Feng Shui for the Home Office
From the AT&T Telework Guide
It might sound far-fetched, but wind and water could hold the key to your telework success.
According to the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui (Chinese for wind and water), we can maximize life and work in our spacial surroundings by balancing chi, the Chinese word for energy. And by applying some simple principles of feng shui to your home work space, you can enhance the experience and results of teleworking, says R.D. Chin, who uses the Tibetan Buddhist Form school of feng shui to guide his architecture and design practice.
"The most fundamental principle of feng shui is feeling very protected in your environment," says Chin, "so look first at the position of your desk. It's good to be able to see the door, so you won't be surprised by someone coming in. And you should have a wall behind you for support, though not too close to your chair. This position will enhance your awareness of everything that's going on in front of you, and that helps you focus on your work."
Look first at the position of your desk.
Once you've got your desk set up, you can use another tool of the feng shui trade to create other "levels of intention" in your work, says Chin. The ba gua, an octagonal symbol, can help you visualize eight different aspects of energy in a space, including: wealth and power; fame; marriage/relationships; children/future; travel/helpful people; career; knowledge/spirituality; and health/family.
Based on the I Ching, a Chinese approach to change, the ba gua octagon can help the teleworker make changes in a space to enhance different aspects of work. The idea is to maximize and harmonize all eight kinds of energy, especially balancing the yin, or peaceful energies, and the yang, the active energies, to manage stress.
According to the ba gua, as you enter the room, the far left corner represents wealth. Chinese custom associates water with money, so in this corner you might want to put a water fountain or fish bowl to enhance prosperity, says Chin.
On the other hand, the far right corner represents marriage and relationships, so to create good feeling in your home office, you might want to place a vase of flowers there to create beauty and bring good luck, Chin points out.
Other variations on the ba gua can help you overcome limitations of your space. For instance:
If you don't have a window in your home office, you might want to place a beautiful picture, perhaps of a lake to suggest creativity, in front of your desk.
You might put a mirror on the wall opposite a door to unblock energy and open up opportunities.
If you don't have a wall behind your desk, make sure to sit in a tall-backed chair for support.
Artwork should be at eye level, so you can admire it without strain.
And, of course, your telephone should sit on the side of your desk nearest to the hand you use to answer it!
In fact, there really aren't strict boundaries between the ba gua spacial areas, and you should always use your intuition to set up your workspace in a way that makes you feel good. Says Chin: "It's all about achieving balance in a very busy life, and maintaining balance with a quiet life. You want to feel calm about your crazy life!"
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