Feng Shui Your Desk: Bringing Luck and Success into the Workplace

The Chinese first used feng shui to create peace, harmony, and balance in the home. Since then, the practice has spread worldwide. But why not take it to another level and use the same principles to destress your workplace?

If Pilates, meditation, stress balls, yoga, crystals, and other de-stressing techniques do not work for you or fit your lifestyle, then maybe it's time to give feng shui a try. For the skeptics, try this explanation on why you should try doing feng shui: a cluttered desk that is logically not optimally serving you may actually be robbing you of vital energy.

So, if you finally agree to give feng shui a chance, here is how you can make use of it for your desk:

First, make sure that the space in front of your desk is open, making it more conducive to creativity. Because we take in information in front such as with the eyes, nose, and ears, it is easier for us to reach into ideas and impressions with an open-spaced desk. Also, troubleshooting depends on intuition. A wall behind your back encourages a feeling of empowerment and control.

If most of the time, your desk is cluttered, then probably your desk may be too small. Big tasks require a big desk to maintain organization. Sharp edges of cupboards, tables, and cabinets can also cause headaches and tiredness, so be wary of those.

Avoid paper clutter. Too much piled paper works create confusion and yin (which means death). Again, make sure the desk area in front of you is open and has no clutter whatsoever. Piles of paper on the left should always be higher than the piles on the right.

To create yang (which refers to energy or life), put a vase of fresh flowers on the eastern side of the desk, changing the flowers when they wither. Make sure the flowers don't block your view. A small decorative dragon could be placed on your left. Plants or cacti with small sharp leaves encourage negative energy, so you may want to get rid of those.

In establishing a good reputation in your company, place any kind of lamp in the south or on the space in front of you because light energizes your name and reputation. Placing it in the southeast area, on the other hand, will bring in luck and wealth.

Preferably, place calculators and desktop computers on another table, west or northwest of your desk. If you need them on the table, place them on the right-hand side and make sure something on your left is higher.

There's nothing wrong with trying, right? So whether or not you believe in feng shui, trying the above suggestions wouldn't hurt at all.