Add Zen to Your Workplace
Zen and feng-shui seem quite often like concepts that are hard to understand or seem a bit far-fetched for the standard American worker. This article will help to dispel some of your misconceptions and can help you to find the utility in using simplified feng-shui ideals in the workplace.
Contents
Steps
- Understand the basic words relevant to using feng-shui. These include: Chi, career area, life, green, purple, etc. These words are used to express the idea that bringing natural and life-oriented organization and imagery into your working spaces will help you to de-stress, focus and ultimately bless your career and wealth.
- Try to not over-think the principles of the whole approach to adding zen to your workplace. Just focus on organization, simplicity, and success.
Starting Over: the Ceremonial Cleanse
- Keep your cubicle/workspace clean. Cleaning crews may occasionally make the rounds, but aside from an empty wastebasket, it is usually hard to notice as they're not invested in truly cleaning your space. Bring in your own supplies--not only for this feng-shui project, but also to use on a regular basis to get at the dirt most cleaning crews always seem to miss.
- Try a natural combination of water, vinegar and tea tree oil.
- Also, do not use an artificial sponge or similar; try wiping things down with a fabric cloth as this increases your sensory connection with cleaning and reduces the waste impact on our planet from overuse of paper towels and disposable rags.
- Start with an initial organization and declutter of the Gōngzuò qū or workspace. Empty all cabinet and drawer contents, to clean the shelves and inside. Clear your desk of everything and wipe it down--keyboard, mouse and monitor included. Just pile everything onto the floor and under your desk until your storage spaces are clean.
- Make sure you remove, recycle, or re-organize paper piles as they leave a subconscious feeling of unfinished work and stress.
- Arrange your space for the "command position". If possible, arrange the computer monitor(s) so that your back is not facing the door, which is bad feng-shui. Facing away from the entrance forces you to work under the constant anticipation of someone surprising you from behind, and blocks good chi (the very energy that feng-shui is intended to help you attract). If you are unable to face the door, hang a mirror on your cubicle wall beside your monitor, positioned in such a way that you can see when people come to your door or come up from behind you. This mirror will also attract light and good chi into your cube.
- Remove the clutter from your tasks and life and commence the "de-junk". If there is anything in your cubicle that you do not need--old files left by the last employee, a three-hole punch that you never use, a pen holder that you hate--get rid of it. Dig into those files that have been building and bulging for months, maybe even years. Get rid of what you can and straighten up the rest. If you cannot return it to a supply closet, ask your manager or supervisor how to get rid of those space wasting items.
- Do not push your unwanted items on to a co-worker. It is not fair to ruin their chi while you try to balance yours.
Increase the Light in your Life: Find your Own Rhythm and Balance
- Re-organize. Avoid the habitual inclination to put everything back where it was. Put some thought, but not too much effort, into where items are best utilized.
- Do not scatter documents, calendars and post-its around your desk. Keep these items carefully filed and organized, making room to add inspirational items. The latter can be photos, drawings, figurines––anything that brings you joy and inspires you. However, beware again of over-cluttering your workspace with knickknacks.
- Space is at a minimum in cubicles, so people often use the area under their feet for storage. Find a new place to store your personal belongings (i.e. in a drawer, in your car). At the very least, make sure the area directly below your feet is clear. You should be able to sit straight when you view your computer screen. Sitting sideways can cause numerous health issues.
- Also, do not fill any overhead shelves with books or other heavy items. If you do, you may feel downward pressure, like a literal weight on your shoulders. Items overhead can also lead to headaches.
- Increase productivity by adding more light. Light is a symbol for energy, and natural sunlight helps us to energize and jump start our bodies every morning. Make sure that your desk or cubicle has a good amount of light to give you energy and focus. If you need, bring in additional lamps or reading lights.
- Turn your light on to increase the energy of the space and invite visitors.
- Work with living things. Artificial, man-made things can almost literally suck the life out of you. Avoid turning your career into a job-like prison. Add life to your workspace by bringing in living plants and other naturally themed items to your office. Plants can also increase the energy levels you experience when you work. Try to focus on things that would increase your mental energy and relaxation. Just don't over clutter again with a whole botanical garden.
- Placing a plant in your cubicle enhances the life energy in the space. Consider a money tree plant, bamboo or jade. The plant should be healthy, green and alive, connecting you to nature. The color of green is representative of wealth. A soothing water fountain also creates active, positive chi and encourages only abundance-building individuals and energy to enter through your cubicle opening.
- If you are a music lover, try to create a collection of natural sounds that will help make even the most hectic workday a bit for peaceful. For example, try: http://naturesoundsfor.me/.
- Hang some pictures of landscapes on your cubicle walls. It creates the illusion of windows, through which chi flows, but also creates for you the kind of peaceful environment you need to feel at ease, which is the ultimate intention of feng-shui. Bodies of water are especially helpful, as water is associated with the career area of your life. Hang this picture on the wall that your door is on, as this is the career area of your space.
- Your company may not permit burning a candle at your desk, but consider keeping peppermints in your drawer or a small citrus air freshener under your desk. Periodically during the day, as you reach in your drawer for supplies, you will catch a draft of the clean refreshing scent. These scents awaken your spirit and give you an all-natural pick-me-up in the middle of the day.
- Keep the flow happening from your life at work to your time spent outside of work. Keep the chi flowing by staying social and keeping up relationships.
- Treat yourself to lunch with your teammates so that you can share successes, seek guidance, and share the tips from this article.
- Place a small jar of candy in your cubicle. It encourages others to stop by to say hello and grab a treat.
- Do activities that promote communication which will increase the flow of energy, wealth and happiness.
Things You'll Need
- Plants
- Appropriate scents
- Mirror
- Storage spaces
- Quality seating
- Good lighting
- Water fountain
- Nature sounds for your MP3 or other player
