Feng Shui Homework: 9 To-Do's for Your Home Office

Room & Board's Chilton table makes a great home office desk.

Who wouldn’t want to work from home? Ahhhh! Working from home can definitely have its advantages. You save time. You save money on commuting. You can manage your personal obligations in between breaks.

However, some people can’t seem to grasp the balance when working from home. They seem to get distracted very easily, not accomplishing much, or perhaps taking too many naps. Some tend to overeat, aimlessly surf the Web, and watch TV as opposed to the time clock. Before you decide to work from home, you must be really honest with yourself and ask a few important questions. 

• Is a home office the best environment for my personality?
• Will I be able to separate my work life and home life while in one space?
• Do I think I will eat more? drink more? waste more time?

From a feng shui perspective, a working-from-home environment can be a real challenge. If you can’t find a balance between work and your private life, it may cause you more stress than anything else.

Here are the top 9 suggestions to help you create a harmonious work-from-home-environment. And, these tips are 9 in number for a good reason. The number 9 is the number with the highest energy. Hopefully, these suggestions will give you a great jump start!

1. Pick a room or a space as separate as possible from your home life. For example, it is not advised to have your “office desk” in the same space as your living room or TV room. If you have a spare room, use it. If the only extra space you have to create a home office is in the basement, that’s not ideal, but it is doable. Just makes sure you have a lot of uprising energy represented, such as up-lighting, the color green, ventilation, and hopefully some natural light.
2. Make sure you do not put your desk in a vulnerable position. It should be facing the door but not directly in front of it.
3. Your chair should have support by having a solid wall behind it. A window behind the chair is not advised. If there are no other solutions, use heavy drapery to symbolically create that support.
4. Your chair should be comfortable for you. It should give your body good support. Consider one with a high back, armrests, wheels, and the ability to turn from side to side (so good "motion seating"). You don’t want to ever feel that you are "stuck" or rigid.West Elm's Swivel Leather Desk Chair meets all of our feng shui requirements.
5. Be mindful of what you see in front of you when sitting at your desk. Is it a window with a view of the outdoors? This may lead you to daydream and perhaps not focus on work. Is it a blank wall? This may cause you to feel blocked and perhaps curtail your ability to come up with new ideas. Instead, make sure that what is in front of you is inspirational and matches your goals and dreams.
6. Yes, you can have family photos in your home office, but just don’t overdo it. It may subconsciously confuse you and distract you from what needs to be accomplished.
7. Nowadays any office has computers and electronic devices. Make sure you have enough plants to help combat the negative electrical energy that is associated with these devises. Water lily and spider plants are highly recommended.
8. Keep track of your work hours, even if you don’t have to.  If you are in a position where you have to track your hours in order to bill a client, then this is quite easy for you. However, many entrepreneurs accumulate “work hours” working on their own stuff. It’s always important to "clock ourselves in and clock ourselves out." This way we can see how much time we are actually spending on work and on how much time we're really goofing off.
9. Remember to smile as often as possible while working ... even if you don’t want to. This may lead to the occasional unnecessary giggles or laughter. Since you are working from home, chances are that no one will see you, so you don’t have to explain this to anyone! It's always good to lighten your mood.

CB2 has a contemporary range of furniture for the home office.

Feng Shui Homework

Your homework for this month: work on getting your home work space separate from your personal home living space. It may not be easy, but at least start tackling it.

Until next month,

Franca

Franca is a Feng Shui Student Advisor and Instructor at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Feng Shui Homework: Paint a Prettier, Less Toxic Picture in Your Home

 

This is a great time of the year to start and finish projects around the house. One of my own personal feng shui adjustments includes painting a room in my home. And, I must say that it has been awhile since I’ve been paint shopping. Selecting the right color and shade was grueling. It took a few weeks. (Wow, this process is much easier when I do it for clients.) What I didn’t realize was the process of picking out the quality of paint. When I was at Home Depot, I felt like I was at a Starbucks. “Do you want glossy finish, semi-glossy, flat, low VOC, no VOC, etc…?”

VOC stands for “Volatile Organic Compound,” which is a number of chemicals that turn into a vapor and then pollutes the air. It is not only found in paints. It’s also in varnishes, glues, and certain cleaning products. Formaldehyde is a VOC, and so is fish odor. To be environmentally conscious, no or low VOC is best.

Now, I would suggest that even if you’re not planning a painting project, go around your house and see what other toxic items you have. Do you have old varnish cans in the hall closet? Do you know if any of your cleaning products are toxic? Yes, it’s great if something can cut through grease, but what else is it doing to us? Where do you keep the bug spray?

Ideally, all of these products should be stored out of your home. Unfortunately, many homes have attached garages, and that’s probably where all that stuff is. And if you live in an apartment, space is always an issue. I can only hope that at least nothing toxic is underneath your kitchen sink.

If you can, get a shed, put it somewhere on your property, and store the products there. Hopefully, it won’t be too close to your neighbors. But if you safe storage isn't possible, make sure no harmful products are in the kitchen, in the bedroom, or near any place where you spend a lot of time. Just being aware where things are stored can be very helpful.

