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8 Easy Steps for arranging your desk

1. Clear away clutter: If it’s paper, file it, scan it, or trash it. If it’s something that needs to be taken care of, do it now. Edit your essential desk-top items- do you really need 15 pens in your pen holder? Your desk is valuable real estate, and should be as clear and clean as possible.

2. Sit so you can clearly see the door. No one likes to be surprised when they are concentrating on their work. If you have a clear view of the door, you can see what’s coming, literally and figuratively.

3. If you have a blank white wall behind your computer screen, it can cause eye strain and fatigue. If the wall is large enough, add artwork. Preferably something beautiful, inspiring, or action oriented (a sail boat race, a waterfall, running horses…just make sure it’s an image that has a positive meaning to you. Do NOT display artwork of sinking ships, a battlefield, or dead or decaying items, all which elicit negative feelings)

4. Add a healthy living plant to the left corner of your desk. This is symbolically the wealth area of your desk, and you should nurture and care for a healthy growing plant in this area (You are symbolically nurturing and caring for your thriving career when you care for this plant, so be mindful of it). My favorite plants for this area are lucky bamboo (easy to keep alive), a jade plant (one of the favorites in the Asian culture because it’s leaves are the shape of coins), or a plant that is in bloom (orchids are beautiful and are in bloom for quite a long time). DO NOT LET THIS PLANT DIE AT YOUR DESK…as soon as it starts to deteriorate, get a new healthy plant to replace it.

5. Add two personal photos to the right side of your desk, in nice frames. This is the relationship/love area of your desk, so chose your photos carefully. I suggest a happy photo of you with your loved one(s), and a second photo of either your children, your pet, or something that you love. If you love to travel, you can use a photo of a favorite destination, or somewhere you long to visit.

6. Add a table-top fountain in the north part of your office. Keep it small and classy. And yes, it should be as close to the northern compass point in your office as possible. (If you have an I-phone, you can download a free compass application that can easily tell you where north is.) A fountain in the north keeps the vital “chi” energy flowing in your office space. Make sure you keep this fountain turned on 24/7, even on the weekends, and when you are out of the office. If you turn the fountain on and off, you are turning on and off the energy of prosperity…which will start & stop your forward career movement. I love to add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to my fountain, which creates a subtle but fresh fragrance throughout the day, and has the added benefit of helping to keep you alert.

7. Add a candy or treat dish to your desk, and keep it filled with a popular treat that doesn’t melt. Encourage quick visits from your office co-workers. A smile and a happy greeting from your co-workers will lift your spirits, keep you engaged, and bring a constant flow of energy to your work-space.

8. Keep positive affirmations close at hand. You can accomplish this in several ways; Famous quotes that inspire you posted on the wall/ the computer/or wherever you can see them; Books that inspire, or instruct you in career advancement; a screen-saver for your computer that has positive or motivational messages. Or add something personal to your desk or office that symbolizes success to you.

Of course there are many Feng Shui techniques that will apply to your specific office layout, but these are a few common tips that anyone can incorporate to make a positive change today!

Please visit my website at http://www.SouthcoastFengShui.com or find me at facebook at http://facebook.com/southcoastfengshui
Thanks!
Tamara

One of the best parts of working at home is being able to control your work environment. With some feng shui knowledge, you can turn your work space into a place of productivity and ease instead of the place where you just log your hours. And all it takes is moving a few things around. In less than an hour you can start to feel better and work better. You may even end up making more money.

The Best Rooms for an Office

To make the most of feng shui energy, your home office should be in the East, South-East, South or North-West part of your house. An office in the East part of a house is good for a new venture. There is a lot of strong, active, focused energy here. The South-East is very similar, but it is a little more gentle. If your business requires better communication and working with others, the South-East is better than the East. If you want a lot of attention and recognition, put your office in the South part of the house. If you want a more respected, established reputation, or are seeking to be a leader or a manager, then the North-West corner of the house is ideal.

It is especially important that the office not be in your bedroom. In feng shui, we want to keep conflicting energies separate, and the relaxing, passive energy of a bedroom does not work well with the active, focused energy required by an office. If you have to put your office somewhere, and you just do not have a spare room, then put it in a corner of the living room.

Decorating Your Office

Because there is so much electrical equipment in modern offices, and because that generates negative chi in feng shui, you’ll want to add a bunch of leafy plants to soak up the electro-magnetic waves. Plants that have round leaves also represent money, and that’s certainly a good charm to have in an office.

Avoid sharp corners of desks, file cabinets and anything else. This usually means that cheaper metal furniture is going to end up costing you in the end, as it will make working in your space harder and more frustrating. If you can not get around a few sharp corners, try covering them with cloth or draping a plant vine over them.

Good light is essential. Avoid fluorescents whenever possible, even if it means putting in a skylight or moving your desk a bit so you do not have to squint from light that is too dark or too bright. Remember — a lot of feng shui seems mystical, but really what matters most is that you feel relaxed and comfortable.

As you probably know, the biggest “sin” in feng shui is clutter, and this applies to offices as much as any other part of your house. To control the clutter make sure you have plenty of storage space, which includes enclosed bookshelves, roomy file cabinets, and well-organized office supplies containers. Having plenty of extra room is very important — you need to leave space for your new clients and new projects to come to you.

Cecilia Montrose is an office designer. She advocates using a wood filing cabinet instead of sharp metal cabinets in offices, and loves the wood file cabinet she uses in her home office.