Improve Your Home Office Week

By Jill Earl

I found out on AwarenessDates.com that September 8-12, has been designated ‘Improve Your Home Office Week’. I just happen to be in the middle of a major purge of my palace right now so I can get my own home office set up, so the timing couldn’t be more---uh, timely.

Having an organized place to work on one’s assignments and projects makes for a more effective writer. Excavating through mounds of paperwork wastes time and energy. The last thing you need is for a part of your project to turn up missing because you can’t find anything in the piles.
Especially if there’s a deadline looming. Clear desk, clear mind.

So this reformed packrat is kicking the clutter to the curb and perusing magazines and sites for ideas to improve her future home office. I already have a nice computer cabinet ready to be assembled, perfect for my laptop. Back issues of writing magazines and journals have found their way to new files. I’m eager to see the results of this ‘room of my own’.

Although I didn’t find more about this observance, I did come across an amusing post by Tara Landry on the InsideMyFax.com blog. Included are tips to help your own workspace along.

Well, that’s what the upcoming week looks like for me.

Care to share any home office improvement tips you may have?

10 Tips to Feng Shui your Office

As the kids head back to school, you too can start with a clean desk and some fresh goals. This article offers some great tips and motivation for getting your workspace into shape.

--MP

Feng Shui (fung-shway) is the study of arranging your environment to enhance your life. Every minute of every day your environment is either supporting you or draining you. Feng Shui teaches you to join forces with your environment to make living your best life effortless.

Not only does your environment reflect your consciousness, but also the flow of energy in your home and workplace determines the overall quality of your life and its outcome.

By balancing the energy in your environment, your own energy will be in harmony, and you will draw to you, people and opportunities that reflect this balance. Your environment indirectly determines the type of relationships, finances, career opportunities, etc you attract.

Because you spend so much time in your workplace, this space has a huge influence on your life. Here is a list of basic feng shui enhancements you can make in your office space to support you in creating an environment of success.

1. Clear the clutter in your office : Clutter is anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized.

When you clear your clutter you get into your power and create a space for new things to come into your life. You will have more energy and creativity to design your life to reflect your authentic self.

Clutter is like emotional constipation - it bogs you down. Filing cabinets need to be regularly purged and desktops kept clutter free.

2. Place your desk in the ‘power’ position: The ideal placement for your computer and desk is in a position that allows you to see the door of your office. If this isn't possible, you can restore good Feng Shui by arranging a mirror that gives you a clear view of the door. A small convex mirror designed for use on car side mirrors can be purchased and attached to the edge of your computer. Cost, about $3.00.

3. Make sure everything at your desk allows you to be comfortable: A good combination glare screen/radiation filter to prevent headaches and eyestrain, a comfortable chair that doesn’t squeak, comfortable keyboard and arm position, a mouse that fits your hand etc. Anything that causes you discomfort will drain your energy.

4. Keep your computer clutter-free: How is your Inbox? Create Folders to file emails you want to refer to. If you see hundreds of emails when you open your Inbox, you will feel overwhelmed. It's important to regularly go through all your folders to delete emails no longer needed. Once a week check your Deleted Items folder and empty. Is your Desktop full of shortcuts to programs from a past life? Do you have programs on your computer you never use? Computers are great clutter collectors, and like us, they work better if we keep them decluttered.

5. Enhance your Prosperity Corner: As you enter the door of your office, the far left hand corner is your Wealth and Prosperity corner. What do you have there? Clutter in this area will definitely be affecting your prosperity. This would be a good place for a small tabletop fountain, a valuable item or even an affirmation of what you want to attract. Blues, purples and reds are the colors of prosperity. Can you include one of these colors in something that makes you feel prosperous?

6. Create a nourishing view: What do you see when you look up from your desk? If you see a brick wall, this could explain why you feel stuck! Paint the wall a color you love, hang a favorite painting or poster. Make sure what you see as you are thinking, uplifts you and nourishes your creativity.

7. Clean your windows, dust and vacuum : What do you see when you look out your window? Is it a clear view, or do you look at the world through a murky lens? Regularly cleaning your office, and emptying garbage and recycling bins daily will keep the energy fresh.

8. Buy a healthy plant : A plant will bring life into your workspace and will also absorb toxins in the air.

9. Separate your workspace : If you must have your workspace in your bedroom, try to partition it off with a screen. Work and sleep are two conflicting energies. Having a relaxing sleep will enhance your work time.

