Inhale the Jasmine, Exhale the Negativity
Ahhh soak in the smell of simple.
You’ve heard about spring cleaning. But how can we apply this concept to the cobwebs of our career? (It’s not only for closets.) There are four major lessons we want to talk about when it comes to creating a positive and simplified work environment.
Lesson #1: Good Scents Is Just Good Sense
Creating a positive and personalized physical environment in your home or office can help boost creativity, focus, and career or work-related goals. One way to do this is through the power of scent. Lighting candles and plugging in wallflowers are a few ways to accomplish this. For the modern day woman with a picture perfect office and home aesthetic, a sleek oil diffuser is definitely the way to go.
Aera is a sophisticated smart home fragrance brand changing the scent game. The diffuser is a quiet and user-friendly set up that uses no heat to produce a hypoallergenic scent effect safe for the whole family. You can even control scenting anytime, from anywhere with the AeraforHome app for iPhone and Android. Scroll down for a special limited-time discount for Create & Cultivate readers!
Aera's new Simplicity scent collection is focused on simple and familiar fragrances and is perfect for simplifying your office and home space. Each of their fragrance capsules can fill a room with consistent scent for 60 days or 1440 hours on an average setting. Our favorite Simplicity scent in the office is the White Tea. With hints of jasmine and citrus, this scent relaxes us and reminds us to take a deep breath and enjoy the simple things throughout the day.
Join in on Aera's 30-day “Simplicity Challenge”, which focuses on how to simplify areas of life including home, relationships, career, and health! Aera will be inviting followers to share their progress during the challenge by tagging @AeraForHome and using the campaign hashtag #AeraSimplicityChallenge. One participant will be chosen weekly to win an Aera diffuser and Simplicity scent capsule, plus one lucky participant will win the ultimate giveaway of simplicity products and services - valued at 1K. Enter here.
Lesson #2: Put the Kibosh on Nostalgia
We know that we have nostalgic and hazardous sentimental attachments to our possessions. Whether it’s boxes of old photographs and birthday cards that lead us down a long and windy path of nostalgia and distraction while cleaning, to items we hold onto for no reason-- aka your grandmother’s boots you're keeping even though they’re two sizes too small. Talk about a tropical depression. The nostalgia hurricane is real and it's ruling your life. Feeling strongly about stuff is OK but it can also be the enemy of tidy.
How to apply this to work: It's not just stuff kids! We have nostalgia and emotional attachment to ideas. So, what should we do to make space for bigger and better creative thoughts? Kill your darlings. That’s right. The creative ideas that keep falling dead in the water. Every single of one of us has that “golden” idea that we can’t escape. The one we reposition and bring up in pitch meetings, the one we’re sure is going to hit with ONE client that simply never does. Accept that. Thank the idea for taking up space in your head and let it go.
Also, those notebooks full of half-baked ideas and sparks (ahem duds) of genius you jotted down and have never looked through— toss them. We know you’re saving them for that one time you’re going to need to reference a page scribbled on in 2007 but just say goodbye. If ideas are really that great, they’ll stick around. You don’t need to create a physical library of your own brain.
Lesson # 3: Simplifying and Letting Go Feels Good. So Good.
Yes! Getting rid of clutter and freeing up your home space feels great. You feel lighter, more free, and less emotionally tied to STUFF! Everything all of the sudden becomes easier when you can SEE everything! Decision making is easier when you love everything and therefore you become more efficient with your time! Exclamations abound!! (For real, this is happy, joyous stuff.)
How to apply this to work: You don’t have to do anything here! Once you start letting go of the clutter on your desk and in your head, you will free up space for the next steps. You’ll be giving your career the breathing room it needs to expand. It will also help you become more clear on what projects to say yes to, and which projects to turn down.
You’ll feel relief instead of anxiety. Joy instead of job.
Lesson #4: Make the Commitment to Live Simply
You make these kinds of commitments all the time— to your diet, to the products you put on your face. But what you take in through your airways is just as important as what you put in your body and on your face. With scent, you can create a space around you that is inviting and feels refreshed each and every day
Seal the deal and start making your commitment today. Join Aera's #AeraSimplicityChallenge and share the steps you are taking to achieve a more simplified life. Not only will you be entered to win their weekly giveaway and grand prize $1K+ giveaway of simplicity product, but you'll learn tips and tricks along the way to simplify many areas of your life that may be weighing you down. Follow along on their Instagram and enter the challenge here.
Use Promo Code: CREATECULTIVATE15 for 15% off all products through June 30, 2018.
This post is in paid partnership with Aera.
Have other techniques for simplifying your space? Let us know in the comments!
MORE FROM THE BLOG
Lulu & Georgia Founder Shares How to Style Your Desk For Max Output
Work hard, styled hard.
If you're a boss who knows that filing isn't just for your nails, you need a desk to match your hustle. Which means: organized, styled, and designed for max work output.
So we checked in with Sara Sugarman, Founder of Lulu & Georgia, the online home decor shop founded in 2012 of her five tips for keeping your workspace as boss as you are.
CLEAN UP
A clean and inspiring space makes for a more constructive (and positive) day. If you look around your desk, there are undoubtedly little odds and ends creating unnecessary clutter. I recently read, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and now ask myself: “Does this item bring me joy?” If it has no purpose and doesn’t bring me happiness, then it’s gone. The items that do stay on your desktop should be ones that you use on a daily basis.
BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
I’m most productive when I’m in a space that reflects my own style and personality. Whether it’s a statement rug, a colorful lamp, or a unique bookcase – it helps me think more creatively. I also love the idea of a pin board- not to place random samples or business cards- but as inspiration for where you want to be and what you want to do.
