Is your office looking or feeling a little drab? Sure, when everything has its own place, it makes working much easier and even more enjoyable. But there are also a couple of extra sneaky tips to building a well-balanced, thriving home office than just making sure all your tax papers are in the right drawer.
These tips will definitely work if you work in an office, but they’re meant to work within your personal dwelling – wherever you sit down to get down to business. If you do work at home, it’s always a good idea to start thinking about your space differently. If you’re currently working in a cramped dark little corner, is there somewhere else that would be more inspiring for you to work in? Examine your space and reflect on where you feel your best.
Feng Shui Office Desk
The desk is everything. Remember that Sex and the City episode (or was it the movie?) where Carrie said once she had the desk the writing would come? Well, she was partly correct. The desk is to the home office what the bed is to the bedroom. You need to have a desk that you feel great around. No broken or wobbly drawers. No cracked or chipped paint. It needs to be clean and worshipped, and match your style. If you like elegant and feminine, track down that intricate white desk. If you like strong and masculine, find the heavy wooden desk that is right for you. Pair it with a comfy chair that you can set it for more than an hour without getting sore. The desk should lure you in.
Now, placing the desk is key. Never should your back face the entrance of the room. You want to always be able to see the door to the room from where you’re sitting. Your back should be facing a wall – so no one can sneak up on you and surprise you – detracting you from your work. You can probably place your desk many ways while following this rule, but according to traditional feng shui practices, it also helps to find out what your most productive direction is to face. This requires a little more in-depth knowledge of feng shui, exploring something called your Kua number.
Follow this link to calculate your Kua number. Your Kua number is the number in traditional feng shui that is determined by your birthday and gender and explains what your best and worst directions are (among other things). The calculator will spit out your best directions and you should try your best to face one of those ways in your office – so grab that little compass on your iPhone and figure out which way your desk faces. For example, as a Kua 3, if I want success in business, my desk should face South, so long as that means I can see out my office door. If that doesn’t work, facing East is my personal growth direction and would also work. Find out your best directions and work with them.
The Crystal
While Jet is a good crystal to place on your desk, there really is one special crystal when it comes to the office: CITRINE. Citrine is the abundance and wealth stone and it is made to be housed in your office. When standing in the doorframe to your office and looking in (at your beautiful desk!), the far back left corner is the wealth corner of the room. This is where your Citrine would like to sit so it can attract all that goodness to you and your business pursuits. The crystal doesn’t need to be huge, a little piece will work just fine, just be sure it stays out of direct sunlight because the sun’s bright rays can cause it to fade. Find yourself a piece! It deserves to be a staple in your crystal toolkit anyway.
Feng Shui Office Colors
It’s important to think about what type of work you will be doing in your home office. Are you a fantasy fiction writer? Graphic designer? Do you keep track of your spouse’s accounting for his business? One of the easiest ways to breathe new life into space is to slap some fresh paint on the walls while being mindful of what colors would bode well with the work you will be doing there. Red is an energizer. White is clean and fresh. Blue is soothing. Check out my post on color here to help you discern which color might work for you. Even painting one wall an accent color could help invigorate you. Can’t paint in your space? Don’t worry. Simply pulling those colors into your office will help, like bright art, a pillow, or a carpet.
Art, Organization & Office Decor Choices
Regardless of the room, you want to create a space where energy can move freely. Traditional feng shui studies call this free-flowing energy chi, and some new age cultures call it energy or flow. When items have a proper place and are properly organized – sans clutter – that vital life force can flow through space without tripping up on anything, causing undesirable stagnant energy. So make sure everything has a place! Your papers, your receipts, binders, pens, pencils, business cards; you name it. Give it a home. Just be sure not to stuff your office too full with furniture. You want there to be a natural movement throughout your space so you can walk with ease and not trip up on anything. Literally. And of course, gather stimulating and inspiring imagery to display in your office. These can be beautifully laid out affirmations and typography, photos with friends and family, a beautiful abstract art piece – whatever makes you feel inspired, moved, and motivated. If you’ve won any awards, display these as well as your achievements act as a great reminder of what you have accomplished. Just be sure they have a home and aren’t cluttered.