Many of us work from home now.

This comes with a new set of opportunities as well as a new a set of challenges, especially if your home was not designed for you to work there.

Here are some Feng Shui tips to help you make working from home, work better for you.

Energy & Support

Let’s start with the number One Feng Shui principle. We use this across all Feng Shui applications – in design, interior layout and even when creating a corner for a particular activity. 

The principle is, when placing people and activities, we want to ensure that:
1) we receive and collect positive environmental energy, and 
2) that people are supported so they can benefit from this. We receive energy from the direction that we face into and we are supported by the features behind us.

This is relevant when creating a home office or work space.

The Armchair Position

The ideal position for a desk is with you looking out into the room and with a wall or piece of furniture behind you for support. This means that your desk is in front of you. That way you are in command of the room.

However, you need space to have your desk this way, and this ideal placement may not be possible.
Often the desk has to be against a wall with your back facing the room. It is case, it is best if you can have your back towards the not too distant back wall of a room, rather than towards the door or a large area. This will give you some support. It is also better if you can see the door of the room so you won’t be surprised by someone entering.

Sometimes however, the door has to be behind you. In this case, you can place a round stainless steel mirror on your desk or monitor that will reflect the door and show you if someone is approaching. It should however, not reflect your image so not to distract you.

Additionally, it is good to have some side protection such a filing cabinet, a table with your printer or a plant for further protection and to make a contained space out of your work area – just like an armchair. Being supported is important if you want to be productive.

Space

Space is more than an empty something. It has to do with identity, your way of being at a certain time. You have a work identity, a way of being with friends or family and another when playing or meditating. Ideally, we want to make an authentic space for each of these ways of being.

If possible, have a dedicated work space where you do nothing else. This is where you can start your work in the morning and that you leave when you are finished in the afternoon. Even if you are required to work at odd times, this can be a space you come to for this purpose and that you leave to be your private self in another space.

You don’t want to work where you eat or watch YouTube videos or chat with friends. There is not enough separation and you end up always at work. You also want to keep the kids out of your work corner. It should be dedicated to you.

Separating ways of being can even be done when you don’t have a separate work area. In this case, clear your work off the table – have a drawer where you can put it out of sight at the end of the day – before you transform the desk into the dining table.

In my small home, I have nevertheless 5 different areas and ways of being: my reading armchair, at the table to work or eat, the soft furnishings to relax, at the standing desk and on the bed which is a meditation space looking out into nature during the day.

A space is defined by some boundary. This can be a rug, furniture or a large pot plant. Key is to separate each area in a way that works for you. Make it dedicated, special and relevant to each particular activity. Make it personal, make it yours.

Creating different quality areas can make a home much more versatile and alive. It can be done even in a small home.

Time

Space and time go together. Working from home can also bring problems of time-management. You may feel you are working all the time which can lead to burnout or you are unable to switch off. You may also be constantly distracted – with snack time, cups of tea, putting on the washing, an interesting youTube video, etc.

The key to this is to manage time similar to managing space. Set yourself a schedule, have breaks, start and end times. Turn technology off when you are done. Turn the wifi off at night.

Problems with Energies

There is another dimension of problems you may face in your space. This has to do with the quality of energies there. It is more than good light and fresh air. It is the energetic quality of a place that most people can feel. This is determined by a home’s unique energy distribution which we work with in Feng Shui.

There are good and not so good energies in each building. There are excellent energies for work and business, and there are energies that make it hard to concentrate, that make you feel tired, heavy, irritated or distracted.

Our purpose is to have radiant life force energise your work area and to have good personal support help your focus and productivity. At least, we want to make sure not to aggravate any negative potentials through inappropriate placement or colour schemes, and to provide you with the best possible solution available.

A Feng Shui consultation can give you this information. It is individual to your home. It will help you setup and decorate your work area so you can utilise the best possible potentials and reduce any negative influences. Please contact me for more information. 

Brigitte Seum, 0403 366 100.

Image Kinga Cichewicz on unsplash.