Innovative and creative thinking is key in the world of remote work. And the environment in which work is done has an astoundingly large effect on that kind of thought. Engineering creativity-inducing spaces is our business at Tableworks. So, as experts in the field, we’ve put together a list of factors proven to be important (for many people) in stimulating innovative thinking.
The most important factors for a creativity-boosting environment are:
What you are drinking
Clutter in the room
What noise is in the background
What colours are around you
The type and level of light
Familiarity of surroundings
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Let’s take a closer look at each one.
1. Your drink
But what should you fill that glass with?
One good option is tea. A study in Beijing showed that drinking black tea while working improved quantitative test scores. So, if you’re working on something that is logic-based, such as spreadsheets or other calculations, tea is a good choice.
Surprisingly, another drink for creatives to consider is alcohol. A study out of the US showed 2–4 beers (or 2–4 cocktails), depending on weight, made people perform better on strictly creative tasks like design and creative writing.
2. Clutter
Believe it or not, a bit of clutter also boosts creative thinking. That is not to say that a workspace should be messy to a point where it’s difficult to navigate, but it should not be sterile either.
At Tableworks, all our locations have a slightly different feel. All of them, however, are carefully fitted with table ornaments and other unobtrusive “clutter” that will help foster creativity.
3. Background noise
Lots of studies have been done on this, and it’s been proven repeatedly that the optimal noise level to boost concentration is between 50 and 70 decibels. The lower end of this spectrum is best for creative thinking, and the higher end is best for jobs that call upon “hard skills” like data entry.
It’s best if the noise is “white noise — something calm, rhythmic, and unchanging. Background noise culled from restaurants and cafes are popular, with pre-recorded tracks available on YouTube to help you concentrate.
4. Colors
Blue and green colours specifically emit waves that calm the mind and allow it to roam freely. Colours like red and yellow subliminally cause people to become more excited, and that makes working tough. Earth tone colours like white or brown have the opposite effect, and they may cause boredom or even drowsiness. Blues and greens are a nice common ground.
5. Light type
Natural light is the best light for work. Researchers in Italy found that the brain picks up on the light and in response releases dopamine and inhibits cortisol levels. The result is a creativity boost.
If you cannot get natural light, at least try for yellow light. White light is shown to actually induce mild anxiety, and that should be avoided at all costs when working.
And the lights are best kept dim. The type of light is important, but it should be kept low. Dim light allows the mind to wander more, which is great for creativity. For logic-based tasks, you can keep the light level a bit higher.
6. Familiarity
Familiar, comfortable surroundings are key. This is one of the greatest advantages of Hotdesk networks like Tableworks, providing lots of locations all around the city to work in. Because you choose the area you work in, you never have to be in an unfamiliar part of town.
Regardless of which Tableworks location you’re in, though, know that all of the factors have been considered and factored into the space.