The Optimal Working Environment For Students
“Only the stupid need order, the genius rules the chaos.” Was Albert Einstein right with this famous sentence? How organized should a workplace be in order to be able to learn there effectively? Every learning environment looks different. Sometimes everything is mixed up, sometimes everything has its rightful place. Is it based on personal preferences or is one desk superior to the other? What is the ideal working environment for students?
Meticulous Order Or Total Chaos – Which Is Better?
A research team from Minnesota has also dealt with this question. Your subjects (mainly students) had to complete a variety of tasks or make decisions in various experiments. Half of the subjects did this in a tidy room with an orderly desk. The other half sat at a messy desk. Depending on the experiment, the subjects were given creativity tasks, had to choose between a healthy and an unhealthy snack, and stated how much money they would donate to a specific cause, or whether they found a classic or a new advertising concept more appealing.
The result of these experiments: The subjects in the tidy room tended to stick to traditions and conventions and were more generous and conscientious. Students at a disorderly desk, on the other hand, did better in the creativity tasks, thought more unconventionally, and appreciated the new.
What About Now?
For you, this means: If you have to work consistently and in a structured manner, tidy up your workplace. Clear structures in your learning environment promote clear structures in your head! You are less distracted, think more goal-oriented, and learn more effectively since you hardly lose time looking for materials. On the other hand, when you need to be creative and innovative, clutter can actually be an advantage. The lack of structures favors new ideas – according to the principle “think outside the box”. I would like to assert that when we are studying, we often have to think in a systematic and straightforward way and learn effectively in order to acquire new knowledge. Therefore, in most cases, an orderly work environment is recommended for students. Order on the desk sometimes can encourage you to keep order in your deadlines and assignments, and if you are still a bit sloppy in that an essay writing service will help you to create highly professional essays but be sure to check reviews for sites like educibly.com before deciding on one.
Apart from the degree of order, there are a lot of basic conditions that make up a good workplace! You should always observe the following tips, regardless of whether you are a slob or a pedant.
An Ergonomic Work Environment for Students – The Basics
1. A Big Desk!
A desk is not only a desk pad but also a shelf. Your desk should be large enough that you also have enough space for a pad, index cards, your laptop, a textbook or two, a binder, pens, and a drink! (From personal experience, I advise you: always make sure that drinks are far enough away from the laptop, otherwise, the keyboard can sometimes take a bath. Believe me: you don’t have to have experienced that.)
2. A Comfortable And Ergonomic Chair!
Finding a good desk chair is not that easy. It should be comfortable and yet not encourage you to slouch. Of course, height-adjustable upholstered chairs are best. Make sure that you can work well when you sit up straight. You may need to adjust the seat height if you find that your neck and back muscles are constantly tight.
3. Let There Be Light!
Have you just moved in and need to set up your workplace? Perfect! Then make sure that your desk is where there is the most daylight. If not, then think about rearranging your furniture. Simple sunlight is still the most pleasant for our eyes and promotes long, concentrated work. Soft, bright light helps you late at night. This ideally comes from a lamp that you can also adjust.
4. Color Scheme For A Motivating Learning Environment!
Red isn’t used for stopping signs for nothing. Each color has a certain effect on our psyche. Study rooms should always be bright and yet not garish. Yellow, for example, has a stimulating effect on our brain and favors communication and new ideas. Green, on the other hand, relaxes and calms us down. In a green learning environment, we have more self-control and feel refreshed. Blue is the color most used in office spaces. For a good reason! Blue increases productivity because this color symbolizes strength, calm, freshness, serenity, and intellect at the same time.
5. Set Up The Workplace – Enough Organization!
A desk can certainly get a little fuller as long as each item has a function. Less is not always more. If you need things regularly and they are in order, then they can stay on the desk. Put pens next to the pad, stapler, and staples in one place, and sticky notes next to the library books: it makes sense and speeds up your learning!