How To Feng Shui Your Desk

Flexi-working has become the norm and most of us are still yo-yoing between the office and the kitchen table. But whether you’re still working from home or back on the morning commute, your desk should be calm and free of clutter. From replanning your layout to what colours and accessories will inspire ideas and creativity, use the art of feng shui to supercharge your working day. 

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How to feng shui your desk

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Re-think your desk top

While it’s not the best idea to start shunting furniture around in the office you can still promote a good flow of ‘chi’ (the flow of energy feng shui aims to achieve for positivity) wherever your desk is positioned, by re-arranging your desktop. In feng shui the front centre area of your desk is associated with creativity, so keep it decluttered, with a blank notebook (if you like) to jot down passing inspirations.

The back left corner of your desk represents prosperity and abundance in feng shui, so this is where you should position any house plants – aesthetics aside, a thriving orchid or spider plant can also help to trigger the release of the happy chemical, serotonin. And if you want to prop up a picture of your significant other, or keep a sultry smelling candle or reed diffuser? The back right quadrant of the desk, thought to be associated with love and relationships, is where you should position them.

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Colours

The easiest shortcut to introduce some feng shui to your desk is through colour. If you find yourself feeling stressed during the day, blue shades inspire cool, calm and peace – making it the perfect shade for storage box files, folders and in-trays. Those looking for a dose of creativity for an upcoming project, should choose some brighter white and yellow notebooks, journals and calendars to get inspiration flowing. And if you need to boost your productivity and general mood? Get some green into the mix, the obvious choice is plants, but (health and safety permitting) a green candle, pen pot or mug does the trick just as well.

Get decluttering

It goes without saying that an over-cluttered desk doesn’t aid the flow of positive energy but a starkly empty one can also detract from your ‘yin’ (the softer, more relaxing energy in feng shui). Tap into Marie Kondo’s rule of ‘sparking joy’ by carefully choosing things for your desk which inspire good memories, uplifting and happy emotions, creativity, energy and serve a practical purpose – rather than letting it become a repository for clutter, overflowing paperwork. In feng shui clutter is thought to disturb the natural energy flow around a space, so establish a routine for clearing your desk at the end of the day and regularly re-setting and clearing it out.

Go green

Plants pay an important part in feng shui – different house plants are believed to bring luck, balance the atmosphere and deflect negative energy. But if you prefer a scientific take on things, studies have found that taking care of indoor plants can reduce anxiety and stress (including blood pressure and heart rate), boost workplace productivity, trigger the release of seratonin and improve air quality – so having one on your desk is a no-brainer.

Cacti are a good low-maintenance option for beginners (and the woefully non green-fingered), providing a burst of green on as little as one watering a week. Up for more of a challenge? The peace lily – which is one of NASA’s top ten air cleaning plants – produces beautiful white ‘flower’ leaves and can survive most light conditions. In feng shui, orchids are associated harmony, luck and success, but they also bring a splash of colour to your desk. And for something in between, devil’s ivy (or Rapunzel) thrives indoors and only needs watering once a week to provide an abundance of luscious, mood-enhancing green leaves.

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