IRL Feng Shui: Decorating Your Desk for Domination

Okay, so, we all see those really fun Pinterest posts and lifestyle articles about feng shui, and how to formulate your home/office/general space to allow energy to flow and support your quest for world domination (or, to make enough money that you’re not worried about your next check. Goals are goals, and honestly, that one is SO MUCH bigger than world domination. And attainable. But...I digress.)

My question is, have you actually tried those methods suggested?

Or tried to follow those charts? Like, all the concepts?

 I spent WEEKS debating about proper placement for my bed because it’s not supposed to face a door, or be opposite a bathroom, or be between windows, or….

I mean really, how much wall space are people working with????

But, because I’ve been moving into a house, developing each room as a blank slate, I’ve definitely been taking feng shui and general energy practice principles into account as I lay out rooms and decor.

I’m not knocking down walls or anything for the sake of my chi, but I mean, if I can make it work in a reasonable manner, why the hell not?

And, admittedly, my office is one room in the house where I’m willing to allow a bit more woo than design reason. Although my whole office isn’t quite done, one of my top priorities after the drive from Oregon to Indiana was my desk. It’s the center of everything, and really the heartbeat of my productivity.

Yes. I work from home full time.

I live that wonderful laptop life everyone talks about.

Wanna know a fun fact?

Having a space to focus and work can be 100x more important for some of us when we don’t have an office to go to.

In my old apartment in Oregon, I had my bedroom and living room which consisted of a couch, a couple chairs, and a TV. Wanna take a guess at how productive I was on the days I worked from home?

I went into this move knowing my office and desk were going to be important.

In my old office life, I was notorious for having a spotless desk. Because mess stressed me out. And I will NOT apologize for that fact.

So, my desk, in my office, in my house, had to be just right.

Plus, I finally felt the freedom to play around with the chi.

To embrace the chi. To make the chi work for me.

Of course I took to Pinterest! I found so many diagrams of how to feng shui a desk and office it was ridiculous. (Before you ask, yes I found conflicting things. My advice? Pick one and go with it! In the end, it’s all about the energy you put into it.)

When it came to organizing my desk, I ended up referring to the following image, because it seemed to be most consistent with everything else—

But, what does that look like in practice?

Especially for folks like me, where clutter on a desk can be so overwhelming that nothing else gets done besides clearing off the damn desk. And what about things that come and go? Or other practices you know of that you want to incorporate? I’m a HUGE fan the Cara Alwill Leyba and the Champagne Lifestyle/Champagne Diet, where to my #limitlessluxe pieces go in all of that?

So.stressful. 

Until it’s not.

The thing to remember with all of this is, it’s about what works for you. What is in alignment with your preferences, your desires, your life.

Feng shui says mirrors in an office are bad because it creates untamed energy. So what did I do? I bought a fucking mirrored desk because it makes me feel like a Queen-B and glam as fuck. That energy is going to trump the passive/subconscious noise of the mirror.

Have I added other mirrors in my office, embracing the basic decorating principle that they open a space and reflect light? Nope. Because I respect the chi.

So, let’s check this out, shall we?

The desk: It’s a standard(?) mirrored desk, with a bit of a bronze-y finish. There’s a drawer that pulls open with a couple plugs, USB port, and space to flip out for a keyboard

A lot of my stuff that’s kind of essential goes in the drawer. My trackpad, keyboard, speaker, and extra plugs. If you think it’s necessary to work, chances are it’s in the drawer part of the desk.

The top though? That’s the important part, right?

Let’s start dissecting this piece.

Top left:Wealth & abundance. One of the most critical elements, right?  I refuse to mess with this part of my chi, so I kept it pretty traditional. You’re supposed to have a water feature, greenery, and any other elements of value such as metal and wood.
I hit every piece.

Water feature? Done. An air diffuser with a fab mist and blue light. It supports the chi and gives my office such a lovely scent! Add in a magnetic timer with a wood stand to remind me that time is now to take chances, a succulent plant for greenery, and my business credit/debit cards, all create a fantastic abundance corner.

Middle left: Family & community. I went with a picture of my husband and me at a networking event. Is there really any more of a perfect representation for family and community?

Bottom left: Wisdom & self-awareness. I keep my iPad and phones in this corner. I generally do my reading on my iPad which supports the wisdom piece. I keep my phone in this corner because it helps me remember to consistently set an intention to be present and not obsessively scroll.

Top center:Fame & reputation. So, this is one of those areas where feng shui practice says to put a light to represent illuminating others and shining bright. For my set-up thought? I went for using my monitor. It’s bright, and represents where I want my voice heard —the big vast internet. I also include my signature dinosaur, my unofficial business mascot.

Center: Mind, body, & spirit. I kept it pretty clear because I wanted to leave space for clarity. There are a few pieces on the outskirts of the area that also connect to the idea-crystals that represent friends and family, my weekly brief layout for work. Everything can co-exist, and I can still have space and freedom.

Bottom middle: Career & life purpose. Super simple, I have my Weekly Brief sheets where I write out all my key goals for the week: work, blog, health, personal life, misc. No need to make it complicated.

Top right: Love & relationships. This is where I started acknowledging that energy flows and is interconnected. Energy from love & relationships is definitely connected to my creative energy. And both those categories are definitely connected to my travels. Make sense?

I opted to keep the top right corner rather basic, and just used two figurine that I purchased at an art gallery on a work trip to NYC. See how that works?

Middle right:Creativity & children. I wanted to really focus on the creativity piece, and according to feng shui and energy practices, metal is one of the biggest supports for creative energy. So, I keep my podcast mic on the desk, as well as a handful of various toys/fidgets that I can quickly grab while I think through things.

Bottom right:Helpful people & travel. I keep my go-to notebook between this section and the creativity section. My notebook is where I put everything before I type it. Meeting notes, content ideas, you name it and it’s there. I also put London phone booth in this corner. It’s always been on my desk, but now it has a home with a bit of a purpose—to remind me one day I’ll be back in that magical city.

That’s it. My example of how to use the woo in a workable way.

Have you feng shui-ed your desk/office/house? How’d it go? Let me know in the comments!