TASTEFUL ACCESSORIES
When I was younger, my mom would take me to Staples before school started, and I loved selecting all of the brand new supplies I would need for the year. I feel the same applies to workspace materials. Sure, we need staplers and tape dispensers, but why select the functional, yet boring ones when you could have gold and acrylic? It’s an opportunity to express your individuality, plus it adds to the overall aesthetic of the space.
GET COMFORTABLE
We all spend a lot of time at our desks, which is why it should be a space that is both livable and productive. Use a pouf as a footstool, keep a tumbler filled with water nearby, and invest in a chair that you don’t mind spending several hours in.
ORGANIZATION
There is a lot of time wasted looking for that piece of paper, pen or business card lost in the cluttered chaos on your desk. Create a functional, yet stylish system to help keep important dates and urgent tasks in sight. Incorporate a tray to store time-sensitive materials and file everything else away. Use a pencil holder to store pens and highlighters, so they are easily visible when you need them.
5 Essential Office Decor Tips from the Creative Director of High Fashion Home
Make it pretty but useful.
Echo Marble Dining Table, available at highfashionhome.com
Dolley Frearson is Co-Founder and Creative Director of High Fashion Home, a destination spot for anyone looking to revamp a space or choose from a huge variety of high design products equally high on value and quality. But the pieces offered aren't just for the home, no matter what the name says.
With the shift in corporate culture (which, for many means buh-bye to the cubicle!) and the continued surge in startups, office spaces are starting to feel a bit more homey-- or at least somewhere you don't mind spending overtime in. We asked Dolley for her 5 essential tips for creating a "high fashion" office that feels like home/work.
MAKE IT A PLACE OF BEAUTY AND INSPIRATION
People think that an office (home, startup, or otherwise) needs to look like an actual corporate office; bookcases, filing drawers, and executive desk, etc. but it doesn't. Whether you spend 1 hour a day in there or 8 hours, your place of work should be a space that inspires you. So, think about places that inspire you-- whether it's a clean modern space like the Apple store, a hip boutique hotel, a feminine retreat to call you own, or a historical library with art work and books for inquisitive minds. Start with your inspiration and build around that.
Click through for four of my favorite desk picks.
MAKE IT USEFUL
You don't want to build a study that no one uses. Think about who would use it the most and how you would use it. If you have a huge space, feel free to use a dining table instead of a desk (like the above Echo Marble Dining Table at the Create & Cultivate office in LA). With laptops, iPads and wireless printing these days, you no longer need the typical desktop computer technically. If you're like me and like to use your home office as a "study" or "library" for your kids to share, consider a round, oval or rectangular dining table with 4-6 chairs. It's also nice to have a larger table when they need to work on a school project or if your kids want to have a study group at home. If you don't want to share the space with the kids, a large table will still be nice if you need to share the space with your spouse or if you have meetings often or need more surface space for projects.
Click through for four of my favorite dining as desk picks.
TO COLOR OR NOT TO COLOR
For those who like a clean canvas to clear their minds, a neutral wall color with monotone or muted colors in the furniture and accessories is the way to go. Some need color to bring them ideas and energy. If color inspires you, by all means find that perfect artwork or rug that has the colors you love in it. You can also go with a black or dark charcoal gray or any shade of deep blue. I personally love home offices to look like a hidden cave or jewelry box, but that's my way of creating an office retreat. This idea works best with an office room that has higher ceilings and windows for natural light.
DECLUTTER YOUR OFFICE (AND YOUR LIFE)
Declutter your office (and your life) - I'm a strong believer in the saying "tidy house, tidy mind!" I think it's incredibly important to keep your home (and office) organized and simplified. Nowadays, there are so many great boxes, file boxes, trays, etc. to keep you organize. If you start off with the right tools, it will help keep your space in order.
ACCESSORIES ON SHELVES
If you love collecting books and objects, that's fine, but keep them organized and make them look like they have meaning on your shelves. If you have built-ins already but don't have enough books (or any at all), combine your current books or new and beautiful coffee-table books you love with some great accessories like objects, sculptures, pretty boxes, plants, etc. It's great way to inject color and add texture to your shelves. But keep these shelves a bit open so they don't look too cluttered and busy. There are so many great design blogs and Pinterest photos of bookshelves to give you some great ideas.
It's In The Details: 12 Stylish Must Have Office Essentials
The past few weeks I have been head over heels in love with designing the new Create + Cultivate Studio. It's a stunning, bright three-story loft, equipped with open office space, a bathroom that can hold board meetings and a rooftop I can't wait to install.
The goal to designing office spaces is to find pieces that are both timeless and appealing to look at, all while being 100% functional. The worst is when you spend money on a "trendy" office supply and it really only ends up collecting dust.
The C + C ladies attract the vivacious, outgoing, talented and most stylish women in the business. I'm talking to YOU! I mean, who isn't inspired by their colorful Instagram feed? So, in the hunt for the most perfect furniture and office supplies, I pulled together a list of the 12 stylish office must-haves. All of these pieces are bound to step your work game up.... and the kicker - all are under $99.
The new C+C studio will be, how I like to sum it up..."OMG EYE CANDY EVERYWHERE!". I've broken down key elements to help you achieve a unique, successful office vibe, similar to the one we are currently working our magic on.
Veronica Valencia is the creative force behind The Design Hunters. As an interior designer and floral stylist, Veronica has been able to transform spaces into beautiful works of art, as well as feature her work as Lead Designer/Art Director for design makeover shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Follow Veronica on The Design Hunters blog and follow her on Instagram @TheDesignHunters.