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Whether you’re working in a tight cubicle or a small home office, conserving what little space you have can be tough. Take these 6 tips to maximize even the smallest workstation. 

1. Eliminate Clutter

If there’s one tip to take away from this list, it’s this: purge all nonessentials. Ask yourself, “Do I need to keep all this paperwork on my desk?” and “Are 10 photos of my dog really necessary?” because when you don’t have the luxury of a large workspace, the answer is probably no. Read our complete guide to getting rid of unneeded clutter here. 

2. Go Paperless

The best way to keep all that clutter at bay is to not create it in the first place. If you have the opportunity to save documents digitally, choose that method over filing printed materials. Keeping paper clutter to a minimum will free up tons of space on your desk and in your desk drawers, and a cleared-out desk will feel much more spacious.

3. Utilize Vertical Space

Rather than keeping personal photos, your physical calendar, and your contacts list on top of your desk, post them all on the wall. Utilizing the vertical space in your office will keep your desk cleared, greatly increasing the amount of space you have to work on. 

4. Light Properly

Small spaces can often create a cave effect and lack proper lighting. Combat this by equipping your workspace with a good lamp. Keeping your desk well-lit will help you stay alert throughout the day, and a brighter workspace can even create the illusion of being larger.  

5. Share Common Areas

If you’re working in an open-concept office or cubicle layout, take advantage of the common areas around you. Whether it’s storage islands between workspaces or a coat closet in the front lobby, using areas outside of your desk space will help keep your workstation clear.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Personalize

In your attempt to keep your small workspace clean and clear, you may be tempted to toss personal items. Do not do this! Although you may want to cut down on the number of personal items at your desk, keeping a few family photos or trinkets will help boost your mood throughout the work day and keep you working happily and productively. 

We can’t always choose our desks, but we can choose how we work. Remember, when it comes to thriving in a small workspace, less is more, and there’s always room for the things you really need.

 

Healthcare

More From NBF

Choosing the Right Behavioral Health Furniture

You must consider several important factors when outfitting a behavioral healthcare facility with new furniture. The challenge of furnishing this type of healthcare facility is that you need to accommodate individuals with vastly different needs due to the great range of conditions that behavioral health facilities treat. Here’s what you absolutely must consider before selecting your new furniture.

Ensure Safety 

The number one most important consideration when it comes to selecting behavioral health furniture is patient and caregiver safety. Avoid opportunities for patients to harm caregivers, other patients, or themselves. This applies to every facet of your facility. For example, fasteners should be tamper-resistant, and there should be no exposed staples or other catch points on any furniture items. 

Eliminate the possibility of stashed contraband by avoiding concealment points in chairs or other furniture. Ligature points should not be available to any patient, so chairs should be armless or have closed arm panels, and cabinets and doors should be fitted with breakaway hooks and hinges. When it comes to freestanding chairs, sled base models are often preferred as they are harder to weaponize. 

Ensure that you equip your facility with absolutely no furniture that has removable parts, and outfit patient rooms with open shelving rather than cabinets with drawers and doors. Windows should be outfitted with unbreakable glass.

Promote Emotional Healing 

The second most important factor to consider is that you’ll want to create an atmosphere wherein patients feel a sense of control. Remember, the goal is to make patients feel like they are working toward recovery, and they will never get that sense without first having a sense of freedom. 

Try to achieve the look of a traditional healthcare facility rather than a correctional institution by incorporating peaceful nature scenes on the walls and soft, inviting colors in your furniture. Residents should be able to move furniture, but they should not be able to pick furniture up. Behavioral health furniture is usually significantly weighed down, and it may be bolted to the floor in areas such as a cool-down room where the chances of a lash-out are particularly high. 

Every room in your facility should feel warm and inviting, and patients should have access to natural light in individual rooms and common areas.

Provide Personal Space

Residents in behavioral health facilities need more personal space than individuals in the average healthcare facility. Chairs in any seating area should be able to be moved apart, meaning that grouped seating is OK, but it's recommended to use tables as spacers to that nobody feels crowded. Space should also be built in between all seating areas and tables so that residents have the option to sit alone if they so choose.

 

4 Accessories Every Healthcare Facility Needs

4 Accessories Every Healthcare Facility Needs

If you work in a medical facility, you know how important the right furniture is to the operation and sanitation of the building. When it comes to spaces where healthcare is being provided, everything needs to be cleanable and safe for patients, guests, and care providers. Although choosing the right furniture for your healthcare facility is crucial, equipping the space with the right accessories is just as vital to ensure you’re creating a space for healing. Healthcare accessories from NBF include 4 major groups: accessories for facility protection, waste receptacles, infection control solutions, and information boards.

1. Facility Protection Accessories

Accessories for facility protection reduce the likelihood of a healthcare facility succumbing to damage caused by regular use. Wall protectors, corner guards, and rails will protect a wall if a hospital bed, wheelchair, or laptop cart crashes into it. Not only does this save the facility from constantly making repairs to the building, but it is also a safety concern. Cracks and scratches in walls and furniture can harbor harmful germs and pathogens that are difficult to clean, thus increasing the likelihood of patient illness and the chance that the facility could be shut down for violating health codes.

2. Waste Receptacles

Waste receptacles for a medical facility must adhere to much stricter standards than those a business office can use. Standard waste receptacles are typically made of stainless steel, which is easy to clean and can even be washed with medical-grade cleaning agents. Most medical waste bins also feature a step-on open mechanism that allows care providers to open the lid without needing to touch the unit, further preventing the spread of potentially harmful pathogens.

 

You will notice two specific types of medical waste bins in a healthcare facility that are red. They are brightly colored to signify that only certain materials can go in them. 

 

  1. Biohazards: These bins are usually metal or plastic and feature a step-on opening. Biohazard waste receptacles must be leakproof. 

  2. Sharps: These waste bins are for needles and other sharp objects.

 

3. Infection Control Solutions

This category of healthcare accessories is obvious. Infection control in a space where potentially harmful germs constantly come in and out can be tough, and that’s why medical facilities must take every precaution to stay on top of it. Infection control solutions include accessories such as sanitizer units, hand hygiene shelves, and infection control centers that include gloves and masks. Having these supplies available will keep the spread of infection at bay, keeping everyone in your facility as healthy and safe as possible.

 

4. Information Boards

 Information boards can be as simple as a basic whiteboard or as complex as interactive boards with pain charts and hospital branding. Information boards help relay communications between patients, families, and caregivers, ensuring everyone is on the same page. These boards often include daily goals, which can aid in the recovery process.

 

When selecting the right information board for your facility, be sure to put cleanability at the forefront of your mind. Glass boards are the easiest to clean completely, and you can erase even permanent markers from this type of surface.

 

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