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Feng shui (pronounced "fung schway") evolved from the observation that people are profoundly affected-for better or worse-by their surroundings. Feng shui (literally, "wind and water") is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the surrounding environment.

That's not exactly Black Magic, is it? Feng shui is neither superstition, philosophy, religion, nor New Age. It's practical and has been working effectively for about three thousand years. But don't take my word for it. Companies like AT&T, British Airways, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Logitech, Midland Bank, The Wall Street Journal, and Donald Trump have all applied feng shui to their businesses. When practiced correctly, feng shui is well known to improve wealth, business opportunities, health, relationships, career, and more. It can certainly improve your home office.

While the underlying theory is a bit complex, feng shui is basically straightforward and simple. A gigantic share of most webmasters' woes can be attributed directly to plain old clutter. Feng shui is the antidote to clutter plus a lot of other things that may be hindering your productivity (or impeding the auspicious flow of your chi-whichever way you want to look at it...).

Maybe your workspace is already ergonomically pretty good and a fairly efficient and pleasant place to work-but better would be to optimize it for maximum productivity. Everyone has gone into a building or office where he or she automatically felt comfortable and relaxed-or the opposite. Those impressions and underlying feelings are real, not imagination. There is an explanation for them in the principles of feng shui.

According to Suzy Spivey [2004] "you may improve your productivity and career prospects as well as enhance your success, creativity, and wealth. Specifically, you can use Feng Shui to determine where to set up your home office, the best placement of your desk, the use of color in your office, and incorporate 'cures' into your office to change the flow of blocked energy." The basic application to your home office is how you arrange it and where you sit to work. The following from Spivey and also Wong [2004] are recommended practices here (minus the theory or reasons why) but the tips remain sound and still work!

' Create as many different ways to enter the front door as possible.

' Paint or treat your porch and front door in colors that express success for you.

' Put a bowl of water on the front porch. This draws or magnetizes people to your office.

' Every morning prepare a chair for your client(s) to sit in. If you do this, they will come!

' Have something to give your clients to take with them (promotional giveaways).

' Sit in the corner farthest from the entrance; have a "command" position.

' Business will symbolically come to you through the door, so don't turn your back on it.

' Don't sit in line with the door, as you will be in the path of negative energy.

' Don't sit looking straight out into a corridor, stairs, closets, storage, or toilets.

' Keep your back toward a corner or a wall (like a mountain) for support.

' Sit with a tall building or mountain behind you if your back is to a window.

' Place an aquarium or tabletop fountain in the East, North, or Southeast.

' Don't have any mirrors in your office, as they can reflect negative energy.

' Treat your files with respect-they represent your past, present, and future business.

' Keep equipment cords well hidden, eliminating clutter and allowing for the free flow of chi.

' Keep the area around your phone clean and well organized. Clean your phone regularly.

Apart from general office arrangement, your desk and sitting arrangement are the next important things to consider:

' Place your desk diagonally across from the doorway for a clear line of vision.

' Position the desk with your back to a wall or corner for a sense of security.

' Don't put the desk directly in line with the door, either facing it or with it to your side.

' Don't put the desk flat up against a window so that you face directly out.

' Don't put the desk so that your back is against a full wall of windows.

' Position your desk facing into the room rather than facing a wall.

' Don't place your desk in the center of the room-you will lose power and authority.

' Do not have clutter in the office-it's important to keep desks tidy and clutter free.

Feng shui also has a lot to say about colors. Different colors can make a dramatic difference in your office, affecting the impression it gives and your own state of mind. For example, yellow stimulates clarity of thought, creativity, and mental activity - an excellent color for a home office. Yellow also promotes discipline, which anyone in a home office needs, while blue-green can be soothing, yet creative-a good choice for writers.

The classic auspicious colors in feng shui are red and purple-excellent choices for the front porch and/or door. Aim for a good balance of light and dark colors, soft and hard surfaces, and smooth and rough textures in your choice of window treatments, furniture, and flooring.

This has been a very superficial introduction to a very big topic but it should give you the basic idea of how feng shui can benefit your business. You can learn much more in the articles below and from the following Web sites:

' Center for Applied Feng Shui Research (www.geomancy.net). The oldest and largest traditional feng shui site with numerous resources including a free tutorial.

' Feng Shui Times (www.fengshuitimes.com). A very extensive site with a wide range of resources, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced tutorials.

' Rising Dragon Feng Shui (www.rising-dragon.co.uk). Offers many informative articles as well as a free Feng Shui Essentials online tutorial.

' World of Feng Shui (www.wofs.com). The first online feng shui magazine, it has since grown into an extensive feng shui resource with a huge archive of content.

Sources

Erlinda Sorreda. "Office Feng Shui," World of Feng Shui 2004.
http://www.wofs.com/fsw.php?load=arcview&article=689&c=feng_shui_philippines.

Suzy Spivey. Using Feng Shui in Your Home Office," SOHO America 2004.
http://www.soho.org/Start_Up_Articles/SOHO_Feng_Shui.htm.

Lillian Too. "Feng Shui for a Small Office," Feng Shui World 11/12/04.
http://www.wofs.com/fsw.php?load=arcview&article=724&c=landscape_feng_shui.

Angi Ma Wong. "The Feng Shui Office," Care2.com 2004.
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/office_school/144.