How To Position Your Desk In Your Home Office To Promote Productivity, According To Feng Shui
Having a home office is a major upgrade from a simple desk setup for those who work either partially or completely remotely from home. Creating a space in tune with your preferences, design tastes, and, more importantly, organization and work style can make your workday that much more productive. More than having a space for your computer and documents, you can create room for meetings, organization, or other tasks that are a part of your daily work routine.
Deciding how to arrange your space in a way that's most functional and productive, though, can be overwhelming. In comes feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice and art of organizing your space in a way that's practical and energetically and elementally balanced (via Healthline). Feng shui is all about balancing multiple elements, including wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, as well as feminine (yin) and masculine (yang) energies. Not only are these elements balanced, but they're arranged in ways that are most productive for the given space. For your bedroom, this would mean stimulating sleep. For your office, this would mean increasing productivity and wealth.
Face the door
The most important aspect of your home office is your desk. Whether you work on a computer, are filling out your planner, or making calls, the desk is the hub of your home office. As such, where you place it, especially when practicing feng shui, is even more important.
Gary J. Hawkes, a feng shui consultant, told Livingetc that the most important thing to factor in when positioning your desk in your home office is to ensure your back will never face the door. Hawkes explains, "The primitive part of our brain is always preoccupied with safety from any form of attack and having one's back to an entrance or office walkway is very unsettling so you are never really relaxed, but always stressed and tired." Being able to see the door clearly helps diminish any of that anxiety and creates a more relaxed environment, which in turn increases productivity.
Have sturdy backing
While making sure your back doesn't face the door is the most important aspect of feng shui in your home office, it isn't the only aspect. Gary J. Hawkes also told Livingetc that you should be able to see the door from your chair and desk, but not be directly in line with it, keeping it more at a diagonal.
Specifically, Healthline recommends placing your desk in the power position, otherwise known as being as far away from the main door as possible, but still angled so that you have a clear, unobstructed view. They also recommend having sturdy backing — ideally, you should place your chair so that it sits directly against the back wall opposite the door, allowing you to see it but backed by something solid. Related to your desk, you could also create this effect with a high-back chair. Avoid placing your desk in the center of the room, which would leave your back exposed.