Source: Google Images/https://www.lesliebudewitz.com/feng-shui-for-a-writers-office/

Just a Little Reminder for a Big Effect

Back in 2017, I posted a blog on setting up your writing space for better success. I’m still a firm believer in space arrangement and how it affects your work and home, and a springtime newsletter from a feng shui expert prompted me to remind you all as well.

“A writer’s office should be a haven, a sanctuary. A safe place to explore unknown realms of the heart and mind. A nest, a birthing place. An efficient model of production where computers and printers spit out polished manuscripts.” Leslie Budewitz, Author

The following are the top ten from Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA, Feng Shui Master Practitioner, whose feng shui newsletter I have followed since graduate school. Note what’s in the Number 1 spot – how you position yourself while you’re working, creating that next bestselling novel, that personal masterpiece.

This can make or break your writing process, if you ask me.

1. Sit (or stand) in “command” position. That is, face toward the room entrance door, preferably on a diagonal. If you can’t turn your desk around, hang or place a mirror so you can see what’s going on behind you.

Personally, this is always my go-to choice. Never liked sitting with my back to the door or a window. I want a view of who’s coming in and what’s going on outside (even when a nice window view is a not-so-welcome distraction, it beats staring at a wall). Honestly, I do feel more in control when my desk is in this position. Problem is, some people may not have enough room (read: small studio apartment or shared living space) but there are fixes available to help you write and sell that next great novel.

2. Think like Goldilocks and choose the right size desk. A desk that is too small can make you feel like you are not up to the challenge of your work. A desk that’s too big symbolizes feeling overwhelmed by tasks. An unsubstantial desk will limit your opportunities for growth and promotion.

Absolutely! I had a friend who started a home-based consulting business after leaving her corporate job. Her desk was far too tiny and narrow, I reminded her, to get the business off the ground, because it represented a lack of space (for clients/opportunities) in her life. Needless to say, until she moved out of the cramped space and got a larger desk/work area, her business stagnated, which left her in dire financial straits for a time. Now she’s growing her business and is much happier.

3. Sit in the most comfortable chair you can afford. Many companies embrace hybrid working and offer chairs and other equipment that employees can bring home. It doesn’t hurt to ask and take advantage of available options.

Who on earth wants to sit uncomfortably at all? Especially writers! We spend far too many hours bringing our imaginations to life to sit in a chair that creates discomfort. Check out consignment shops first; I found an adjustable and comfy leather swivel office chair for a whopping $4. You’ll never find unless you look.

4. Keep work out of your bedroom. Try to find another space for your home office, like in the dining room if you rarely eat there, or in an infrequently-used used guest room. If there is no other place for you to work, separate out your workspace using a floor screen, standing plants, or a curtain hung from the ceiling as a divider.

This has been difficult, especially through the Covid-19 lockdown and everyone stayed home. Private space became nonexistent or had to be shared with others. Use your imagination (you’re writers, for crissakes) and make your writing space your own.

5. Adjust the art in your workspace. Choose images that make you feel inspired, motivated, and calm. Get rid of anything you no longer like, and avoid art that’s dark, empty, lonely, or depressing, no matter how valuable or how much you paid.

Choose picture, colors and patterns that inspire. It’s that simple.

6. Add a living plant. The ideal location for a natural plant is within 3 feet of your desk to balance any issues from electromagnetic energy. Silk is acceptable if you can’t grow plants, but avoid dried flowers because they symbolize dead, unmoving energy. Also avoid cacti or other plants with sharp spikes.

I love a just-the-right-size-for-my-desk jade plant. They represent prosperity and success (upper left corner of desk) and I love their thick, moist leaves. There’s a sturdy gentleness about this plant that speaks to me. Cacti belong OUTSIDE; their sharp needles will direct negative energy directly at you and will affect how you feel and how you write.

7. Accent your workspace with color. Choose accent colors to match the bagua areas of your workspace to enhance your career path.

8. Add current photos. Display photos of mentors, family, and friends who support you. It’s okay to display photos of deceased relatives who were mentors, but balance these by also displaying current photos of you and/or your family to show continuing growth.

Dead people on my writing desk? No thanks! Talk about an inspiration killer… That’s what hallways and unused corners are for…

9. Lighten up your home office. Locate your desk as close to a window as possible, and choose full-spectrum or warm-glow bulbs that simulate daylight, rather than cold, blue-white bulbs. Avoid overhead fluorescents.

Eye strain, eyeball and temple headaches are a distraction and can be avoided with proper lighting. I love the full-spectrum bulbs; they’re sunlight in a lamp. No seasonal affective disorder with full-spectrum! And they last about six years so they’re extremely cost-effective, too.

10. Tune in to tune out distractions. Play music or use a white noise device or app in your office to drown out any distractions from inside or outside your home. This is a good time to rethink your playlist and choose more soothing sounds to balance any work-related chaos.

