has some helpful attitudes to adopt that may help you keep motivated at work.


I am not sure if you can classify these as powerful words that can keep you motivated at work. Perhaps they are more akin to attitude, but I feel if you remember the words, it may actually help you keep motivated at work.

1. Discuss, Don’t Complain

How often do you catch yourself complaining about others at work? Or finding fault about others?

You may think you have a legitimate reason, but all the complaining will not do you any good. In fact, all it does is keep you demotivated. When you do this, you keep reminding yourself of how bad your work environment is.

Here are the powerful words to remember “discuss, don’t complain.” What’s the difference? When you discuss, you try to understand the root cause, and you try to find a solution. When you complain you only focus on the problem and find ‘pleasure’ in dwelling on the fault of others.

2. Listen to Comprehend

Another powerful word to remember in order to keep motivated at work is “listen to comprehend.” How often do you find yourself listening to your colleague only to rebut what they say? When you have actions like that, how can you find a good work environment to keep motivated?

Next time a colleague talks, truly listen to comprehend what they are saying. Those are the powerful words to help you keep motivated at work.

3. Speak with Understanding

Have you analyzed your speech at work? Perhaps you should. How often do you hurt people with the words you say? When you use unkind words and often repeat gossips, you inevitably create an unhealthy environment for yourself and your colleagues. The other words to keep in mind in order to keep motivated at work is to speak with understanding.

Acknowledge people’s good qualities and praise them. When we focus on others’ good qualities, it also makes us feel happier.

Do an experiment, speak well of others for a few weeks. A month if you can, everyday, find someone to say something nice to sincerely. Even someone you do not like. Then see how your life changes and how you feel more motivated at work.

4. Help, Don’t Hide

Three more powerful words to help you keep motivated at work is to “help, don’t hide.” Whenever there is an opportunity to make yourself available for service to others, do it. The more time you spend helping others and not hiding away from them when help is needed, the happier you will be at work. What you are doing is building your relationship and enlarging your network. These support systems will later come to your aid too when you are in need of help.

There are of course, more powerful words that can help you keep motivated at work. But start with these. They may seem like a few small phrases, but they are not easy to do. It takes months and months of practice. But if you are able to do it for a stretch in time, you will see the difference in your motivation at work.

via 4 Wise Words to Keep You Motivated at Work | CAREEREALISM.

Workspace Woes Are a Thing of the Past

Tips below from Avery on having a great office space and creating the right impressions.


Workspace Woes Are a Thing of the Past

Like it or not, we’re often judged on the state of our desk or office. Establishing and keeping your workspace organised and tidy helps you look good, find things more easily and work with less stress. Adding a personal touch with colour or something from home makes your work environment a better place to be.

Tips to Picking a Sought-after Office Location:

A window seat is a great seat! You’ll get the benefit of natural light and a view.

A workstation that is away from high traffic or noisy areas of the office minimises disruptions from the general office noise

Consider the air conditioning in your office. If you feel the cold, you don’t want to be stuck under a vent that blows cold air!

Create the Right Space

Organise your space functionally and effectively with adequate shelving, a sizable desk, and a comfortable and adjustable chair. You’ll work better with furniture and space that suits your requirements.

Prioritise the items that you use frequently, storing them within easy reach. The items that you use less often can be stored in a cupboard or filing cabinet (where more effort is required to access them). It means you can access your information easily, and then also return them to their home easily. You’re more likely to retain the organisation and keep your desk tidy when it is less effort to do so.

Style Your Way

Select your desk accessories to tone down what you want to hide and contrast what you want to accentuate. This will help your workspace sit ‘comfortably’ within the existing interior and colour scheme while still having some colour that makes you feel good about your work environment. Then personalise your space with photographs or something that helps make the day to day desk time more fun. This way you can give your workspace a personality that you want to be around!

Label It!

