Dobies – How to Optimise Your Learning Space Encouraging a Learning Environment

If you’re looking to create a more educational practice — whether this is as a school or a workplace, there are ways you can optimise your space. In the UK, procrastination costs businesses approximately £76 billion each year. Crazy, right? And procrastinating is a key reason we don’t learn to the best of our ability as well.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to learn new skills or putting old ones to good use, being in the right environment can go a long way to successfully complete your objective. Here, we look at the best ways to optimise your learning space:

A personal touch

If you’re looking to increase productivity, it’s essential to add personal elements. Family photos and postcards of your favourite quotes are both great visuals that can help get your creative juices flowing.

A shade of green

As well as a personal touch, greenery can be beneficial. Flowering plants are great ways to increase our concentration levels and lower the sensation of stress. The likes of ferns clean our air space, while the snake plant also cleans up toxins. Succulents such as a cactus are also a useful addition to your space for decoration purposes as they don’t take a lot of looking after.

Natural light

Artificial light is becoming a more common feature in our offices. Natural light is an amazing way to counteract any effects of sitting in front of an artificially-lit computer screen. It is also known to enhance our mood by increasing our happiness. This is because natural sunlight is a great source of vitamin D. Without this, some people experience seasonal affective disorder. By being exposed to natural sunlight, you will also have a sense of contentment thanks to the production of vitamin D.

Believe it or not, a room that endorses natural light can encourage critical and analytical thoughts.

Becoming more organised

If you’re trying to be productive but have a messy environment, a de-clutter is needed. It’s not a coincidence that a clear desk can represent a clear mind. By ensuring that your workspace is free of unnecessary distractions, you are more likely to remain focused on the task at hand. You can do this by having a bin within reach, setting up a physical inbox for your papers, and scheduling regular cleaning times.

Adding colour

The colour you choose to have in your room can have a big influence on how you feel. Red has been linked to boost how alert we are. It’s looked upon as the ‘colour of passion’. Elsewhere, blue can help us generate ideas and keeps us focused on the task at hand, while green helps avoid eye fatigue and stay efficient.  If you were looking to keep stress levels to a minimum, you should look to include white or beige as this can have a calming effect.

The sound of your surroundings

While some people work best in silence, others prefer a bit of background noise. Everyone benefits in their own way. Either way, a good set of headphones could be the ideal solution as they can either block out the tones around you or provide the tunes/podcasts best suited to keeping you productive. Other low-level noise could distract you from your studying or work and have a negative effect.

Have you considered classical music? Italian researchers found that this genre can significantly enhance your working memory performance, while research in the Journal of Consumer Research also found that a moderate level of ambient noise can benefit our creative senses.

For optimising the workplace in particular, there’s not just one solution. From adding flowering plants to changing your source of light. In the end, each of us learns in a different way, but by following the above steps, you will set yourself up nicely to succeed in your end goal and boost your productivity levels.