Feng Shui for Your Office
Are you easily distracted while you study? Do you have trouble focusing when you work from home? Do feel like you have zero control over your work life? You may have a home office or workspace that needs an energy adjustment. A big component to achieving success in your career, work or schooling is to set up a supportive and stable place to think, create and focus. You can create an office (even at home) built for success by using simple Feng Shui principles.
For a home office, the best case scenario is when you can create a dedicated space specifically designed for you work/study. Ideally it would be a spare room where a door can close and even lock, but the reality is you may not have the space, so instead you will need to find a quiet corner of the house to set up shop.
Download your Work Life Bagua worksheet
The Feng Shui tips below will work for any office (inside or outside the home) but I will address specific issues for a workspace within a multi-functional room i.e. an open concept main floor. When working from home you may need to carve out your workspace in a living room, family room or bedroom. Working in a shared space can be distracting and disruptive. By following the tips below, you can create a dedicated energy area that feels separate from the rest of the room, this will create more stability and less distraction.
Here are five simple ways (and two complete instructional videos) to help make you feel more secure and productive in your workspace using Feng Shui:
Desk position. In Feng Shui we call the optimal position of the desk and chair the command position. It should face the door or entry way so you have a commanding view of your surroundings. Also having a solid wall behind you provides a solid backing so you can rest at ease and focus on your work. What if my desk can’t face the room or opening, what then? Watch the Feng Shui Your Office video below for more info on the command position and how to tackle that situation.
The desk. The material and colour of your desk is important. I prefer using a solid wood desk or at the very least not a see-through table top. Glass desk tops allow ideas and creativity to leak away and fall through. I also prefer a darker coloured wood. Practically speaking this makes the papers easier to see and focus on.
The chair. Another way to create more support and stability is with your desk chair. A proper chair will give you both physical and energetic support. Things to look for: higher back, functional, solid back. The higher back gives you that feeling of cocooning and support. You can choose a bold colour if you need more get-up-and-go like red, which represents the fire element; or go for stability, and grounding with brown.
If you are in a multi-functional room you can further cocoon the area by adding a screen to block out any distracting or negative energy. It will help to keep things focused and calm.
The 50/50 rule. Remove any clutter that isn’t serving a purpose. I like the rule of thumb that you should be able to see 50% of desk at least once per day. Having said that, a messy desk can be creative and productive when you are in the middle of a project, but do try to clear your desk and reset between new projects.
Using the power of the bagua. You can also activate certain key areas of the desk top by adding objects and elements in a specific gua/area. This will boost energies and help to balance out the 5 elements. You can use the areas of the bagua and apply it to your business life by mapping out your desktop. Watch the video How to Feng Shui Your Desktop and download the Business Life Bagua worksheet to get specific info on each area.
Bonus tip: You can add some inspiring photos to a pin board behind your desk or hang a piece of art that support you. It is important in a home office to surround yourself by inspiring things that will keep you motivated and creative.
Map your own desk! Do want to learn more about each of the nine areas of the bagua and how it relates to your work life? Download this worksheet I have created here:
Download the PDF worksheet.