10. Repair or replace broken objects : Anything that isn’t working represents a block to the flow of energy. Light bulbs, clocks, doors that don’t open smoothly – why risk not being at your best when you are putting so much into your creations. By consciously creating your environment, your environment in turn will create a quality of life to support you in reaching your potential. Feng Shui has a powerful effect on your life – whether used alone, or used in conjunction with healing work or your personal growth path.

C2008 Vicky White, The Feng Shui and Raw Food Coach. Get Vicky White's FREE "5 Biggest Attraction Mistakes" report and her FREE articles to boost your passion, purpose and creativity at: www.LifeDesignStrategies.com

Writer's Spring-Greening

I know it's not quite Spring yet, but it's never too early for "Spring-Greening." That's what I like to call cleaning out my office and finding a home for all those things that shouldn't go into a land fill, or even a recycling bin. Here's how to get rid of some of that stuff you have hanging around...the green way.


ELECTRONICS:

Batteries: Some stores (like Ikea, for instance) will take your alkaline batteries for proper disposal. Also, you can recycle rechargeable batteries when they finally kick the bucket. Check out RBRC (https://www.rbrc.org) to find a drop off site near you. They also take old cell phones.

Cell Phones: Other than RBRC (mentioned above), you can take the cell phone back to the place you bought it from. Some companies, such as T-Mobile and Verizon will recycle all brands of used cell phones. If you don't have access to a nearby store, check out Collective Good (https://www.collectivegood.com), and turn your cell donation into cash for your charity of choice!

Computers: So many out-of-date, obsolete monster PCs are unnecessarily sent to land fills, but The Christina Foundation (https://www.cristina.org) will pick up any old-but-working machine for redistribution to someone who can use it. Or, if you go through computers frequently, trade in your semi-oldish computer to recycling programs such as Toshiba (https://www.toshiba.eztradein.com) or HP (https://www.hp.com/united-states/tradein). For dead computers, visit E-cycling Central (https://www.eiae.org).

Fax Machines: Sending faxes online is so much easier! If you've switched to eFax or MyFax, then list your monster space waster at Throwplace (https://www.throwplace.org) and send it in as a donation.

Ink: Did you know that the average printer cartridge can take more than 450 years to decompose? The Funding Factory (https://www.fundingfactory.com) and RecycleFund (https://www.recyclefund.com) will give you cash for empty cartridges, then recycle them! Also, many ink manufacturers and office-supply stores will take them off your hands as well.

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Tip: Another good place for getting rid of anything that may not be of use to you, but could help someone else is FreeCycle (https://www.freecycle.org). You can list the things (anything) you want to get rid of and someone will pick it up! And conversely, if you are looking for something, you can browse through their listings and request to take whatever it is off of someone else's hands.

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MEDIA:

Books: If you're a book junkie like I am, you probably have a lot of books sitting around that are taking up space--especially those ones that you thought would be good, but actually weren't your cup of tea. You can always trade them in at your local used bookstore (or thrift store), or drop them off at the library. There are also a lot of sites to exchange books. Book Mooch (https://www.bookmooch.com) is a good one, and there's also Swap Tree (https://www.swaptree.com), and many others. Do a google search for "Book exchange" and see what you come up with. You can also list unwanted volumes on Book Crossing (https://www.bookcrossing.com), a free service that alerts users to books left in public places. Pretty cool, huh?

Computer CDs, DVDs, jewel cases, VHS tapes: Recycle these through Act Recycling (https://www.actrecycling.org), a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities find work. Also, Green Disk (https://www.greendisk.com) will take any hardware lying around the office (up to 20 pounds of monitors, cords, mice, keyboards etc.) for $6.95

Paperwork: If you're anything like me, I know you have a lot of paper lying around. Clear out your filing cabinet and go digital instead! By going digital and recycling paper, take a look at the resources saved per ton of paper: 17 trees, 275 pounds of sulphur, 350 lbs of limestone, 9,000 lbs of steam, 60,000 gal of water, 225 kilowatt hours, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. Check with your city or local waste management service to find a place for parting with your paper. You can also call 1 (800) CLEANUP for state recycling information.

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It's never too late or early to start spring-greening. By de-cluttering your home office, you can simplify your life and get into the writing zone. And it feels good!