In a recent conversation with a friend, I was told that there are specific houseplants that work great to boost productivity for those like me who work from home. I immediately began researching some such home plants.
What then are the best plants for productivity at home? It is established through dedicated research that having plants at home give a fillip that helps in increasing efficiency and productivity. Plants like the peace lily, spider plant, snake plant, peppermint, English ivy, etc., are some that people use consistently to make a difference. In fact, having these plants around brings about positivity and a fresh perspective at home and work.
Cooped up inside closed air-conditioned spaces days at a stretch, seeing the outside world through glass windows if lucky to look up from work that is, and then seeing more of the same concrete, glass, and steel; this is what has become of workspaces, be it at home or office. Let us see how one can ‘plant’ a change.
Certain Things to Know as You Go for Home Plants
Before looking at specific plants, what they bring to the home or office space, and how to care for them in enclosed confines, let us take a brief look at various aspects of ‘going green.’
Why do human beings respond to greenery?
For millennia the human eye has been conditioned to seek out greenery. This is something our ancestors grew up being surrounded with. In strictly scientific terms, this is because the color green sits directly in the center of the color spectrum that the human eye can see. Years of evolution towards modernization and resultant urbanization and settling down to life in cities has not lessened the basic human need to feast the eyes on greenery.
Ever wondered why when we travel, even though the stark beauty of some landscapes is beautiful and we revel in it for the time, ultimately it is coming back to green spaces that give us the most satisfaction? This is just our conditioning that associates green with life and food and sustenance, and stark with deprivation of some sort.
Modern life and its demands are different now. People are generally confined to small impersonal spaces where they work for hours at a stretch, days on end. This is their workstation, this is where they stay and do what they do to earn their living. It is only natural that stress becomes a part of their lives.
Not only are deadlines adding to the stress, continuously looking at a digital screen is damaging to the eyes. The ‘blue light’ that is emitted from laptops, phones, and tablets, is harmful to the eyes with prolonged exposure. People often tend to forget to blink enough when immersed in their work. In the long run, this can have a detrimental effect on vision. You would be surprised to know that this is countered to a large extent by having greenery around you, at work in the office or work at home.
Do home plants help in increasing productivity?
- Working from home can get tedious for most of us even in the most rewarding circumstances. For people who have chosen this model of work, it can get trying to keep at it for long periods of time. This, in turn, means that as tedium sets in, it is bound to affect your productivity negatively. This is the least desirable outcome. Day after day of this routine can be quite demoralizing for anyone, be it a high flying corporate or a lone worker operating from home.
- It is believed and in fact, scientifically proven and backed by research that having plants at your home increases productivity. Studies by universities like Harvard and Exeter, to name a few, have repeatedly shown that workers in a green environment have been more efficient and willing to work than those working in a stark environment. A happy and satisfied worker will obviously bring in better perspective to work, thus affecting productivity positively.
- Imagine taking a small break from your work at home job and taking a stroll near your plants. Looking at the beautiful leaves or tending to a yellowing one, loosening up the soil, or just washing the dust off the leaves can become extremely pleasurable. Returning to work after enjoying a green surrounding ensures a better and more productive worker.
- By introducing the green element, you are actually humanizing the workspace by bringing ‘outside’ elements into the interiors. The same effect is achieved on people working from home when they have green spaces to look up to and enjoy when they take a break from work.
Studies to support the role plants play in well being
There are studies aplenty on the benefits of being in contact with nature. Conducted by various universities, these have established that nearness to nature in any form helps counter stress and improve mental health. Washington State University, Harvard University, and Exeter University have been at the forefront of leading research in this direction. Most recently scientists at the University of Washington have engineered the plant named Pathos so that it is better able to remove chloroform and benzene effectively.
Plants One Can Have Around Home to Boost Productivity
There are a lot of chemicals in the air around us that are hazardous for us. Pollutants from things like formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and trichloroethylene are commonly found in homes. A common myth going around is that air quality indoors is always better. This is so not true. There are things like paint and plastic which are established pollutants. And then there are the usual suspect, carpets. Carpets are a significant source of trapping dust and pollen, and the resultant dust mites can cause problems for people susceptible to breathing problems. These factors affect indoor air quality, in turn affecting productivity negatively.
Let us look at some plants we can keep in our workspaces at home to counter these effects. We will also consider the benefits of each of these plants individually as well as the degree of ease of having them at home, what they need to thrive, etc., to get a better idea.
14 Plants to Make you More Productive When Working from Home
- Peace Lily. This is one of the most recommended plants to keep in a home office setting. This is a plant that is easy to look after. It needs less light and thrives under artificial lighting well enough. An occasional watering is good to revive it to its glory. Even on days that you forget to look after it well, it will still survive.
- Spider Plant. A well known indoor plant, this one is hard to kill even with continued neglect. Most of the indoor pollutants are tackled well by this fighter plant. This makes it a beneficial indoor plant to help you become a more productive worker.
- Snake Plant. One of the most effective plants for improving indoor air quality, it is also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. It helps to convert carbon dioxide at night, thus oxygenating your home.
- Peppermint. This plant is believed to help alertness and memory according to the International Journal of Neuroscience. Does it then need any further elaboration on its benefits upon you when you work from home? It is but natural that an alert person will produce much better work.
