This month’s House Beautiful magazine has a full page spread on the color amethyst. I love the jewel, but am a little wary of of using purple in interiors. What caught me what the quote “…feng shui masters believe it calms the mind and emotions and creates a sense of peace.”
I’m going to try it – I could use a calming influence. A friend who loves the color purple unabashedly gave me a small vase that I’m going to move to the office bookshelf. Feels calmer already . . .
Here is my own feng shui friday to do list. Please share your own ideas for helpful home office rituals by commenting on this post.
1) Empty trash
2) Water plants
3) Dust desktop and surface areas; vacuum floor
4) Charge and sync Blackberry, camera and iPod
5) Sort and file emails and mail
6) Reconcile bank statements and balance checkbook
7) Pay bills
8) Buy flowers
I’m leaving tomorrow for a short vacation so did a quick search for ‘feng shui travel tips’ and found this great resource on About.com. In Rodika Tchi’s Feng Shui Tips for Summer Travel, she advises to “have your house (especially your bedroom) in a clean, orderly state before you leave. Even though you leave home, you are still strongly connected to it on an energy level.“
This certainly applies to your home office as well. So, I’ll be spending time today to straighten up, do my feng shui friday rituals a bit early and get my home and office ready for my return.
I just ran across a tiny little gift book a friend gave me in 2002 (Thanks, Sue!) called Feng Shui, The Art of Living by Rosalind Simmons. It is filled with just the type of bite sized morsels we love. The first tip is for the home but can be applied to the home office as well:
Goldfish represent wealth and fertility and bring luck into the home . . .
Don’t want the responsibility of live fish at work? Check out this Google Gadget you can put on your website.
I have a pair of ceramic blue fish that I’m moving to the wealth area of my office. Perhaps this is the boost that will finally bring in that overdue payment I’ve been waiting for.
Share your own home office “fish stories” here!
Today is the day to deep clean your desk and home office. Your taxes are filed, you’ve been spring cleaning your home, Earth Day is around the corner . . . set aside one hour this afternoon to dust, clean, sort, shred and recycle. It will change your whole outlook!
Today is tax day in the US. Is your home office covered in receipts and files and papers? Good! Before you refile and reorganize, do some cleaning and purging. Join home office workers everywhere in setting aside some time on Friday to ‘feng shui’ your desk and office. Get prepared by gathering bags or boxes to use in sorting.
Start with at least 3 and label them:
Today’s Daily Motivator by Ralph Marston reminds me that decluttering on Feng Shui Friday isn’t just about the home office. “Taking positive action in one area of your life can lead to surprising improvements in many other areas of your life.”
If you are feeling stuck or weighed down in any area – personal or professional – freeing some chi in your workspace on Friday afternoon can only help. As Mr. Marston puts it, ” . . . even when you feel completely blocked in one area, there are many other areas of your life in which you can quickly and easily make improvements. Success and achievement feel great in whatever venue they occur.”
Another vote for taking small steps forward in any direction.
home office (after)
I won’t show you a photo of the piles in the living room down the hall, but I wanted to prove that progress has been made in the wealth corner.
While you are setting up your home office for maximum energy flow, think about setting it up for maximum tax advantage. The February 2009 Wells Fargo Small Business Roundup reminds us that a “key issue in putting the home office together is making sure you’re clearly separating it from your home.”
Keeping the office separate from the rest of your house or apartment not only helps you separate your personal and business life but might allow for a deduction on your taxes.
