The real problem with working from home
Working from home has obvious advantages, but it raises a problem the office used to solve on its own: the lack of a boundary. The same space is where you work and where you rest, and the brain does not tell them apart. Hence the difficulty of getting going in the morning and, above all, of switching off in the evening.
Smell is one of the cheapest ways to build that boundary, precisely because it works without you having to think about it.
Scent rituals: the part that does work
The most effective strategy is not to look for the scent that "improves productivity". It is to use two different scents: one during the working day and another when you finish.
With repetition, your mind associates each one with a state, and the change of scent becomes the signal that the working day is over — which is exactly what working from home lacks. It is conditioning, the same mechanism by which a particular playlist puts you to work.
It works better if the change is marked: citrus or mint during work, lavender or woods afterwards. And if you can, switch off the unit in the work area when you finish: turning it off is a signal too.
Which registers to use and when
The working day. Citrus (lemon, bergamot) and mint. They are associated with a sense of alertness and clarity. Rosemary too, with the most consistent research of the three, although still limited.
Afterwards. Lavender, jasmine, woods. A warm register at low intensity.
About what you read out there: these scents do not make you more productive in themselves. What they do is make the space more pleasant and mark the transition. Productivity comes from sleeping, organising yourself and keeping your phone out of sight.
Intensity: very low
This is the most common mistake in a home office. You are sitting a metre from the unit for eight hours. What is subtle in a living room becomes invasive at that distance and over that length of time, and ends up giving you a headache.
Place the unit at middle distance, not on the desk, and set it to minimum. If you get used to it and stop noticing it — and you will — do not turn the power up: it still works just as well as a signal.
Which diffuser
Two things matter in a work area: that it makes no noise and that it adds no humidity, because there is usually a computer, paper and cables nearby. BENDIS nebulizers work without water and without heat, and are programmed by schedule, so you can automate the morning change and the evening switch-off.
The unit is chosen according to the square metres of the room; the catalogue gives the coverage of each model. And we send you samples first so that you can choose by smelling.
