The average American worker spends between 6 hours, 54 minutes and 8 hours, 16 minutes at work.

A 2012 UK study shows that the average person spends about 5 hours, 41 minutes sitting at his or her desk.

That’s a lot of time spent at your desk, which becomes a reflection of who you are and how you work. What does your workspace say about you?

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The Health Nut

There’s nothing more important than your personal health, and being in an office won’t stop you from ensuring that your body operates like a well-oiled machine.

Healthy snacks – Snacking prevents overeating, keeps your blood sugar and energy up, and can give you many nutrients you might be missing out on—as long as you do it healthy. Some common snacks you keep at your desk include:

• Nuts
• Fresh and dried fruit
• Whole wheat crackers

Stability ball – You’ve ditched the uncomfortable desk chair for the stability ball, which:

• Improves stability
• Improves balance
• Builds stronger abs

Hand sanitizer, tissues, disinfectant wipes – While you’re no germaphobe, you do know that the average desk is home to 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. One study found 549 different types of bacteria in the average office. Many of these bacteria came from human skin normally found in the mouth, nose, and intestinal cavities. Plants – Your office plants add a dash of color, but plants at work have been shown to:

• Reduce stress
• Improve air quality by removing harmful pollutants and stabilizing humidity levels
• Absorbing background noise

Reusable water bottle – Sipping from your water bottle throughout the day not only keeps you hydrated, but also prevents the stress caused by dehydration.

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The Office Hoarder In a survey by OfficeMax:

• 90% of Americans believe clutter negatively impacts work and life
• 77% believe clutter reduces productivity
• 50% said clutter impairs motivation and state of mind
• 40% said clutter damages professional image

Previous studies suggest that executives waste up to six weeks a year looking for missing items and information.

Stacks of paper – Memos, meeting notes, grocery lists, if it’s not written down, you’re not remembering it.

A large collection of files and folders – Someday you’ll get around to organizing those stacks of paper.

Leftover food – Someday you’ll also get around to eating those piles of furry, throbbing food.

Coffee cups – It takes a lot of caffeine to focus when you aren’t sure what just crawled over your foot.

A complete wall of old Post-it notes – One part reminder, one part extra insulation.

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The Creative

You might feel like a bit of an odd duck in the corporate world, but you also know that creativity plays an important role in:

• Coming up with new ideas
• Solving problems
• Keeping office morale up

Photos, paintings, and artwork – Your workspace is super personalized, reminding you who and what you’re working for, instead of working for work’s sake.

Numerous vinyl figurines – One part artwork, one part action figure, all parts fun to look at.

Colorful wallpaper – You decided to cover your cubicle walls with some patterned wallpaper or colorful wrapping paper.

Origami – Origami gives you the opportunity to decorate your space with cranes, frogs, butterflies, flowers, and more while also reducing your stress in what is a surprisingly meditative process.

Journal/sketchbook – You need somewhere to jot down ideas for your next story or sketch out scenes during your lunch break.

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The Tech Nerd

While your love of tech borders on obsession, there’s no denying that technology improves efficiency and communication and gives workers the ability to stay connected wherever they are.

Two monitors – You can never have too many high-resolution screens.

Laptop – When you’re on the go, you need to keep up with something that has almost as much power as your office rig.

Tablet – Perfect for presentations, browsing the net, and getting in some light reading when you’re on the go.

Phone – Packed with all the latest apps so that you can post to all your social media accounts and stay on top of email.

Countless chargers – You’ve somehow collected a large number of chargers over the years, which is fine because your batteries could use all the help they can get.

Power strip – You always have somewhere to plug in.

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The Organizer

You are at the complete opposite spectrum of the hoarder. “A place for everything and everything in its place” is your motto.

Complex filing system – It may only make sense to you, but the few files and folders somehow house all of your daily operations.

Calendar – This is filled with reminders for upcoming events and helps you plan for the weeks ahead.

Daily planner – Your handy planner gives you somewhere to write out your extensive to-do lists.

Pomodoro timer – The timer ensures that you get work done but give yourself enough time to stretch your legs and have a mental breather. The Pomodoro technique has been shown to improve productivity and allows you to get through your to-do list faster.

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The Family Man/Woman

Despite a growing economy, the U.S. ranks low on work-life balance among other developed countries, thanks in part to long hours, few vacation days, and the lack of a nationwide paid leave policy for new moms and dads. But you make sure to surround yourself with thoughts of your family, making sure they are your number one priority all the time.

Family photos – The veritable album of framed photos on your desk and hanging from your cubicle walls keeps you going during the tough days and reminds you who you’re doing it for.

Kids’ art projects – From macaroni art to finger paintings, everything your kids do is truly amazing and worth showing off to your coworkers.

Pictures of pets – A constant reminder that Fluffy is waiting for you back home.

Dog bowl – Of course, there are those days where you bring Fluffy into the office with you. Research shows that bringing dogs to work:

• Reduces stress
• Improves morale for you and your officemates
• Enhances workplace communication

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Resources:

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/06/20/ten-maps-that-show-how-much-time-americans-spend-grooming-eating-thinking-and-praying/

• http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Why-You-Should-Snacking-20131326

• http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/healthy-office-snacks

• http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/average-desk-harbors-400-times-more-bacteria-than-average-toilet-seat.html

• http://www.cbsnews.com/news/offices-may-be-contaminated-with-more-than-500-types-of-bacteria-mens-offices-dirtier/

• http://www.ambius.com/indoor-plants/office-plants/benefits/index.html • http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-stress-reduction

• http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2011/01/31/is-office-clutter-costing-you-a-promotion-organize-hoard-enough-already-peter-walsh-own/

• http://paidtoexist.com/10-ways-to-relax-your-workspace/

• http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-pomodoro-technique-is-it-right-for-you.html

• http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/U-S-work-life-balance-ranks-poorly-on-Better-5267525.php

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330081235.htm --- Brought to you by San Diego Office and Modular Design | sd-office.com