I don’t know about you but the holidays really burn me out and I sometimes find it hard to get back into that productive work groove come January 2nd (or January 6th as I write this post LOL!).

For others however time off inspires you to get back to work and be productive. For whatever reason, when you work from home as a Virtual Assistant, it’s easy to fall into a rut don’t you agree? You get up in the morning, get your coffee, head to your office and start your day. It’s easy to lose enthusiasm for the day and thus lose a bit of energy and productivity.

The good news is that sometimes all it takes is a little change in your surroundings to re-energize.

Here are five tips to re-energize your home office and yourself.

1. Paint your office. Scientists have proven what many people have known for a long time: color has an effect on our mood, our energy and our productivity. Colors like blue and purple tend to lull us into a relaxed state while reds and yellows tend to make us feel a bit more energized and sometimes, depending on the hue, agitated. Paint your office a color that fits your needs. A change in color can be very energizing and it’s an easy way to spruce up your home office for relatively little money.

2. Add new lighting. Anyone with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can tell you that light, natural light in particular, is very important for energy levels, mood and productivity. If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your home office, add some. You can add light fixtures in key locations and you can use natural spectrum light bulbs to simulate the sun’s rays.

3. Plants and other natural elements are great (water element). Plants do more than clean the air around you; they actually help people feel good and energetic. Strategically position a few plants in your home office for energy and natural air filters. Some fun plants to try are the “Money Tree” to attract prosperity and a spider plant for its ability to filter toxins from the air.

4. Organize so you don’t feel like you’re working in a pit. Clutter can drain the energy from a person faster than a screaming toddler. Organize your office and if you need to, spend a few dollars on some fun organization accessories like colorful magazine holders. This adds color and organization to your office in one easy fix.

5. Add a few of your favorite things. Many home organization and business productivity experts recommend hanging pictures in your office. Consider making a vision board that represents your goals to inspire you throughout the day. Of course, pictures of family, nature scenes and art you’ve collected will also make your office feel like a welcoming place to be.

Other small things like a comfortable office chair, an easy way to listen to music if you like to work to the tunes, and small touches that make your office feel like it represents you will all help you re-energize both your office and yourself. It’s amazing what a little color, organization, and personalization can do.

Do your own research and find ways that will help energize you again. Maybe Feng Shui is something that interests you? (read our blog post on Feng Shui here). By incorporating a few positive tranformations into your surroundings you’ll start 2015 off and be re-energized.

Have you made any improvements to your office yet this year and if so what were they and did they re-energize you?

I’d love to hear your about it in your comments below…