This is a guest post courtesy of Kathryn Weber with tips from her new ebook Living Space: Simple Tips to Transform Your Home and how the same concepts can help you keep your office a productive space.
Ya’ll know I have no shame in sharing my own struggles with productivity and work flow.
It’s seems to be the bane of a freelance writer’s existence, keeping things moving along briskly. I’m always on the hunt for new ideas (and new toys) that help me do so.
Please make her feel welcome and I hope the tips below give you some good ideas to run with.
Over and over we hear how feng shui is the Chinese art of placement.
But in business, feng shui can also be used to make you more productive, making it less about where to put a tchotchke and more about improving your work flow.
That’s because working effectively and productively is a lot like feng shui, which relies on the smooth flow and easy movement of energy.
Too often, though, we’re anything but smooth in our workdays and that hampers our ability to be effective. These tips will help you create a more harmonious workday using feng shui as your guide.
And who knows? You might be amazed at how much more productive you are.
Prepare Yourself to Work
One of the fastest ways to start your workday humming is to prepare yourself and your desk to work.
Too often we leave our papers and mess from the previous day.
By clearing your desk first thing in the morning, sorting through mail, discarding papers and old sticky notes, you’re creating an energy that says “I’m ready to work.”
Plus, this simple act of clearing your desk allows the old energy to go away and creates an open space for the new energy of the day, even new opportunities.
Stop the Interruptions
Good feng shui relies on the smooth and even flow of energy – and so does our productivity.
When we have constant interruptions, we lose that flow and that means we have a harder time resuming that presentation we’re working on or getting our groove back.
Make it a point to turn off email alerts and chat boxes or anything that interrupts your thoughts. Check email and social media only at designated times so that you can get good, solid blocks of work done.
Batch Your Work
Even in feng shui the concept of like with like creates strength and power.
For example, if you’re lucky number is eight, having an address with eights, an email or phone number with eights give extra emphasis to that number. The same is true when you batch your work.
Creating a series of efforts that groups your energies means more power is behind you.
For example, if your business relies on social media, write up a series of tweets or posts for a week or to promote your book or business, and then schedule it on a service such as Hootsuite.
You’ll be more effective and productive rather than scrambling to be clever at 10 pm.
Give Yourself an ‘Atta Girl Spot
The successful person in feng shui is rich in recognition, so don’t forget to keep your framed publicity and articles in the office.
Won an award?
Don’t stick it on a shelf.
Put it right there on the desk where you can see it and where it can remind you of your accomplishments.
These ‘Atta Girls mean a lot when your energy on a project is flagging or bolster you to push harder.
Clean Regularly
It may sound silly but dust is full of yin energy – the type of energy that’s negative and draining.
If your desk and office is dusty, it brings down your work energy. Ever take a close look at your keyboard?
Chances are it needs a blast of some compressed air.
Having a clean desk, shining surfaces and crumb-free keyboard makes you feel clean – and clean feels productive.
Better still, it removes old, lingering energy and that paves the way for new, fresh ideas and energies, and that’s what keeps us productive.
Over to You
Got an ‘Atta Girl (or guy) spot? Struggle with work flow yourself? Have ideas on increasing productivity that work for you? Do tell! Spill your secrets in the comments below. Shhh. Promise we won’t tell.