Do you ever get the feeling that your office hates you and you never feel comfortable or productive there? Could it be that you need to apply some office feng shui to your workspace, or the entire office, come to that?
If you don’t spend as long as I do in the Mind, Body, Spirit section of Waterstones bookshop you may not know what on earth I am talking about.
Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophy system all about harmonizing with your environment to create success, good fortune and happiness in your life.
From the design of the building you are sitting in, to the placement of objects around your desk, poor design, inefficiency and the general soulless ugliness that seems to go with most office furniture and accessories could be affecting your career trajectory into greatness.
Yes, the whacking great stapler that always jams and that dying pot plant might be having a very bad effect indeed.
If you dread Monday mornings and feel exhausted at work, if you miss your targets and don’t get on with your colleagues, it might be your office that is to blame.
Increasingly, classical Feng Shui is being applied to small and large businesses alike, as people are realising that spatial energy affects our performance.
Sarah McAllister, the founder of the Feng Shui Agency, has worked with the corporate offices of companies such as Red Bull, Bartercard, London Calling and Smiley to improve their employees’ output through the use of Feng Shui.
Office Feng Shui Tips To Improve Your Productivity
Here’s how to know if your office hates you, according to Ms McAllister and whether you seriously need to incorporate some Feng Shui principles into your corporate (or home) environment.
1. Your Heart Sinks When You Enter The Space
A dimly lit or cluttered reception is such an energy drag. It sounds obvious, but it is here that clients and employees get their first impression of the company so space should be free of clutter, feel uplifting and be well-organised.
Your mantra should be “uplight and declutter”. Uplighters help immensely, but don’t uplight the space unless you have cleared your clutter first otherwise it will only make the feeling of confusion worse!
2. You feel constantly drained at work
Usually, this is due to too much electrosmog from office equipment (computers, printers, wifi).
You can counteract this by adding magnets, for example sitting on a chair cover with magnets in it and wearing magnetic insoles or magnetic jewellery. These can really help to protect you from electromagnetic stress on your body.
3. You always have a cough or a cold
Almost always, this is due to poor quality air. You can remedy this in two ways – firstly clean the air by adding a really good ioniser near you and secondly make sure you get plenty of exercise to circulate your energy.
4. You are always feeling undermined
If you are feeling undermined or as if someone else always takes credit for your work, it is likely that your desk position is being really unsupportive.
Trying moving your desk. Make sure your seat has as high a back as possible and ideally that you have a wall or a cabinet behind you as this protects the kidney qi energy and also means you will be more relaxed and confident.
5. You struggle with sales targets
This means something is stuck in the layout and there is very little natural light, natural energy and very little vitality chi, which is so important to keep the energy of a business or shop moving and flowing healthily.
In particular, the South-East direction is crucial for a business. Look for a south-east direction and never move into a unit with the South-East sector missing. Make sure that you keep the South East Sector clutter-free. This is where your sales staff need to work.
If you’re struggling to succeed and constantly feeling under par at work, why not give some of these tips a try before you sharpen your CV and head off to HR? Applying some office feng shui to your workspace may be just the cure you need.
