How to Feng Shui Your Workspace

Want to improve both your productivity and happiness level? It's time to feng shui your workplace. Feng shui is a practice that will help you design your environment so that it brings the best of you out. By following the 10 practical feng shui tips listed below, you can increase your productivity, your positive energy, and your working experience.

10. Practical Tips

1. Position your desk so that you are facing the entrance of your office or cubicle.

Since business and people are coming in through that entrance, it is important for you to not have your back towards them. Placing your desk this way will allow you to be less stressed out because you are not surprised at what is lurking behind you and are well prepared to attend to whatever comes through the opening. Worst case scenario that you cannot move your desk, place a mirror so you can still see the entrance.

2. While facing the entrance is good, do not place your desk in line with the door but either towards the left or right of it.

Sitting in the pathway of the entrance does not give off positive energy. You become the thing right behind the door that instantly receives whatever comes in, both good and bad. Just by positioning yourself off to the side of that entrance way, you are increasing your prosperity. The absence of a desk in this pathway allows people to enter the office space with a welcoming feeling of spaciousness.

3. For irregularly shaped rooms, jutting pillars, and boring walls, consider placing mirrors, plants, or paintings.

Making the environment more pleasing through these tactics will increase the positive energy and good fortune of the workspace. You will feel more relaxed in an area filled with beautifully arranged decorations.

4. Glass walls can help with your productivity but too many can create privacy issues.

One of the main benefits of having glass walls is that you are approachable to your office mates. You are also held more accountable for your work and are more aware of what is going on in the office. But glass walls gives a vulnerability that is only corrected by the protection of blinds. Even when blinds are not used, their presence gives you the option of privacy.

5. Design your office space with a balance of yin and yang in mind.

What this means is that there should be a balance of colors, shapes, and textures in the room. Too much of one thing makes the room too strong and hence a balance of different things creates a welcoming and peaceful environment for you and your visitors.

6. Make sure you have proper lighting.

Fluorescent lights may do their job but can make your eyes sour, so if you are stuck with these lights in your office, think about replacing them with full-spectrum lights or table lamps that are healthier for your eyes. Lighting will improve your productivity by making your eyes less tired and stressed out.

7. Increase the air quality in your workspace by adding air-purifying plants to the setting.

Your brain desires more oxygen and what better way to satisfy this need than to decorate your office with plants that not only make the air better but also create a more refreshing work environment. Good plants for the office that bring good luck are fortune plants.

Top 10 Plants for Cleaner Air

> Areca palm

> Reed palm

> Dwarf date palm

> Boston fern

> Janet Craig dracaena

> English ivy

> Australian sword fern

> Peace Lily

> Rubber plant

> Weeping fig

8. Decorate your office with some water, such as a miniature fountain or fish tank.

According to feng shui, water is associated with bringing in money. The rushing of water will also soothe your mind as you work. Amazon has a nice assortment of waterfalls.

9. Eliminate any clutter in your office.

Hide cords, organize your papers, and make sure there is a place for everything. A cluttered workspace will drain your energy while a spotless place welcomes a clean mind ready to take on any task.

10. Have your office reflect the kind of energy you desire by choosing the right colors for its interior design.

Each colors represents one of the five feng shui elements--fire, earth, metal, water, and wood--and with each element, a quality that you may desire for your work. To find out what each colors means, check this Feng Shui color guide.

When you can find ways to be grateful it helps you slow down and enjoy the space that you have to work with. It's this gratitude that will help you deal with the frustration when you start to get messy again. Remember no one is perfect and it's all about building the habit up, so you can have the work space that you truly want.

Estela M. L. Go is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on getting a bachelor's degree for Guide to Online Schools.