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There are essentially two kinds of home offices: home

administration centers that are used for paying household bills,

keeping track of the family budget and other household

management tasks; and work spaces related to earning an income

that are located within the home. For home administration, a corner

of the kitchen counter may be sufficient. If you are working from

home professionally – even if part time – it is best to have a space

that is used only for that purpose in order to keep work and home

energies as separate at possible.

If you hold client meetings in your home office, it is best if clients

can use a separate entrance from that used by your family. That

way your clients can come and go without having to pass through

your living spaces, and both of your energies will remain focused

on business. Clients who walk through your living space before

getting to the office are likely to make a subtle shift away from a

business focus, and their confidence in your professionalism or

capabilities may subconsciously be weakened.

Make sure there is a clear pathway to your home business entrance,

especially if it is at the side or back of the house, so your clients

know which way to go when they arrive for the first time. Because

office and home functions are different, your home office has its

own Mouth of Chi, whether that’s a separate exterior door or a

door inside the home. All of the guidelines for good doorway chi

presented in Chapter 5 will be equally important for your home office.

WHERE NOT TO WORK

Certain areas of the home are especially ill-suited for home office use.

Here are some locations that you should avoid if at all possible:

Location: Center of the home (tai chi)
Problem: Work will dominate over family life

Location: Bedroom
Problems: Work issues may cause or contribute to relationship conflicts;

thoughts of work may interfere with sleep; you may feel drowsy and

unfocused when trying to work

Location: Office in nook underneath stairs
Problem: Oppressive overhead energy may cause headaches, contribute

to difficulty concentrating; unevenly shaped space causes energy i

mbalance; impossible to work in the Command Position

Location: Next to bathroom, with desk & toilet on opposite sides of

the shared wall
Problem: Business chi gets flushed down the toilet

Some other situations to be alert for are rooms with low or slanted

ceilings, and poor lighting or ventilation (all of which may affect an attic

room). A low ceiling in your office is not good because it suppresses

aspirations and keeps you focused on the details of the present rather

than exploring future possibilities.

Slanted ceilings create a similar problem that is focused on one side of

the room. If your office has a slanted ceiling, place your desk on the taller

side of the room, and use the lower side for file cabinets, book cases, or

other storage. Plants and lights that shine upward (rather than down)

are good addition to rooms with low or slanted ceilings. 

Basements often offer extra space to create a home office without

interfering with the rest of the house. The problem with basements is that

they are usually cool and damp, either inadequately lit or with harsh

overhead fluorescent fixtures, and they often have poor ventilation.

Windows, if there are any, may be small, dirty, and positioned so high on

the wall that you can’t see out of them – not good for having a clear vision

of your future direction.

Don’t despair if it seems that none of your home office options are any good.

Feng shui is about doing the best you can with the space you have. If you

must work in the bedroom, for example, you can set up the office in an

armoire-type unit and close it up when it is not in use. A folding screen or a

fabric curtain can also help to keep work and home energies separate. And if

your office space has design features that are less than ideal, feng shui cures

such as bells, crystals, and mirrors can help to correct them.