By Joan Law
Feng Shui Joan’s Way
[email protected]
My essential guide to back-to-school/work space employs Feng Shui tips to make your in-home school study space or in-home office work for you. You really can improve on and/or build a path for success by using Feng Shui principles in your school and work spaces.
I’m currently working with a couple with two school-aged children. Many of the recommendations I’ve made for this family can also work for those of you who are setting up a home-office as well as creating space for back-to-school.
This is an example for how a time of transition in an individual’s life may also be a time of opportunity for one’s whole family.
Mom (my client) had hoped that purchasing desks for the kids would keep their school supplies off the kitchen table and provide them with quiet workspaces in their bedrooms, but much to her dismay they used their new desks as laundry baskets instead. During the consultation I suggested we turn the desk around so that the kids could see the door from their study space. We all feel safer and more comfortable when our backs are protected. This small change made all the difference with one son announcing that “now he felt like a boss!” Mom and dad have also employed this simple concept to their workspaces as well.
Here are some more tips pulled and updated from one of my older blogs.
A Desk with a View
As with good Feng Shui bed placement, desks should face the room’s entry door whenever possible. The concept of facing the door when one is sleeping in bed or working from a desk is to always be in a position of being able to see what’s coming at you.
If you can’t face the desk towards the door, face it towards positive and uplifting artwork. If possible, have a solid wall behind you as you sit at your desk to provide support.
And provide plenty of light: a good desk lamp, access to a bright window and overhead light generates positive and uplifting energy as well.
If there’s no room for your child to study in their room, try to create a designated study area in the house. The kitchen or dining room table is not ideal.
Use your Bagua Map!
Orient the bottom of the map on the door of the home or the door of the room. The goal is to help orient your child’s work/study surroundings or location so that it lands in a Bagua area of Wisdom, Creativity, or even Career.
Ensuring your student’s work/study area aligns with the most appropriate parts of the Bagua map will boost their success in their studies.
Email me your mailing address and I will send you a Bagua!
Create a Display
Create a bulletin board to display your child’s successes near the workstation.
Showcasing report cards, awards, artwork, citations, and a happy family photo or two creates a positive message of love and support and reminds the student of their success and abilities. This important positivity and will nurture continued growth.
Make a Space for School Materials
Children need an organized place to hang their coats and place their lunchboxes, backpacks and books. Give them a dedicated space for storing their school stuff.
Have you found your “designated spot” is being ignored and that things are landing somewhere else?
Try setting your system up for success. Create a space where things are naturally collecting. This tip comes straight from one of my favorite books, Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.
Get Clutter Under Control
Help your children keep their work area tidy. Clutter represents blockages, the inability to move forward. Be sure your child has plenty of appropriate storage and that they can put items away before and after studying.
They should throw away old papers and notes and organize files. Feng Shui says that de-cluttering the bedroom and/or study space will give education luck a positive and immediate boost.
Bring on the Fish!
Kids are always begging for a pet. So go ahead and let them have a few!
In Feng Shui, fish represent abundance and prosperity. Be sure to consider the Bagua map (or contact me for a consultation) on where to place this auspicious Feng Shui tool. And let the kids learn a sense of responsibility for their beautiful new pets.
Move the Electronics
Computers and other devices transmit electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) that are harmful to humans. Cut down on your family’s exposure to EMFs by locating computers and devices far from the bed and shutting them down at night.
Living plants are also a great way to absorb EMFs as well. Lucky Bamboo or a Money Plant are good choices for any room in the house.
