Feng Shui: How to Add Harmony to Your Space

Don't worry, I'm not going to go all new age here, but there is something to Feng Shui (pronounced "fung schWAY"). Last night, my wife and I decided that there was something missing in our home. It just didn't...feel right.

I always kept our bills on the counter so I would remember to pay them. But it seemed that Colleen wanted to keep all of our unopened mail there too. It was clutter. And I was starting to feel frazzled.

"Why don't we try moving my desk"--(it's more of a hutch, really)--"here into the kitchen and you can keep the bills in there." "Ok" I said.

We moved the desk into the open space and by the end of the night we had hung a picture above it and placed a lamp on top as well. And it fit. Everything was good. It felt right.

What is that feeling when everything feels right? What causes that to happen? Enter feng shui.

Mr. Webster describes it as: a Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it; also : auspicious orientation, placement, or arrangement as determined by feng shui.

Here are some ways you can create a better work invironment by using some tips from feng shui. I've put the reasoning in yellow. You'll see...it just makes sense. It feels right.

1). Always sit with a solid wall behind your back to ensure that you have support in your life, never sit with a window behind you. (Energy/Ch'i (pronounced CHEE)/whatever you want to call it) comes through the window and you shouldn't have your back to it.

2.) In your office, never have the main door opening into your desk as the chi coming in will hit at your face causing you not to have good luck but instead more obstacles and problems. Make sure your back is not to the door. Reorganize your office. I've seen this a lot and I don't know how people work. Would you be able to work well with your back to the entrace of your work place?

3.)Do not have clutter in your office; desks must be kept tidy and clutter free. This is so important, an office in China would not have these paper trays on desks, and most American companies now employ the same approach.

4.) The arrangement of tables and chairs should be in a harmonious position so that chi is able to flow smoothly. Not too close together, not too far away.

There are five elements that are essential to feng shui: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. They are all part of a cycle. Wood feeds fire. Fire feed earth. Earth feeds metal. Metal feed water. Water feeds wood. It's important to have each element represented in your space. To me, there's something about having a plant at home, or at work. It's life, it's green. It's an element that often forgotten. But when you have it, there's something about it that feels right.

Now, fenu shui is not a religion. You won't go to hell if you rearrange your furniture and add a fern to your living room. It's all about balance. A lot of people take it really far and place dragons, crystal balls, and streams throughout their house. You don't have to do that. Just take some of these with a grain of salt.

Give it a try. I think you'll find it'll feel better. When it's right, it's right. Right?