Careers & Employment Information

Have you used feng shui around your desk? It's a great way to "test drive" feng shui, to see how well it works for you.

In feng shui, we work with a 3x3 grid called a bagua (said "bagg-wahh"). The grid is placed over your floorplan, and can look like a tic-tac-toe board, or perhaps the face of a clock, seen from above. With this, we can organize any room, home, or office into areas, each with its own color and design themes.

So, let's pretend you have Superman's x-ray eyes, and you're flying over your home or office, looking down into it. And, let's pretend that you can see the bagua grid that's overlayed onto your floor plan.

Starting clockwise from your left--about the "eight o'clock" area of the clock--the design themes are: Knowledge, Family/Security, Money, Fame, Romance, Creativity, Helpful People and Travel, and finally your Career. At the center of the clock--the middle of the bagua grid--the theme is Health.

You can apply these same design principles to your desk, too. In fact, when you're new to feng shui, this can be a great way to begin. You'll soon have a better organized work area, and perhaps a little "feng shui magic" will boost your career as well.

Sit at your desk, and start at the left side. In feng shui, this is the Knowledge area. It's an ideal place to store your reference books, such as your dictionary, manuals, and anything else you often reach for when you're working.

If you have a counter or bookcase to the left of your desk, the top may be the perfect place for symbols of Family (family photos) and Security (anything that says "old money" to you).

The back left corner of your desk is the Money area. Whether your monitor is there or something else, be sure to keep this corner clean, dust-free, and uncluttered. If there's space in back of your monitor for photos or posters, this is the perfect place for pictures of what you plan to do (or own) when you have an even better income.

At the back center area of your desk, or on the wall directly in front of you, take advantage of this Fame area. Display awards, diplomas, certificates, and anything that tells others about your accomplishments. Add a little red--the best color for this area--to draw attention to your new display.

At the right corner of your desk, and on the wall behind it, the focus is Romance. This is where you'll place photos of your sweetie, or symbols of love and partnerships. If you have flowers or pens at this area of your workspace, remember: Everything in twos... no "onesies"! (Of course, if you're hoping for a date this weekend, put two fresh flowers in a vase in this area. But, be prepared: This might work even better than you'd expected.)

Closer to you on the right, it's your Creativity area. Be sure to keep symbols of what you do that's original, as well as tools for creating things at work. Whether this is a stapler or a set of pens and paintbrushes, the emphasis should be on creativity. And, if you're a fan of Disney or other cartoons, those figures and pictures go in this area. (If you have children, this is the perfect place for pictures of your little darlings, too.)

At your immediate and front right, it's the Helpful People and Travel area. This is where you'll put your Rolodex or Palm, or whatever you use to store names & phone numbers. This is also a good place to display vacation-related items and pictures.

And, the center of your desk is the Health area. If you want a healthy career, your work area should be clean & "happy looking" at the center. With spring on the way, consider a new blotter or other desktop covering in sunny yellow; that's the best color for the Health area.

Finally, your chair represents your Career area. Keep your chair well-oiled (if it's on wheels or springs) and clean. Polish any chrome on it, and keep it dusted. If you're on any kind of mat that protects the floor underneath, make sure that your mat looks fresh and new. If it doesn't, a replacement may be a small expense for the potential benefits. Or, sometimes a little floor polish will renew a plastic floor mat and make it look "like new".

Aisling D'Art is the editor for BellaOnline's Feng Shui column, http://fengshui.bellaonline.com. See her website for more ideas for feng shui and interior design.