I have always been quite interested in the subject of color psychology, is your use of color getting you what you want? The colors you use in your clothes can influence the reaction you get from others, but the colors you use in your environment can help you become more productive or else decrease your productivity. When decorating your office think carefully about how the colors you are using are going to influence your ability to be productive and get things done. Here is some advice:

Avoid Plain White

Plain white surroundings may look clean but they also tend to decrease productivity. Although you may eventually adapt to this environment, in order to stay consistently productive it is best to avoid it.

Blue is the Most Popular Color for Productivity

Blue is one of the most popular colors for productivity and studies have even shown that weight lifters are able to pick up heavier weights in blue surroundings than in other colored surroundings.

Use a Combination of Blue, Green and Red

Nancy Kwallek did some research into the topic of color and productivity and found that "the optimal work environment is a combination of the two color extremes - a soft blue-green separated by wainscoting over a soft red," she says. According to her studies people are either high screeners - able to block out their surroundings, or low screeners - not able to do so, those who were high screeners worked best in a red room, while those who were low screeners worked best in a blue-green room. Red is stimulating, while blue-green is relaxing.

The color of your work environment or home office can affect your productivity and should be decorated in such a way as to enhance it. White often causes an immediate loss of productivity, though one usually does adapt to it over time. The ideal colors, according to the study by Nancy Kwallek are a soft blue-green separated from soft red with wainscoting.