Creating the perfect home office is more important than ever now. Your home has to provide a haven for your personal life and support your work. If the energy isn’t good, then you could find both areas difficult.
If you use the energy of your home in the right way, you are giving your business an extra boost. (I like to think of Feng Shui as a secret weapon!)
While traditional Feng Shui is about much more than furniture placement, there are some ways for you to create the perfect home office.
Space
It’s important to be able to separate your work and home life. Closing a door at the end of the day is good as it helps you switch off and it impacts the energy. If you have an office, it’s better to have different décor to your living space so that even subconsciously you differentiate between the two.
If you don’t have a separate room to work, then it takes more discipline to maintain a work/life balance.
Using your bedroom to work was probably ok at first during Covid but it’s not really feasible long term. Also this mixes the energy of work and sleep so that you find that you never escape work and equally you might be tempted to have a doze during work hours!
If you have a spare bedroom, then flexible furniture such as a sofa bed or Murphy bed means that you can still have a guest room but you aren’t working right beside a bed.
Wherever you work, clear away any clutter before you start.
Position
In Feng Shui what you face represents your future. If you sit facing wall, then you are blocked and achieving your goals can be a struggle.
You should aim to sit with your back to a solid wall, looking into the room so that you can see the door. This allows you to focus rather than worry about what’s going on behind you. Better focus means more effective working. It takes up more space to have a desk away from the wall but try it and see how much better it feels. (A desk or table with castors could be useful so that you can move it against the wall after you have finished work.)
If you use your dining table for work, you still need to have your back to a wall. Try to sit in a different position to work than you do to eat. The alternative direction can help you switch between work and relaxation.
Keep the centre of the desk in front of you clear at night – this allows you to create space for your plans.
Also, have images that relate to your professional goals or projects opposite your desk. This helps you keep focussed.
You should have your certificates and qualifications on the wall behind you so that they become your support. This is also a visual reminder and supports your expertise if you work on Zoom etc. (It’s no place to be shy!)
Furniture
You are more important than any furniture – always!
Over the years I’ve met many people who compromise their health and wellbeing because they have too much furniture, leaving no room for themselves. This blocks the energy in a home. Unless you are preserving or curating a national treasure, your home should work for you. It isn’t a place to store “stuff”.
Have a desk that is big enough to work from. A cramped table can restrict you and your business and isn’t a secure base to work from.
While you work, your chair is part of your foundation. This needs to be sturdy and comfortable.
Storage
Storage is vital so that your workspace isn’t cluttered but only have as much storage as necessary. Too much storage could tempt you to keep things you don’t need. Also, don’t pile your paperwork on the floor. This is devaluing it.
Decoration
The colour and style of a room has a major impact on the energy of the space and how easy it is to use. While you need a Feng Shui consultation to identify what colour would suit the innate energy of a room, generally it’s best to avoid very dark colours and busy patterns as these will affect the energy and be distracting.
Live plants and aspects of nature will create a more relaxing space.
Lighting, especially natural light, is vital to the energy of a space as well as to mental health and wellbeing. You need light to work effectively as this is what supports yang energy. Otherwise you and your business are likely to feel sluggish.
Identify your successes: media coverage, awards, thank you notes from clients all set a positive tone for the energy of a space.
In addition, if you have a colour you use in your business, use this in your workspace to separate it from your personal space.
If you are using part of a living space to work, you could define the space by using different tones of the colours in the rest of the room. Or you could delineate the space with a screen or a tall plant so that you aren’t looking at work during your relaxation time.
Finally, check that your house and front door are easy to see. If people can’t find you, then it’s hard for the energy to find you too. This means that it can be difficult to get business.
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For more tips on working from home read my earlier blog.