- English Ivy. This is one of the best air filters that you can get. It requires minimal light and is easy to care for. It helps negate the effects that computers have on health upon sustained usage.
- Bamboo Palm. This plant helps counteract certain pollutants and is easy to grow in the home space. It grows well in the shade and needs air and water to maintain its vitality.
- Lemon Balm. Known for its natural aroma that helps boost mood, naturally helps promote the home worker to be more productive. It thrives well in indirect sunlight.
- Golden Pothos. When NASA swears by the capacity of this plant to clear formaldehyde from the air, there is not much to add further. Use this plant to purify your home office effectively.
- Boston Fern. This plant is not only beautiful to look at, but it also serves as an effective humidifier. Most work and office spaces are highly air conditioned that often lead to dry skin problems. Having ferns around helps counter this to a large extent. They do not require direct sunlight and tend to grow beautifully when watered adequately.
- Chinese Evergreen. An easy to care for a houseplant, this one has beautifully marked leaves and gives a tropical feel to the house. Not only does it improve air quality, but it also gives off oxygen. This automatically helps increase productivity and promotes well being and health in the home and office space.
- Air Plants. These are an exciting option for plants in the home setting. They are very easy to maintain since they do not even need soil. Just a place with circulation and mist spray once in a couple of weeks is enough. They are pleasing to sore eyes and help combat pollutants at home.
- Bamboo Palm. These plants are lovely as air purifiers. They need sufficient water to thrive but are great additions to homes. They purify trichloroethylene and benzene while adding beauty to your home.
- French Lavender.Lavender is famous for its aroma which has a very calming effect on many people. Having this plant around you will surely help you combat work stress. Remember to place it at a place that has adequate sunlight.
- Kitchen favorites.Some herbs can be quickly grown in an indoor setting. We need to just see to it that there is adequate sunlight so that they can have robust growth. Aromatic herbs like mint and coriander grow well in pots and can be maintained easily. Not only do they add a touch of green to our vision but also add healthy culinary value when added to foods.
Here is a table to give you more clarity on some specific home plants.
Ways in Which Home Plants Help and How You Can Help Them Prosper
Benefits derived from home plants
1. Air filter. People often have the misplaced opinion that indoor air is much cleaner. Often times it is the other way round. Keeping doors and windows closed to keep out pollution often causes dust and smoke from home sources to remain trapped, causing more pollution. Plants are the greenest way out of this problem.
2. Mood enhancer. Having greenery around is a great mood enhancer. Plants create a significant visual impact on our brains that are conditioned to love greenery. A sudden bloom, new leaves, a growing plant lift the mood.
3. Increased productivity. A happy work environment leads to a happy worker and thus increased productivity.
4. Improved health. Having plants that help keep the air clean, provide more oxygen and absorb harmful toxins will automatically lead to a healthier environment at home.
5. A new hobby. Keeping plants around and looking after them might very well lead to a new hobby. Looking after them need not become a ‘chore,’ rather a productive way to take a break from the boredom of work from home. You will return to work refreshed.
Help your home plants prosper.
Plants help you, and you need to do your bit to help them thrive indoors.
1. Space. Just like you need space, plants too need space to grow. Take care to choose an area where they can grow unhampered.
2. Lighting. However less their needs might be, indoor plants do need some amount of light. Keep that in mind when placing them in homes. Some plants do well with artificial light while some others might need a little bit of natural light.
3. Maintenance. Like every living thing, plants need support and looking after like watering, pruning, and manuring.
Some Associated Questions Regarding Improving the Work from Home Environment
1. How best to design your home workspace?
There is liberty you have when you are working from home. Having a workspace designed according to your needs, not only work needs but also spiritual and aesthetic demands is something that working from home affords. Add things to enhance this experience to the best.
2. What
Spending long hours alone without much human interaction is one of the biggest cons of working from home. This can lead to so many issues that at times people find it challenging to continue. Plants do their bit, but there are other ways to do this as well.
- Use of color. The liberty of having your workspace designed to your satisfaction affords you a lot of flexibility. Use color in a manner that will create good vibes when you sit down to work. Nothing too distractive but surely something that provides relief from the monotony of work at intervals. Even a beautiful picture or a bunch of fresh flowers acts as a visual bonus and adds to the experience, affecting productivity positively.
- Good lighting. This includes two aspects:
- You can do your best to highlight any natural light that comes into your home. Choosing your workspace in a room that already has more natural light will help a lot in creating a healthy work environment.
- You can do up your workspace in a manner that you add artificial light to brighten and cheer up the surroundings. Because you will possibly be working even past daylight, this is something that you should invest some thought into.
- Aromatics. Great smelling office space has excellent mood enhancing properties. There is no reason why the same cannot be replicated at the home office setting. No need for something dramatic. Just a small aromatic candle or even a few drops of essential oil into a floating flower bowl can do wonders for your workspace.
In our minds, healing touch is associated with affirming life and what better way to affirm life than to have plants around? You can literally see life grow, respond and blossom under your loving care right in front of your eyes. The fillip this provides to one’s spirits is to be experienced to be believed. It reflects in all aspects of life, not only work but in your relationships and your outlook towards life in general. It creates a circle of positivity. The more your spiritual well-being, the more productive you become, thus leading to more wellness all around.