The Right Light: How to Improve Concentration and Study Habits
The quality of light surrounding you can have a significant impact on your ability to concentrate and study effectively, even if you don’t realize it. It’s important to choose the right type of lighting for your study space in order to facilitate the kind of productive environment you need to succeed.
How to Improve Concentration and Study Habits
This guide will help you understand how different kinds of lighting affect concentration and productivity, as well as provide guidance on what kind of lighting to incorporate in your own home or office study space to facilitate successful studying and concentration.
Understanding Lumens
Lighting is a key part of any room, whether it’s in your home or in the office. In fact, lighting is one of the most important features that affect your quality of life.
There are a variety of different lights available for use, including natural light, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), incandescent bulbs, halogens, LEDs, and xenons. LEDs are considered by many to be the best choice because they emit a more consistent light than other types of bulbs; however, they’re also quite expensive.
If you’re trying to decide on what type of lighting will work best for you or your business–whether that’s at home or in an office–consider these 10 tips for how light impacts concentration and study habits.
Know Your Light Color Temperature
Lighting is one of the most important factors in productivity. Not only does it need to be appropriate for your environment, but it also needs to have a specific color temperature. Proper lighting will help you concentrate, increase focus, and improve your mood. Below are a few examples of different color temperatures and their effects on productivity.
Is Color Temperature Really That Important?
In general, a higher color temperature means the light will be yellower. There is a greater degree of blue in low color temperatures. People who prefer warmer light should use bulbs that have 2700 Kelvin (K) or higher, while those who prefer cooler light should use bulbs under 3000 K.
What About Daylight vs. Standard Bulbs in Work Environments?
Lighting is an important factor when considering how to improve concentration, as it can impact mood, energy levels, sleep quality, and stress levels. Daylight provides natural lighting that has been proven to have a positive effect on mood and productivity.
Daylight has a much higher level of blue light than standard bulbs, which is why it stimulates the brain’s production of serotonin. Standard bulbs don’t emit as much blue light; however, they do emit more green light which makes them better for reading.
Where Should We Place Lights Around the Office?
Lights should be placed around the office in order to maximize productivity. This is done by providing adequate lighting for each person’s workstation, task, and desk.
Too much light can cause eye strain or temporary blindness, while not enough light can cause headaches, eyestrain, or general discomfort. There are two main ways to provide illumination in the workplace;
- natural lighting from windows or
- artificial lighting using overhead lights, lamps on desks, wall sconces/sconces on the side of a desk (or even floor lamps).
Steps to Evaluating Your Own Space For Best Results
- Evaluate your space for natural light- is there anything you can do to better use the sun?
- Evaluate your space for artificial light- how much lighting do you need?
- What type of lights is in the room, incandescent or fluorescent?
- Do you have any colored lights? White or natural colors are best! Fluorescent colors like red, green, blue, etc., can affect sleep patterns and moods so they should be avoided when studying or concentrating on tasks that require high focus
Conclusion
We’ve all been there before. Sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, feeling restless and unable to concentrate on our work. Whether you’re a student or a professional, the effects of poor lighting are no less frustrating.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to make your working environment more conducive to concentration. The first step is simple enough: invest in good lighting fixtures with an appropriate light bulb (i.e., not fluorescent).
Next, make sure that your window blinds are closed so that they don’t create glare while you’re trying to work on your laptop or desktop screen. This is especially important if you’ll be using it under artificial light later on in the day when it starts getting dark out!