Feng Shui Homework

I am giving you a big assignment for homework this month.

• Pay attention to the products in your home. Read the ingredients. Look up words you don’t know. 
• Properly store or dispose of anything that is not healthy. 

Educating ourselves is very powerful and an essential step towards having a healthy, picture-perfect home. And a healthy home is a healthier you.

Now, all I have to figure out is if I want a satin finish paint or not. Argh!

Until next month,

Be well,

Franca 

Franca is one of the Feng Shui instructors at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Feng Shui Homework: Attend to Details

On February 10, we have the new moon and the Chinese New Year. Welcome to 2013, the year of the Black Snake!

Depending on your own animal sign (click here to find out), the Year of the Snake will treat you differently. However, in general, it offers steady progress and the need to keep attention to the details. Having discipline and keeping focus this year will help you reach your goals.

Here are a few feng shui comments about this new year period.

• In the beginning of the year, you may not feel so grounded, because movement is on its way. It’s OK, just work with it.

• Again, keep your eye on details. Make sure to read all the fine print before signing documents. And keep up with details in your living space.

• Use the Snake’s sneaky energy to work on your behalf. When necessary, look for loopholes.

• Wearing the color black more often through the year, can help honor the Snake.

• If you're doing any construction or renovations around the house, it's best not to start a project in the South East part of your home. If it's must, however, then start work in the North West.

• Take a look at the center of your home and the center of each of your rooms. Keep them clear, organized, and clutter-free - especially for this year.

Your Feng Shui Homework

On the actual day of the New Year, February 10, you may want to wear something red, eat oranges, write down your intentions for the upcoming year, and have fun. So, for your homework this month, I'd like you to enjoy the transition!

Until next month,

Be well, 

Franca

Franca is a Feng Shui Student Advisor and Instructor at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Feng Shui Homework: New Year, New You

 

Happy New Year to you! I always feel quite in flux this time of the year, because we're in between the calendar New Year and the Chinese New Year that's to arrive in mid-February. And then we also have the stars moving around in the beginning of February. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if most of us feel very invigorated, and yet at the same time a bit unsettled.

This's definitely a new time with new energy, and we should all take advantage of it. Resolutions should be taken one step further; turn each one into an action plan. We have the entire year to manifest what we want, so we shouldn't be foolish and waste this time.

 

Feng Shui Homework

Here are some assignments to help you get started shifting energy and absorbing the full potential of this New Year.

1. Get rid of three things in your space this month. It could be as simple a book you've been meaning to give away.
2. Get rid of three things in each of your closets. You’ll be amazed how this can start a real purge of closets.
3. Write down no more than five things you'd like to accomplish this year. It's said that if something isn't written down, it doesn't exist. Writing down your ideas will give them birth, and I say no more than five, because if you a make a really long list, it may be harder to focus and accomplish your goals.
4. Next, take your five things and map them out on a calendar. Give them deadlines and action points. This can help you visualize them.
5. Place of symbol of each of your five things near the mirror you first see in the morning. It could be a word that you cut out of a magazine or a picture. For example, if you're looking for work, you may want to post the words, “New Job." Or if you want to visit a place, put a picture of it on or near your mirror. Once again this will help with visualizing your goals.

Don’t expect quick results. But the more emphasis and action your put towards your goals, the better chance you'll have achieving them. 

Until next month,

Be well,

Franca

Franca is one of the Feng Shui instructors at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Feng Shui Homework: Let There Be Light

As an unwilling participant of Hurricane Sandy, my family and I were very lucky. We didn't lose our home. We had no major damage. We were only inconvenienced for 9 days without electricity: no lights, no heat, and no hot water. And this experience has strongly reminded me how much I take for granted the power of light. By the third day without light and electricity, I started realizing how dark and cold things can get so quickly.

Light offers heat. It gives warmth. It changes yin (dark) to yang (light). In essence light increases energy. It is a symbol of the element Fire. Fire is a microcosm of the sun and brings that charge of the sun into our space.

If we're lucky enough to have access to light, we can use it to bring uplifting Chi, or life force, into a space. Keep in mind these decorating tips.

• Dark corners can become energized with light.
• A desk with a decent lamp that shines light directly where the work actually occurs is very important.
• Outdoor walkways can become alive with light, and this is a great opportunity to use solar lights.

• If the Recognition and Fame gua of your home (see the bagua chart below) is unusually dark (especially if you're not feeling any recognition at work), keep this area brightly lit, specifically during working hours.
• Consider spotlights wherever possible, because they have an added benefit of raising the Chi upwards compared to a small, low wattage table lamp.

Your Feng Shui Homework

Overall, for the month of November and every month to follow, your homework is to be grateful for light. Use it when you need it. Save it when you can. And be conscious of its many beneficial applications.

Until next month,

Be well, 

Franca

Franca is one of the Feng Shui instructors at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.