17 ways to hack your workspace for optimal productivity

There are podcasts, morning routines, hobbies, and even procrastination techniques that can make you more productive.

But there's one thing that might be missing from your arsenal of time-management hacks: optimizing your work desk and workspace for ultimate productivity.

Office designers from Michigan, Colorado, Washington, D.C., and New York shared tips for making your space attuned to a productive workday.

Bring in some plants

Plants are an easy way to beautify your desk and improve your workplace air quality. Research shows that employees in workspaces with plants are 15% more productive.

Choose a plant that can thrive on however much sunlight your desk gets, Christine Everett, senior designer at New York interior-design firm MKDA, told Business Insider.

Succulents are low maintenance and widely available, but they require lots of sun, she said. Better low-light options include the snake plant, pothos, and peace lily.

And if you don't have a green thumb, here's how to stop killing indoor plants.

Try to work near the sun

Sunlight isn't just for plants. Research suggests that workers with better window views perform better and are more productive than their peers with worse views.

"

To tap into the power of natural light, work near a south-facing window, where sunlight will stream from the late morning to mid-afternoon.

If you can't get the sun at your desk, take a walk outside

Workers in windowless environments reported significantly lower well-being compared to those in a sunny office, according to a 2014 study from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Try to get a few hours in the sun every day.

"Exposure to daylight is critical to maintain your body's circadian rhythm, which manages your cognition, serotonin production, and digestion," Everett told Business Insider. "We literally feel more awake and happy with exposure to daylight."

Replace super-long cables that get in your way or clip them to the side

You probably have cords for your computer, keyboard, mouse, phone, headphones, cell phone charger, and maybe even more. It might seem silly, but that clutter on your desk can be distracting.

Ensuring that those cords don't get in the way is important for your workflow, Judy Goldman, CEO and owner of Boulder, Colorado-based Design Studio Interior Solutions, told Business Insider.

Wrap up or replace cords that are too long, she suggested.

You could also try cord holders, cord clips, binder clips, and Velcro straps to group the necessities together, or you could tie up others with cable organizers.

If you have tons of cords that you can't get rid of, you can label them so you know what all they're all for.

Remind yourself of your purpose with certain objects on your desk

Find an object that inspires your work and keep it on your desk.

Try an office award, a picture of your family, or a reminder of your company's ethos.

Evernote CEO Chris O'Neill keeps an American and Canadian flag on his desk to remind himself of his dual citizenship and his company's international ethos, he told Business Insider's Áine Cain.

He also has a picture of his children, who inspired him to start using Evernote.

Every Zillow employee keeps a sign of how many years they've been with the company, Zillow Group CEO Spencer Rascoff told Business Insider.

Keep healthy snacks at your desk

If you're hit by a wave of hunger way before lunch, or way before it's time to go home and enjoy dinner, you might want a quick snack to keep energy levels up.

Mixed nuts, protein bars, and dried fruits are great snack options to stash in your desk.

Wear noise-cancelling headphones ...

Putting on headphones might increase productivity because coworkers won't pop by for a chat if you look dialed in with headphones.

But more importantly, noise-cancelling headphones are crucial if your neighbors are constantly chatting, on the phone, or engaged in some other noisy activity.

"Overhearing one-way conversations are more distracting than hearing a two-way conversation," Janet Pogue, a D.C.-based principal and work sector leader of design firm Gensler, told Business Insider.

... but don't listen to music or white noise

A growing body of research advises you to not play music through those headphones.

Daniel Levitin, a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of "This Is Your Brain on Music," told Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz that music hinders your productivity unless you're working on repetitive tasks.

Instead, listen to music for 10 to 15 minutes before you get down to business to enjoy the feel-good neurotransmitters that music triggers.

White noise is also not advised. A 2010 study showed that students without attention disorders were better at memory tasks if they were in a totally quiet environment.

You don't need a standing desk, but you do need to sit less

If your workplace is too air-conditioned, keep a cozy sweater, a space heater, fingerless gloves, or all of the above at your desk

Cold office temperatures freeze your productivity.

A 2004 study from Cornell University found that increasing an office's temperature from 68 to 77 degrees lowered typing errors by 44% and increased typing output 150%.

There are tons of ways to stay warm in a frigid office including wearing fingerless gloves, big sweaters, scarves, and using space heaters.

Get a notepad and sticky notes

Just because we're in a digital world it doesn't mean you should discard the importance of writing.

Notebooks can be a great way to consolidate all of your notes from meetings and phone calls, as well as provide a space to write down quick ideas.

Adjust your seat and monitor for better posture

According to the Mayo Clinic, poor posture has a shocking array of negative effects: headaches; back and neck pain; breathing problems; pinched shoulders; and jaw pain.

Adjust your chair and computer monitor to force yourself to sit tall, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) suggests. Your backrest should support your low- and mid-back.

Insider's Lindsay Mack tried a variety of posture tricks, and her favorite one was putting a pillow at her back.

And if the culprit is shoddy company chairs, consider investing your own money to upgrade your seat.

" owner and principal designer of Grand Rapids-based Atmosphere 360 Studio, told Business Insider. "

Ditch your desk

If you don't use it every day, put it in a drawer

"Try to be self-monitoring in terms of stuff you’re collecting at your workspace," Everett told Business Insider. "If you’re able to file things and remove clutter all of those things, it really does make a big difference."

Your desktop should be only for the essentials — computer, phone, notepad, pens, water bottle, she said. Drawers can hold everything else.

You could invest in a filing cabinet if you're inundated by papers. Or better yet, scan them with your phone and keep those documents as PDFs.

"

Buy blue, green, and yellow accents to help boost productivity

Different colors can enhance your mood in different ways. Blue and red have been found to improve brain performance.

Scientists say that cool tones like blue are calming. A desk with plenty of blue accents could help you feel level throughout the day.

But don't overdo red — which Andrew Elliot at the University of Rochester in New York State told the BBC can trigger your heart rate — unless your job involves physical activity or short bursts of work.

Don't rely on the perks-laden areas for maximum productivity

Hocking said believing that bean bag chairs, pool table breaks, and pastry chefs will kickstart your productivity is a common mistake by office designers.

Instead, whether you're choosing a new job or just trying to figure out where to crank out some reports this afternoon, look at spaces that are quiet.

"

But, keep trying new things

Break out of your usual routine and try working somewhere different in the office today. Or give that standing desk a try.

Hocking said it's important to keep trying new things when it comes to your work space. After all, you're going to be spending 80,000 hours of your life there — better make them pleasant.

"Most people don’t change their workspace frequently but it’s important to keep testing your environment and trying new layouts," Hocking said.

He added, "Increased efficiency can come from change as opposed to repetition."

17 ways to hack your workspace for optimal productivity

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!