How To Feng Shui Your Office

There are a lot of ways to capitalize on efficiency while working in an office or home office setting, from digital task managers and to-do list strategies like Eat that Frog, to systems of organization. We've become so focused on monitoring productivity that we may be forgetting an old adage about keeping things simple; sometimes the environment can have as great an impact, or better, on our concentration as the methods we adopt for achieving it. For example, lighting, comfort, airflow and temperature, noise pollution, and how frequently we are distracted all affect our ability to focus and get things done.

Feng shui, a thousands-year-old Chinese philosophy, emphasizes the importance of balance between our living environment and the natural world. According to The Spruce, the principles of feng shui reflect nature, and its practice is undertaken to access, and benefit from, the flow of energy throughout our spaces. With these guiding principles, enhancements and amendments can be made to each indoor environment: furniture arrangement, wall color, imagery, and even the direction we face as we do our work are a few considerations. 

Here, we explore feng shui ideas for the office to increase joy, health, wealth, and productivity. While they may not seem exactly simple, a few small changes could make a difference; and whether you subscribe to the concept or not, a soothing paint color, new houseplant, or supportive office chair are positives we can all believe in.

According to Better Homes & Gardens, feng shui uses balanced elements of earth, water, fire, wood, and metal — with their corresponding energies — to create a harmonious and complete environment. Optimal materials for the desk are those associated with expansion and prosperity, therefore a wood desk is best. A rectangle, L-shape, or a variation of those with softened corners are most agreeable. Real Simple advises that it should be absolutely sturdy and stable, with no wobbliness or uneven footing: after all, a desk is seen as a representation of the career.

Water and metal elements promote abundance and sharpness, respectively; a cold-mist essential oil diffuser is a great way to introduce the water element while adding the benefit of aromatherapy. Per Well + Good, lemon, lavender, peppermint, and cinnamon are all office-appropriate scents. Choose a metal desk lamp, planter, or desk accessories as easy options for bringing the metal element into the office.

The adage, "out with the old and in with the new," applies to energy, too. Hive Life explains that keeping clutter at bay allows the flow of creativity in the space, diminishing areas for energy to become blocked. Furthermore, a clean work environment allows us to think. Ample storage and a disciplined routine for maintaining tidiness will help to corral clutter. My Domaine cautions against sharing storage with others, as it can distract focus and take over our own goals for the space.

According to The Spruce, in feng shui, books represent knowledge; but having too many while leaving no room for more, or having an overabundance of old books, can mean a stagnation of knowledge or a grasping of old, tired ideas. Create space for new books, and new ideas, to enter your office. Finally, pare down furniture to a functional necessity, and make sure there is nothing on the floor, encouraging energy to flow throughout the room.