Flower Power: 4 Blooms that Boost Productivity

Think you could use a brain boost at work? Get yourself a flowering plant or a vase of fresh-cut blooms.

Science has long confirmed flowers’ power in improving well-being, particularly mental health. As blooms elicit biochemical changes in the body, it impacts our level of happiness by alleviating anxiety and improving mood. And what does having a good mood do?  Well, with positivity within you, you are more likely to handle stress at the workplace better, find joy in what you’re doing, polish your professional image with optimistic confidence, and increase your productivity.

While prioritizing, planning, and protecting your time are ultimately what you need to get things done, a bit of something pretty, fresh, and charming is a welcome addition to help you stay on track. Perform better in the workplace with these four powerful brain stimulants from nature.    

Lisianthus for Creativity

This rose-like bloom features an elegant and delicate beauty. It comes in various hues including white, pink, lilac and purple, salmon, green, and even blue. Appearing soft and sweet, this attractive flower is said to spark imagination and encourage creativity.

Fresh cut lisianthus has an average vase life of two weeks.

Rosemary for Memory 

Shakespeare’s Ophelia said, “there’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.” Is there some truth behind this? Well, there is a small but growing number of research testing how rosemary can stimulate memory. One done by University of Northumbria researchers resulted in significant enhancement of prospective memory for participants who stayed in a rosemary-scented room. Another study published in the Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences in 2017 showed that rosemary essential oil also boosted image and numerical short-term memory.

This herb with needle-like leaves that’s often used as a spice in food and ingredient in perfume and bath products appears to indeed be a cognitive enhancer. If your office desk has access to a window that receives plenty of sunshine, you can easily grow rosemary in a pot while in the workplace.

Positive Energy from Orchids

How does a visually stunning orchid plant make you feel? With their captivating form and graceful silhouette, it’s impossible for one to not notice them and be affected by them.

Deemed as a flower that symbolizes boldness, strength, and refinement, the orchid would indeed make a good productivity-boosting plant display on your desk. Take inspiration from it. Be more like it. Orchids are said to flower better if they are stressed a bit. That should remind you that you can bloom under pressure. While this plant adds a sculptural presence to your worktable, it will also bring inspiration for you to manage your energy, and time, better.

Roses for Relaxation

A study done by Japanese researchers and published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2017 showed that viewing fresh red roses has positive physiological and psychological effects in that it induces relaxation and improves mood. This study is consistent with other research on visual stimulation with foliage plants and olfactory stimulation with rose essential oils.

And how would relaxation affect productivity? Well, if you expend energy continuously with no break at all, what do you think will happen? Relaxing is a form of recharging and it’s essential for maintaining a work-life balance. You need to give yourself a break to declutter and re-organize your mental space, so you’ll feel less stressed and overwhelmed. A short period of downtime is enough to renew your energy, replenish your spirit, and renew your attitude towards work. Relaxation will bring you back with better attention and motivation which in turn will help you be more productive.