This one’s tough for me since I have the attention span of a squirrel. Thankfully I have several jazz apps on both phone and laptop. Soothing and allows me to focus on my work (like this post – I’m listening to KKJZ out of LA right now…).

#amwriting #fengshui #writingdesk #writersdigest #saturday #writersoninstagram #tribel

Happy New Year!

Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again – Chinese Lunar New Year. The post title, gung hay fat choy, is Cantonese (Mandarin: Gong xi fat cai) for “congratulations on prospering in money.” It is a popular saying you’ll hear frequently during Chinese New Year. Unlike Americans, this Chinese congratulatory greeting is not based on something already achieved but instead is a wish or hope that you will achieve what you desire, hence the congratulations in the phrase. It’s a blessing of good fortune and prosperity (it’s not always money, as many Chinese believed that enough food to eat also represented abundance in one’s life). So for the first blog of this new year of 2020, I want to revisit a post I wrote back in ’17 on making sure the energies of good fortune, abundance, and prosperity will flow not only through your life but through your writing, including your desk/office.

Remember, Qi must flow positively for prosperity to appear.

I wrote:

“As a writer, it’s important to set the tone of one’s working space; how well you organize and arrange your home office (or wherever you write) is vital to the writing process and outcome. By making a few adjustments (some more so than others, depending on your needs), you may get to experience the shifts in energy flow that can occur relatively quickly (I’m talking within a week).”

I’m also starting 2020 in a new living space where my bedroom (and desk, since I now share a house) is in the Water/Wood bagua areas (NE/E). While my best direction for success is south (that whole wall is closet), I have to place my desk facing west (my worst direction for health or success. Ugh.). So I’ve laid out my work area as best as I can according to feng shui principles: clean, uncluttered desk top, Fire element in upper left hand corner of desk (for success and getting my name out there), a ceramic turtle in Water element. The desk is solid wood with metal trim and sturdy; this makes for a good professional place to write.

5 Feng Shui Tips for Your Writing Space

The following tips are from http://www.fengshuiforreallife.com, by Carol Olmstead. She is a certified Feng Shui practitioner and has a successful practice, books, and website.

This is important: “If you work from home, the first Feng Shui consideration is which room or area of your home to use. If at all possible, avoid locating your office in the kitchen, where it could symbolically interfere your health, or in the bedroom, which could interfere with your love and relationships.” Carol Olmstead, http://www.fengshuiforreallife.com.

“Here are five quick fixes you can make in your workspace to give your office a Feng Shui makeover.
Problem #1: Your desk is in the wrong location.
Quick Fix: The most auspicious location for a desk is positioned diagonally across from the door. The worst place is with your back to the door. When you sit with your back to the entrance of a room you can’t see what’s going on behind you, making you vulnerable to being “caught off guard” by your competitors, clients, or colleagues.

Things literally and figuratively go on “behind your back.” If you can’t relocate your desk, hang a mirror in front of you or place a reflective object on your desk so you can see behind you.

Problem #2: Your desk is the wrong size.
Quick Fix: A desk that is too small for the work to be done makes you feel that your ambitions and aspirations are restricted. On the other hand, a desk that is too large makes you feel that you are not up to the challenge of the work. Choose the appropriate size work surface for the job you have to do. And make sure you have enough room to spread out, create, and expand in your career.

Problem #3: There are sharp corners pointed at you.
Quick Fix: In Feng Shui, the edges of walls pointing at you are called “poison arrows.” These sharp edges send harsh energy toward you, making you feel uncomfortable, threatened, or insecure. The best way to cure or fix this problem is to place something between you and the sharp edge to block its negative energy. Good things to use include furniture, a healthy plant, soft fabric draped over the edge of the wall, or molding.

Problem #4: You are surrounded by overhead fluorescent lights.
Quick Fix: Fluorescent lights represent the Metal Element that can be too hard and cutting when it comes at you from overhead. Plus this kind of lighting can cause headaches, eyestrain, and a whole lot of stress. Whenever you can, turn off overhead fluorescent lights and take advantage of natural daylight, or use desk and floor lamps. If you can’t turn off overhead fluorescents, try to have them replaced with full spectrum light bulbs. These simulate daylight and make you feel more comfortable.

Problem #5: Your office is cluttered.
Quick Fix: In Feng Shui, clutter represents postponed decisions and the inability to move forward. When you have so many files and piles of papers that can’t even see your desktop, it’s hard to concentrate on your work. Clear as much as you can off your desk, then use colorful folders and wicker baskets to contain the rest of your paperwork. Here is one way to jump start your office clutter clearing — Set a timer for 10 minutes, take a large plastic bag, and thrown 27 thing into the bag – things you don’t use, don’t want, and don’t need in your office. You’ll be amazed as how much more space you have opened up in your office to allow new opportunities for success to reach you.”

Here’s to a prosperous, abundant 2020 for all!