Use a labelling system to mark folders and files to ensure they are always easy to grab when you’re rushing to a meeting, or need someone else to grab the file. Your colleagues will be super impressed with your desk if they can find what they need (and return it afterwards) when you’re not there.

Clutter-free From the Start

Ensure your paperwork doesn’t get lost in a pile by using letter trays, magazine file, binders and expanding files. Contain clutter with the help of desk drawers and pen holders. ‘Hide away’ the mess by managing frequently used working documents in manila files and document wallets.

If our desk is a good place to be, we feel better about our work. If our workspace is tidy and organised, it’s a better work environment for us, and for our colleagues. It’s time to make your workspace woes a thing of the past!

via Workspace Woes Are a Thing of the Past.

Crazy Chair Design | Home Basics with Decoration and Furniture

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How often do you find yourself a situation where you had nowhere to hang a coat or jacket? And as a result of an unfortunate jacket is hanging on the back of the chair. Designer Joey Zeledon solved the problem … Continue reading

Inspiration From Out-of-the-Box Workplaces

Office Furniture Outlet’s design professionals know office space planning, have extensive experience with all types of workstations, and systems furniture, and have years of experience with office moves and reconfigurations.

We help our customers find the right product, generate layouts, manage production scheduling, coordinate deliveries and oversee installations.

At Office Furniture Outlet, we are dedicated to:

  • Creating productive work environments
  • Provide Computer Aided Design
  • Assuring precise space planning
  • Competitive pricing
  • Strive to keep projects within budget

Office Furniture Outlet works with you to gain an understanding of your major goals and objectives with you work environment. We specialize in reconfiguring existing offices, organizing new offices, and then coordinate the entire office moving or reconfiguring process.

Below is an article where design is taken to the extreems.  While our office designs are more traditional than the out-of-the-box designs, they are great to draw inspiration from. Office Furniture Outlet strives to compliment your business identity, budget, and practical needs. We operate in Virginia, and the North Eastern Part of North Carolina — especially the Hampton Roads area, which includes Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Portsmouth, Hampton and Suffolk.

Give us a call to see how we can help your office design project (757) 855-2800


Beyond the Cubicle: 10 Out-of-the-Box Workplaces

Let’s face it– a cubicle, a humming fluorescent light and a square box office building canbe creativity killers in the working world.  Alternatively, work can be a beautiful thing when done in the right environment.  If you’re looking to break out of the traditional work place and discover something special, join us to explore ten offices that are amongst the most inspiring workplaces in the modern world.  It’ll make 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. some of the most enjoyable hours of your day…

Bastard Store and Office by Studiometrico

Between spreadsheets, sales calls and IT meetings, the employees at the Bastard Store and Office sweat out their stresses in their own indoor skate park.  The terraced office overlooks a large wooden bowl built for kick flips, ollies, grinds and jump tricks during office downtime.  Below the bowl, a full-service retail store welcomes the public in local Milan, Italy.  It’s a skater’s dream, a hybrid office/retail/skate park designed by Studiometrico.

HiddenLog Cabin Office

In a quiet forest in the Netherlands, a not-so-ordinary stack of logs houses a private workspace and recording studio for composer Hans Liberg.  Thanks to a creative design byPiet Hein Eek, Liberg can work peacefully amongst the flora and fauna without being detected.  Think of it like an elaborate hunting blind, but Liberg’s weapon of choice is a keyboard and creativity.  We can’t imagine a more serene work environment.

Cave Office and Data Center

This underground space looks the part of a 007 Bond villain lair, but in reality it is an office and data center for a Swedish internet service provider.  It was built into an existing atomic bomb shelter placed some 30 meters under the streets of Stockholm.  Despite the rocky walls, the designer created a comfortable environment with living green accent walls, colored lighting and contemporary furnishing.  The result feels very high-tech, yet eco-minded all at once.  The ISP company gets bonus points for heating the structure with waste heat from servers.  This is an all-around stunning, sustainable workplace.

via Beyond the Cubicle: 10 Out-of-the-Box Workplaces.

