You’ve got your coffee, your noise-canceling headphones, and a full schedule for the day. You sit down, fire up the computer, and your mind goes blank. What happened? You’re just not feeling it today.
Which hues will get you in the mood for work? The best colors to enhance your productivity at home are:
- Gray
- Orange
- Purple
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
- Blue
Wait, gray? Isn’t that kind of boring? And doesn’t red make you angry? If you’re intrigued by some of the colors we listed, then you’re not going to want to miss the rest of this article.
What Are the Best Colors to Enhance Productivity?
Gray
One of the most surprising colors that can get you in the mood to work is gray. After all, isn’t gray associated with all things drab? Won’t it just kill your productivity even further?
Actually, no. According to a HubSpot article, this hue is all about creating balance. When you take a moment to think about it, that makes a lot of sense. Gray isn’t a very bright or vivid color, so it doesn’t jump right out. It’s also not so light or dark that it hides in the background. It’s right in the middle. Gray itself is balanced, and it can make you feel the same way.
Purple
This color brings out your sense of wisdom, imagination, and creativity. If you’re feeling uninspired in your home office, then you could use all three qualities, right? Purple is more than just a pretty hue, then. It’s a great productivity booster.
Green
The following infographic from Entrepreneur lays out some of the most popular hues for productivity. Of course, green is on the list.
The infographic comes courtesy of Taskworld and shows us the power of color. According to the infographic, green promotes efficiency and calmness. Even better is that the hue is gentler on the eyes, helping you avoid fatigue. It’s recommended in the offices of those who log tons of hours working. If that sounds like you, then you need to get some green in your life.
It’s for the above reasons that we’d say green is arguably the best color for someone working from home.
Yellow
Besides purple, another color that can help you hone in on your creativity is yellow. This is a bright and cheerful hue, so it also inspires plenty of optimism as well as productivity. For those hard days when you feel like nothing is going your way or when you have a lot on your plate and are struggling to finish, have something yellow around your office.
Red
Yes, red can provoke anger, but we like to think it’s more of a passionate color than anything else. The infographic from Entrepreneur above mentions how the red is associated with emotion. It will also get your blood and heart pumping.
A bit of physical activity can be good if you’re working at home all day, so red certainly has its place in your office.
See also: Why is an Exercise Routine Important When Working From Home?
Orange
Orange isn’t one of the most popular color picks for better office productivity, but don’t sleep on it. After all, orange is a combination of yellow and red, so that makes it almost doubly better at getting you in a working mood. You get more of the sunnier side of yellow without all the emotions associated with red, yet there’s still that burst of physicality that can get you through even a sluggish day.
Blue
Finally, there’s blue. Although people often liken blue to sadness, it can have other, better effects. For instance, on those mornings when you’re distracted by everything, blue will get you focused again. It also creates feelings of calmness and stability, which get you on the right track for a great day ahead.
Why Do Colors Change Our Mood?
Why is it that red makes you feel a certain way and purple another? Are colors really that powerful that they have the ability to influence our mood?
Absolutely! Colors have psychological properties, and one of those is mood changes. The effects can be good, such as being more productive, or bad. You know why bullfighters always use red flags to lure the bulls? Okay, it actually has nothing to do with the color. Itturns outbulls just hate the motion of the flag being waved in their face and that’s why they start going crazy. They’re actually colorblind, so the flag hue makes no difference to them.
Still, that’s besides the point. Since red is such a passionate color, many people have believed (and maybe you did too until you read the above paragraph) that red makes bulls angry.
According to a 2015 article in Psychology Today, it’s actually a combination of the brightness and saturation of a color that can trigger psychological reactions. Brighter colors with plenty of saturation make us feel energized. Lighter colors with less saturation induce relaxation. Both qualities can be important, but the former is better for a work environment.
We don’t only respond to the brightness and saturation of hues, though. Cool colors also make us feel differently than warm ones do. What are cool and warm colors? Well, green and blue are considered cooler hues while warm ones are fierier, such as orange or red. This classification includes all colors in a family, like forest green or light red.
Which colors do people like better, warm or cool? Colors in the warm family can trigger feelings of warmth, as in body temperature, says Psychology Today. They’re also more pleasing to the eye, so we tend to prefer them over cooler colors.
How Can You Incorporate These Colors at Home?
Now you know that colors have a lot of power over how we feel, you might be itching to give your home office a makeover. No matter which colors you want to incorporate, warm or cool, here are some décor ideas:
- Gray isn’t super pleasing to look at, so use it sparingly. Maybe hang a black and white photo on the wall with gray tones.
- Orange is such a bright, lovely color that you can decorate almost any part of your desk or office with the hue. For instance, why not try orange carpeting? You’ll feel passionate yet cheerful every day of the week!
- The rich, jewel tones of purple are cooler and tend to look stunning with some natural sunlight. Purple curtains are an option then, as is repainting your walls purple.
- Green is a color that occurs in nature, so you can always bring it inside with you in the form of a plant or two. Just make sure you water your plants regularly so they stay green!
- If you need a pop of color in an otherwise drab office, we can’t think of a hue that’s better for the job than yellow. From a yellow desk or chair to sunny curtains, wall coverings, artwork, or even some bright yellow flowers, you have nearly countless options at your disposal.
- Unless you’re looking to get riled up, using a ton of red in your office maybe isn’t the best idea. Keep this hue limited. Some ideas you might try are red office chairs, red artwork, or even a bookshelf with red books. Don’t do all three, though.
- Enveloping yourself in blue is smart, since Psychology Today notes the color is linked to better trustworthiness. Perhaps place some blue curtains in your office or find some blue trinkets for your desk.
Related Questions
What is the most productive color?
According to Angela Wright, a color psychologist who chatted with A Life of Productivity, the answer to that question is blue. While this cooler hue would make a perfect color for office walls or décor, Wright doesn’t recommend going the all-blue route.
“If you have a blue office, you need to put a bit of orange in there to introduce a bit of balance, a bit of emotion, so you’re not a cold bureaucrat,” Wright notes.
Remember that orange is warmer, which we’re more naturally drawn to. Combining the two gives you the benefits of coolness and warmness.
What is the color of inspiration?
Unlike the above question, in which there’s one clear-cut answer, there’s not just one color of inspiration. Instead, the primary colors are favored here: green, blue (yes, again), yellow, and red.
What other colors are popular?
All colors bring out certain sides of our personality. If you’re tired of the above hues and want to go against the grain, you might be curious about what the most popular colors are. A website called Colour Loverstracks every popular hue, with close to 10 million varieties as of this writing. Some of these color names are chosen by users, but all are different from one another.
Here are some other popular colors:
- Black
- White
- Dutch teal, a darker teal blue
- Hot pink
- Heart of gold, a goldenrod yellow
- Vanilla cream, a darker white
