Does your office support you? You may have never asked yourself that question, but you should. Your office should support you energetically. Are the colors on the walls conducive to productivity? Is the entrance clutter-free and welcoming? Does it reflect a successful business?
Whether you work in the corner office of a multi-story commercial building, a cubicle in a medical center or the corner of a bedroom in your home, your workspace should provide you with supportive energy for focus, productivity and income generation.
It used to be an office only needed a desk and chair, something to write with, a telephone and perhaps a typewriter. Today, the technological and electronic needs are vast. Global communication systems, cell phones and smart phones, wireless laptops, and voicemail systems are just a few of the necessities of a productive 21st-century office.
With all of the high-tech requirements, the more subtle but equally supportive energy requirements are often overlooked. These provide a balanced atmosphere, allowing you to stay focused, productive and in-control of your time. A productive, success-oriented office contains a balanced amount of both worlds. Integrating some basic feng shui principles and personal design preferences with your high-tech requirements will create an office that is less stressful and more productive, which yields more profitability and personal satisfaction.
Before you can energize your office for success, it is imperative you unclutter it first. If you energize certain areas of your office and there is clutter in the way, you will energize the clutter first and create even more clutter. Organize it, file it or get rid of it. Then you are ready to move on.
Here are several feng shui principles you can apply today to create a balanced office:
- Energize the entrance to your office by eliminating any clutter, having it well-lit, removing wastebaskets from the area and making sure the door can swing open. This is not only the entrance to your productivity, but also the entrance to new clients, new business and profitability. The front entrance and its welcoming statement affect the success of your entire business. If your office is in your home, make sure the entrance to your home is also welcoming. You can do this by making sure plants are pruned and there are colorful flowers to greet clients. Do this even if clients never come to your home. Positive energy needs to enter in order to provide your business with growth and prosperity.
- Paint office walls colors that provide supportive energy for the work being done. For example: Medical, or dental office walls should be light shades of blue or green because these are very calming colors. Since patients may be uncomfortable and nervous upon arrival, the best energy for them is calming energy. Sales, marketing and professional offices should be a soft terra cotta or earth tone colors, which is conducive to building good relationships with clients. Avoid the hard, stress-oriented energy created by white walls – the stress created by the hard, white energy can easily pass on to clients resulting in no sales or unsatisfied customers. High-tech electronic multi-tasking offices can be balanced with soft green on the walls and wood furniture. Avoid white here as well. Deadline-oriented offices such as press rooms, delivery organizations and media productions need to keep things calm. They should use cool blue hues in their decor. If you are in a home office and cannot seem to get motivated, paint the walls white and surround yourself with less wood and more metal objects. Focus is often a problem in a home office – the white will give you that energetic tension needed for focus and productivity.
- Use art and wall décor to further enhance the purpose of the office – those that encourage focus, productivity and generate income. Use motivational art and posters that energize! Art that shows success, teamwork and a winning attitude are great. Frame them in silver or gold and hang them on west and northwest walls. Family pictures in an office can be very distracting, so limit them to either a small grouping or a collage in one frame – place them in the southwest area of your desk or office to energize relationships, both work and personal. In the east and southeast area of your office, energize both new business and wealth generation by adding plants that reach upward like bamboo. If you do not have a green thumb use great-looking silk plants or trees. You can also hang pictures of magnificent redwood trees or sequoias to give added energy to income generation. Adding artwork with water in it on the north wall will energize your career while providing a gentle flowing movement throughout. Be sure the water in the picture has movement to it like a flowing river rather than tumultuous waves crashing on the shore or stagnant water with no movement. A small tabletop water fountain with a gentle bubbling sound also works well. Make sure if you use the fountain to run it every day and keep it filled with fresh water.
- For meetings with clients, staff members and in boardrooms, use a round or an oval table. The complete energy of the oval or round table is conducive to negotiating, sales, problem-solving and conducting productive meetings. If you need to be “in charge” when sitting at this table, be sure to sit in the power position, which is opposite the door.
By balancing your office for supportive energy and aligning your personal design tastes with the type of work you do, you have the formula for improved focus, productivity and more success. Creating balance eliminates many of the energy drainers in your workplace and reduces stress.
Ideally, an office should support you, your goals and objectives as well as what you need to accomplish on a given day. A balanced and properly energized office or business leads to a calmer, in-control, more successful you.
About the author:
Pat Heydlauff is president of Energy Design, a company dedicated to eliminating chaos in the workplace and home. More than a feng shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps clients by removing clutter, and using design principles to enhance organization and productivity. Her forthcoming book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,” shows how to organize one’s life for a better tomorrow. To learn more, visit www.Energy-by-Design.com or call 561-799-3443.