So, some of you may know, but many of you don’t, I’m going to Montreal until Friday morning. Don’t worry, I will still be posting the whole time, but there may be a delay in e-mail answering etc (due to possible limited computer access).

I’m sitting on the train at the moment on the way down and it is a dreary day outside. Overcast and cold, but I’m happy, I get some quality time to write and communicate with you guys my readers. But what to talk about, there are so many topics that you have consider when you want to earn online.

Well, what I’m going to write about today is productivity and its correlation to a work environment. If you are doing anything related to business you want to optimize your time to get the most, “Bang for you buck”. Ergonomics or the study of the workplace ties directly into this.

Many factors effect how you work and your productivity output. It can be anything as simple as the lighting in an area to something like the right wall color. What you may not realize at the moment is there may be factors around you that are limiting your productivity. Correcting these factors will greatly boost your productivity and in the end help you earn an extra buck or two.

Here are some factors that I personally look at for my workspace. I have identified which work best for me thereby optimizing my productivity.

Work Location- To me this is the most important factor. The place where you do your work will define the type of work you produce. If you want to produce high quality work, identify the type of environment that you like. Do you like being alone or in the company of others? Do you like no noise or some background noise. For me the work location is a combination of all other factors. For me I like to be in my own space. If I find that space I tend to do better work. Wherever I go I try to replicate the type of space I enjoy by making small adjustments to my environment (the details of the space are in the topics below).

Wall Color- Yup, this changes your productivity believe it or not. Color can be tied into mood for some people. Therefore if you identify the type of colors that please you or you relate to work, doing your work in a room with those colors will increase productivity. For me personally, I prefer white as a color. I look at a white room as a blank space that can be filled by my ideas.

Lighting- The type of lighting in your workspace can definitely effect how you work. If there is not enough light or to much your eyes will be stressed and as a result you’ll use extra brain power for a task that doesn’t necessarily need that power. If your lighting is pleasing to your eyes and your vision is clear you brain can focus in on other more important issues that you actually need to address. Personally I enjoy working it a room beside a light so I can see clearly or in a dark room where the only light is my computer screen. For the later I feel this room allows me to “zoom” in on the screen and my work and lets me be more productive.

Type of chair or desk- believe it or not the type of chair or desk you work at directly correlates with your productivity. You should look at some of your past “best” work, and figure out, where did I do this? You usually will find its on one type of surface. Personally I do most of my writing on my bed (I have a laptop and use a hard surface to create a “desk”), for me this creates a more “comfortable” environment that allows by body to relax and my writing to be clearer and flow better. If there is no bed available, I go for the comfiest thing possible, I may even resort to lying on the ground with a soft surface for my head if it’s the most comfortable option around.

Music- There was a wonderful guest post about music at JohnCow a while back. It is true, music can be directly tied into how you work. I’ll just sum it up for you guys here, because the post at JohnCow is absolutely right. Music effects how you work. Your brain ties certain types of music into certain moods. By identifying what music you utilize for each type of work you can condition your environment to be more productive. Personally when I’m coming up with topics or ideas I like to start with a faster song, something a bit “heavier”. Then when I’m writing I start out with something classic, say Beethoven, and then try to switch to something a bit faster. By the way while writing this section I’ve been listening to Daft Punk, just for anyone that was curious. 

There are of course other ergonomic factors and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the topic of ergonomics. The ones I’ve outlined I feel are important and easily controllable, and as a result some of the most important ones.