Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home Based Business Opportunities - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources for starting a home based business. He also runs the Work at Home Forum - an online community of folks who work at home.

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Why Feng Shui

Feng Shui helps you to stay focused by forcing you to store incomplete and future projects in a storage area so you won't be distracted by worrying over them every day.

Feng Shui experts claim that you will receive these additional benefits as well:

* Increase your prosperity & abundance.
* Boost your health.
* Reduce insomnia & stress.
* Enhance your personal power.
* Easing of family conflicts.
* Increase your concentration
* Enhance financial security.
* Attract new customers to your business.
* Upgrade your life in many other ways.

Entrance

Have a separate outside entrance to your office if possible. If you can not, then choose a room that is near the front or back door of the house or apartment. Separate your home office from the rest of the living area in order to keep your business and personal lives separate.

If your home office is part of a larger room, then partition the space with bookcases, screens, or large plants.

Walls

Place a picture of a lake, waterfall or any other water scene on one of the walls on the East side of your office. This represents the flow of energy. You can also use one of those desktop fountains or even an aquarium

Working Space

Keep your workspace clean and clutter-free in order to allow a free flow of Feng Shui energy throughout the room. There is a difference between clutter and stored items. Stored items should, however, be filed away or stored neatly in a cabinet or closet to allow the flow of Feng Shui energy.

Never have your back to the window. Having your back to a door symbolically leaves you open to attack. If you directly face a door you may be overpowered by the incoming Chi. The best position is with your back to a wall that holds an earth element such as a picture of a mountain or a lake.

The next best position is angled away from a doorway or facing a wall featuring a water element such as a fish or a picture of lake, or even abstract art that features wavy lines.

Desk Space

You can energize your desk by adorning it with objects that symbolize the five elements to attract work and luck. Simply follow the Lo Shu grid like this:

North : Your beverage cup or glass
Northeast : A crystal paperweight
Northwest : Your computer terminal
East : Fresh flowers
Southeast : A small green plant
South : A desk lamp or something red

Ceilings

Flat ceilings are best for promoting the flow of Chi. If you have a sloped ceiling, cathedral ceiling, or exposed beams then you you can hang wind chimes or bamboo flutes to offset the negative effects.

Corners

Place a green, smooth-leafed plant, not one with jagged or pointed leaves, on a shelf in the corner closest to your water item. You can use an artificial plant if you are a known live plant killer.

Here are some other items that you can also place in that corner:

* red eggs symbolizing wealth creation
* a red envelope containing several coins
* a crystal on a red ribbon near the window
* three Chinese coins tied with a red ribbon
* a pearl or anything spherical
* a wheel or bell
* a symbol or picture of red fish
* a lotus flower symbolizing great achievements from humble beginnings

Furniture

Always take a short walk before entering your office to work each day and another one at the end of your working day as another measure of separating your business life from your personal life.

Leave at least 7-9 inches of space between each piece of office furniture. This allows room for energy to flow. Also, consider placing a decorative jar filled with water near the entrance to your office.

Plants

Cactus and Bamboo are plants symbolize good fortune and are ideal for placement in the home office. If you have views of harmful elements from your window, you can negate them by the strategic placement of wind chimes or plants. Any sharp-leaved plants are good Feng Shui in this area as they are believed to deter harmful influences.

There is a lot more to Feng Shui than we can possibly cover in this article. The Internet is an abundant source of articles. Thousands of books have been written on the subject, and there are even Feng Shui consultants that’ll come in and help your organize your office and home.

Even if you don't subscribe to the ancient Oriental ways, you’ve to admit that an uncluttered office, with room to move around, and pleasant decorations is much better than a cluttered dungeon that's stuffed to the ceiling with piles of paper and unwanted junk. Good luck and good health!


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