De-Stress Your Home Office With Four Feng Shui Elements

The notion that clutter can distract us from our work and generally cause us to lose focus is not new. There are countless articles and books about how to de-clutter our surroundings to create a more productive work space. This is all very helpful. However, there are other elements to our environment that go beyond piles of clutter.

Feng Shui is a complicated system of spatial orientation used to create a favorable flow of energy. People who understand and arrange their homes and offices using these principles claim improvement in their overall well-being and productivity.

Now, I don't claim to be a Feng Shui expert. As mentioned, this is a complicated system, if one chooses to follow the ancient principles of Feng Shui to the letter. What I do know, I have learned from reading and research. However, there are elements that we can take from Feng Shui to easily and simply improve our surroundings.  Will these elements increase wealth and improve health? Maybe, maybe not. But, one thing is sure; implementing these four elements into your home and home office will make your working environment more pleasant!

Let's take a look at these four elements of Feng Shui and see how we can use them in our home office.

Wind

You may think of this element more easily as 'air.' As an essential element for life, we definitely want to incorporate air into our home office as much as possible.

Big windows open to a balmy breeze would be ideal, right?  An open window is certainly a wonderful way to bring in the element of fresh air. However, many of us don't have home offices in the most ideal location for this method.

Fresh air can be produced in other ways. An open door and/or a fan can be used to move air around in your office. If you have a small office that tends to get stuffy, consider installing an ionic air purifier. There are also small portable air conditioner units available to handle a larger office space.

Even the sound of wind can improve your mood and lower stress. There are many sound machines, either physical or computer programs, that produce soothing wind sounds. Make sure your office has fresh air to breathe and the sound of wind through the trees, real or recorded, and feel this Feng Shui element do its magic.

Water

Again, the trickle of a stream or the gentle ocean surf outside our office window would be ideal, but many of us are limited by our location to have these water sources available. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to duplicate this Feng Shui element.

There are many simple tabletop water features you can install in your office to create the sound and sight of water. Choose a bubbling fountain or tiny waterfall to add the water element to even the smallest office. Just make sure it is placed well away from your work surface and computer or other hardware.

Another option is to re-create the sound of water using a sound machine or computer program. Most will give several options from which to choose; a waterfall, surf, babbling brook, rain, etc. You can even combine several elements with most programs, allowing you to choose, for instance, wind and water together.

The sight and sound of water is only a part of this element, however. You should also include a water source in your office from which to drink. A pretty pitcher filled with fresh water is essential. Put the pitcher on a tray with sparkling clean glasses and you have a water element that would please the most ardent Feng Shui practitioner.

Light

If you are lucky enough to have a window in your office, take full advantage of all the light you can get from it. Pull back the drapes, pull up the blinds, and let the light pour in.

Of course, you will need to position your desk and computer so the light doesn't fall on the monitor. Facing the window or having your back to the window are not good solutions, since both cause glare on the monitor. Place your desk and computer monitor perpendicular to the window, keeping the light from the window on your left or right side. That way you can enjoy the light and the view while keeping your monitor out of the glare.

Unfortunately, home offices are often tucked away in a forgotten corner of the house, spare room, basement, or even a closet. When it comes to light in these situations, the choices may be limited.

If you have even one small window, make sure you utilize every bit of light coming from it by keeping the window clear of drapes and blinds. If you must hang something, choose a sheer panel. Even diffused light is better than none. Use mirrors throughout the space to reflect the light that comes in through the window, creating faux-windows on the other window-less walls. 

If you must use lamps for your only light source, be sure you light up all corners of your office. One lamp on the desk may be adequate, but those dark corners are not helping create a proper environment. You may also want to check into installing full-spectrum light bulbs which produce a light similar to natural sunlight. Again, installing mirrors to reflect any light you have will help lighten up your space, and your mood.

Beauty

This is an element that is open to interpretation. What is beautiful to you is not necessarily beautiful to others. You will need to decide how to introduce this element to your home office.

Many of the de-cluttering articles we read suggest the elimination of family pictures and other personal items from the home office. However, as an element of beauty, those personal items may be just the ticket. No, you don't want to have so much of this stuff that it becomes clutter, but a few family pictures and your child's artwork may be the beauty that is needed in your office.

Other people find beauty in fresh flowers and potted plants. Still others see classic sculpture, paintings, or photography as the element of beauty they seek. Perhaps the beauty of music is what your home office needs.

You will know what your particular element of beauty is when you feel it. Try placing a vase of flowers in your office, then place a picture of your family or friends over your desk, then hang a favorite painting, then play some music. The right combination will come to you in time. Add and subtract; subtract and add; until you feel the beauty.

Most of us have heard about Feng Shui and been intrigued by the principles. But, for many of us, studying and understanding the intricate details of this system is way beyond our needs. Using just these four elements is the simplest way to incorporate the Feng Shui method of spatial arrangement into our surroundings to help de-stress our home office environment - and ourselves!

