by Raine Morie

Created on: March 13, 2009

If you are adding a new home office, or renovating an existing one why not consider the art of feng shui to harmonize the benefits of your professional life.

An obstacle to overcome when working from home is creating a workable division between work and home life. A second obstacle for some is when your living space doesn't allow for the ideal placement of a home office along the Ba Gua. In feng shui, the Ba Gua is the feng shui map where areas of our lives divide along dimensions of the physical. Different areas of our lives are mapped along the physical directions of the home.

Many opinions of feng shui suggest that the home office ought to be placed in the north sector, or even in the west. However, if this is impossible due to other restraints, don't fret. With a few basic tips from feng shui the placement of your office will matter very little in comparison to the other important elements of feng shui.

A third impediment to your home office is inherent in traditional feng shui; traditionally, feng shui never planned for the home office within the Ba Gua. The home office is a contemporary preoccupation. The philosophy behind this lies in how the home was perceived. The home was a space of healing and harmony, not a place for work.

As long as you follow some basic principles of feng shui, and your home office harmonizes with the rest of the Ba Gua and the feng shui principles of restoration, peace and harmony, it really is not an obstacle. As long as your work does not bring chaos and imbalance, a home office can situate anywhere in the Ba Gua because feng shui never designed the Ba Gua with a home office in mind.

Here are a few basic feng shui tips you can apply to bring harmony into your home office.

1)Feng shui suggests to never join an office with a bedroom. Try to separate the office and bedroom spaces as far away from each other as possible. A separate room and door are preferable. Your bedroom needs to be a space for rest and healing, not work.

2) Choose your office location, colors, and feel so that they harmonize with your chosen energy which you wish to put into your work, and reflect to the world.

3) Ensure there is plenty of natural light and fresh air circulating in your office. Air energizes your brain, and the sun energizes all of you. The last thing you want is to work at home and get exhausted.

4) It is best in basic feng shui guidelines to not situate your desk facing to a wall, nor where your back is to a door, or nor when your back is facing to a window for long periods. The feeling of expansion is essential, and it is necessary to eliminate any restrictive mental impediments.

5) Regularly removing clutter from your office and life is standard feng shui practice. Start scheduling regular clearing days each month, and see how productive you will feel amidst an organized system rather than chaos.

This is your room. Regardless of your living situation, rooms available, resources, or Ba Gua restrictions, you actually have more power to create your home office surroundings than most sitting in corporate offices right now. Have some fun with your new space and see how your productivity soars.

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