Prevent Work-related Back Pain with Good Posture and an Ergonomic Office Chair

Herman Miller Ergonomic Chair

Need to know what to look for in an ergonomic chair?  The article below give great insight as to what features to look for in a chair.  The best advice in the article is to go to a store where office chairs are sold and try them out.  You can visit Office Furniture Outlet’s showroom to take a test-sit in the multiple used office chairs we have in stock.  Office ergonomics is important to productivity and general health.  One of our trained staff members can help you find the right chair for you.  Call Office Furniture Outlet Today at  (757) 855-2800.

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Prevent Work-related Back Pain with Good Posture and an Ergonomic Office Chair

 

by KLAUS on JANUARY 26, 2012

It is very important to consider some factors that are vital when setting up office furniture, such as the careful planning and selection of which office equipment must be acquired in order to promote not only a high productivity rate from the employees, but also to promote an atmosphere of comfort while they are working.

Back pain is perhaps one of the most commonly known work-related injuries.  It is normally often caused by regular work activities such as sitting in an office chair.  People who tend to sit most of the day, especially those who use a computer at work while sitting in an office chair, are most susceptible to back pain.

Office ergonomics can help reduce the risk of repetitive injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome as well as the risks caused by prolonged sitting in an office chair such as leg pain, neck strain and lower back pain.

There are two simple ways on how to avoid work-related back pain – good posture and an ergonomic office chair.  Good posture is very important especially when you tend to sit for hours when working.  However, even if you know how to execute good posture while sitting, it won’t help much if your office chair is not comfortable or ergonomic.  To find that perfect ergonomic chair, you have to know the many characteristics of the ergonomic chair and how it can support your needs.

Below are some tips on how to choose an ergonomic office chair:

1. Get to know the different features of an ergonomic chair.

Height – the height of an ergonomic chair must be adjustable so that you can sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor, with knees angled at about 90 degrees and parallel to your hips.

Backrest – the backrest of an ergonomic chair must support the natural curve of your spine which in turn provides lower back support.  The height must be ample enough to support your neck and shoulder region.  There are some ergonomic chairs that have a recline function in their back rest to let you recline while sitting.

Armrest – the armrests support your arms so that your shoulders can rest at a comfortable position while you are working.  Armrests must be adjustable in height and position for the convenience of different users and activities.

Seat – the seat of an ergonomic chair must provide comfortable support to the hips and buttocks.  The seat depth must measure from your back to 2 to 4 inches from the back of your knees.

2.  Think about what you will do most while sitting in your ergonomic chair.  Some people spend most of their work hours talking on the phone, while there are those who type on their computers the whole day.  Create a list of your needs and then compare the characteristics of ergonomic chairs to help you select the right ergonomic office chair for you.

3.  Go to stores that sell ergonomic chairs and try them out.  When you have selected the characteristics and functions of the ergonomic chair that you would like to have, go visit a store with ergonomic chairs and try them out so that you can assess support, positioning and comfort.

4.  Choose the color, materials and style of your ergonomic chair.  Many ergonomic chairs nowadays come in different materials and styles, such as fabric, leather or mesh back chairs.  Some models even come in different colors to suit your mood or the theme of your office room.

5.  Compare prices of ergonomic chairs.  Last but not least, browse at online stores, office furniture stores and wholesale stores to compare prices of their ergonomic chairs with the features you are searching for.  Do not forget to consider the cost of shipping should you decide to order an ergonomic chair online.

No matter what kind of ergonomic office chair you use, it is vital that short breaks must be taken throughout the day in order to improve circulation in your body.  Getting up from your chair every hour or two will definitely promote stronger posture, relieve strain on your eyes and absolutely reduce work fatigue.

via Prevent Work-related Back Pain with Good Posture and an Ergonomic Office Chair — TechPatio.