Feng shui is the ancient art of aligning objects in the external world to support us on our internal journey, our life’s work. It’s operating whether we’re conscious of it or not! If your work is leading you to set up a home office, then taking into consideration the correct alignment of objects is a way to boost your productivity and set yourself up for success.
A home office is more than just a desk in a room. According to feng shui, for maximum productivity a home office should
- Support the work you do – physically and mentally
- Reflect your personality
- Enhance your financial goals
- Serve your current needs and goals while keeping you open to future possibilities.
Here’s how to get started:
- Find the right space. At home, it could be the guest room or formal living room that never gets used. A separate space is ideal so you can close the door at the end of the day. Feng shui believes that to live fully, we must balance our lives with work, rest, and play so you don’t want to see the work on your desk while dining with your family. If you must use an open area to the rest of the home, like a formal living room, then consider room screens to separate the space. In addition, if you will be meeting with clients at your home office, consider the area that they must walk through to reach you; that unused formal living room at the front of the home might be perfect.
- Love your desk. You will be spending a lot of time in relationship with this piece of furniture so treat yourself to a desk that you love and works for you (right height, material you’re drawn to, shape where you can reach everything you need). Do you prefer an open or closed front desk? An open desk is one that enables others to feel more connected to you. A closed front desk helps to create boundaries between you and others. There are also hybrid desks, with partial fronts.
- Place your desk in the command position. The command, or power, position of a desk is one that helps you feel safe, comfortable and primed for work. It’s one where, when you are sitting,
- Place other furniture based on how often you will use it. Need your printer on an hourly basis? Then it goes close to the desk. Do you see clients in your office frequently? Then set up chairs for clients in the place where you want to meet them.
- Make room for enough storage. The bane of most home offices is not enough storage, which often means that stuff gets piled on the floor or on chairs. In feng shui, clutter equals stuck energy and stuck energy means stalled finances. A healthy financial life is all about flow; clutter anywhere clogs the flow of energy. Use both open and closed storage; open storage (bookshelves) intentionally invites new energy, like future clients; closed storage (file cabinets) keeps work confidential and secure.
- Use plants and art to beautify and personalize your space! Plants are a great way to fill in a corner to soften angles or make an odd-shaped space feel more rectangular. Select art that you love, says something about you and supports your work.
These simple feng shui recommendations will help to make your home office a place you look forward to going to every day!