De-Stressing Begins With De-Cluttering

How many times have you walked into your home office only to cringe, turn around, and walk out? If you spend more time thinking up reasons to avoid your office than actually working in it, you may be suffering from 'mess related stress.'

 

I've been participating in a "Clear the Clutter" challenge this month.  And it truly has made me realize how much junk the average person collects that just isn't necessary.  I have cleared a lot of space in my home - and my life - since beginning this challenge.

 

The fact is, clutter is more than a time and space waster. Clutter causes stress. Let's take a look at the typical home office hot-spots and learn a few tricks for clearing the clutter to create more calm.

Desk

Whether you have a huge antique roll top desk, a modern massive executive desk, or a tiny computer cart, your desk is going to be the repository for a lot of stuff.

Much like a closet, the bigger the desk, the bigger the mess. Purchasing a larger desk will not solve the clutter problem. However, organizing the space you have available on your desk will definitely help.

Start de-cluttering your desk by making a clean sweep of the top, cubbies, and drawers. All that should remain is the hardware, such as the computer, printer, etc. Once you can see your desk's surfaces, the mess that should jump out at you first is the tangle of cords. Even though electrical and computer cords don't exactly infringe on your workspace, the visual impact most certainly will stress your brain. Clear this mess by corralling those cords in simple cardboard or foam tubes and get them out of sight.

Now that you have a clear surface and neatly tucked away cords, set up a few containers for those items that you always need. You'll probably want small bins or cups to hold pens, pencils, and notepads. However, your needs may include paper-clips, staplers, tape, rulers, and calculators. The idea is to only have on your desk what you need to work, and to have those items stored in handy containers.

You will want a nice big clear area on your desk to actually work on the project you have at the moment. Therefore, rather than pile your desk high with an entire week's worth of work, choose another area close by to hold the papers, books, journals, or other bulky items you'll need later.

That brings us to the most common home office clutter monster - papers. This includes projects, notes, mail, and all that paperwork we just can't seem to get rid of. There are, however, ways to tame even this monster.

Papers

As mentioned, you want to remove the pile of papers from your immediate work area, most likely your desk. In order to have a good work space available on your desk, the paper has to go somewhere else. But, there's more to de-cluttering than just moving papers around.

We all have paper to handle every day. We take notes, we get mail, we save receipts - the list is endless, just like the paper. If you tend to toss every piece of paper into the In-Box in your office, perhaps it's time to stop treating all paperwork equally.

To set up a system for paperwork that doesn't just become another pile, you will need to divide your office's In-Box into categories. For example, set up three boxes and title them "Immediate," "Tomorrow," and "File."  Anything you have to handle before you move onto another task goes into the "Immediate" box. Something that is not as time-sensitive, but needs to be checked again tomorrow, obviously goes into the "Tomorrow" box, and things that don't need any further consideration can simply go into the "File" box to be stored when you have time. Of course, you will really have a fourth box – the trash can – to complete your paperwork system.

If you use this method, remember to keep the papers moving daily, and clean out the filed papers on a routine basis, which brings us to the next area where clutter often reigns - the file.

File

Even the best file cabinet or closet fills up when left unattended. You may think "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to this clutter, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Knowing you have mountains of clutter lurking behind closed doors is enough to cause 'mess stress.'  You don't have to see it every minute of every day to feel that stress gnawing at you.

Start clearing the stored stuff out of your files, shelves, and closets by first finding out what you actually need to keep. There are good lists available on many websites, including the IRS. Use these guidelines to begin purging documents that are no longer needed for tax or estate purposes.

Now you can begin digging into those items that are no longer relevant. You may find old manuals for equipment you don't have, or receipts for items way past the point of return. Many of these items have simply been forgotten. You may even find boxes and packing materials for items you have no intention of ever shipping anywhere. It's time to discard those "some day we may need these" items.

Discarding old paycheck stubs, receipts, and empty boxes is pretty painless. But, the next step can be a bit more difficult. This is the area you dread most - the emotional things.

Projects

These are the crafts you started, magazines you saved, and other items you kept because you loved something about them. Maybe it's a book or magazine with decorating ideas or recipes you wanted to try. It may be a story you saved to read later. Perhaps there are pictures to be framed or cards to be stamped. The point is, there are projects lost in a pile and it's a difficult thing to deal with.

The easiest method for clearing the stuff you are emotionally attached to is to get rid of the extras. For example, take pictures or scan those craft ideas and recipes and download them to files on your computer, then toss the magazines. Go through all your projects and purge items you no longer need or want. Any school or daycare would be happy to take your extra ribbon, fabric paint, glitter, card stock, stamps, and other leftovers.

If after clearing out the extras you are still faced with piles of projects, consider making a small investment in some inexpensive shelving to neatly house your projects. This simple storage solution can go a long way to de-cluttering, and de-stressing.

 

Now that you have your desk cleaned off, your paperwork moving smoothly from start to finish, your filed items purged, and your projects reduced and neatly arranged, it's time to sit down and get some work done. What a relief to finally be rid of that creeping clutter. Enjoy your 'mess-less stress-less' home office!