How to Layout Your Office for the Best Feng Shui

Working from home can be difficult. With all that is going on in your home and neighborhood, finding inspiration or even motivation can be a big challenge. So, do everything you can to set yourself up for success. Make sure that your home office or workspace is laid out in a way that encourages productivity. A little feng shui can go a long way and it could mean the difference between failure and success.  

The most important furniture in an office is the desk and the chair. For the best placement of a desk and a chair, first, you want it to be away from all the foot traffic. You don’t want people walking behind you all the time. It’s better if you can see the incoming traffic, so try to position your desk facing the door or entryway.

If it’s not possible for you to place your desk facing the door, you at least want to be out of the way and perhaps towards the back of the space so that you are not easily disturbed by the people coming and going. Also, you don’t want your furniture facing a wall or large furniture because that can make you feel too enclosed. A bonus benefit of this is that if you have video calls, you don’t have to worry about having anything distracting going on behind you.

You also don’t want to sit down with your back facing the window because it is against the light, and it can be more distracting when you cannot see what is going on around you. Facing the window and seeing sunlight can also help you stay alert and awake. Another benefit is it’s a good way to give your eyes a little break from your screens. You get a glimpse of nature and that can help relax you and keep you in a good mood. Generally, you want to have something pleasant facing you. So, if you don’t have a window to face, try hanging up a nice picture, piece of art, or even a mirror on the wall opposite you.  

A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind and a cluttered mind can lead to unproductively. Keep your desk organized and make sure everything you need has a permanent address. This means that you should know exactly where something is placed so that it goes back to that spot every time you’re finished using it. Also, try to keep only the most essential, everyday use items on your desk. If you have something on your desk that you only use once a week, keep it in a drawer or a storage bin. They can still be accessed easily but they don’t take up the precious and limited real estate on your desk.

People in the English-speaking world tend to look at everything from top left to bottom right. That is because that is how we read so our eyes are trained to move that way. So, when organizing your workspace, try to apply this. Place the things you need to start your work process towards the left of your desk and line everything up according to your workflow. This will just feel more natural to you, and you will have an easier time streamlining your work. For example, you can place your computer on the left side of your desk and the printer on the right side. This makes sense because the input goes before the output.  

Ultimately, success in the workplace is up to the quality of your work, but always keep in mind that the quality of your work set-up can influence that. Give yourself all the advantages you can by making sure that your home office is in the best state it can be.