Customize Your Workspace Lighting

March 2024 — Tip of the Month

If you're one of the millions of people who work from home — even a few days a week — you've likely personalized your workspace. Maybe you have an adjustable-height desk, a mechanical keyboard, and multiple monitors. But have you thought about personalizing your workspace lighting?

Light affects the mood of a space as much as anything else. Therefore, custom lighting should be one of the primary ways you personalize your space. With LED smart lights, you can quickly adjust the lights to fit your mood or objective.

I use Philips Hue lights, which include a few default options, such as Relax and Concentrate. When I need to focus on work, the bright Concentrate setting is a good option. If I'm stressed and need to take a breather, the warm and dimmer Relax setting is a nice alternative. Sometimes, I want to change the mood completely, so I select a deep red or blue setting.

I use a simple app on my Mac called Hue Menu Bar, available from the Mac App Store. It provides a one-click access to the Philips Hue lights in my house.

Whenever I want to change the color or brightness of the lights in my office, the options are one click away.

I've found that adjusting my lighting — especially at night — significantly affects my mood. Custom lighting makes it easier to work in the evening, though I don't know if that's a good thing or not...

- Per Christensson