I’ve been wanting to introduce the concept of Feng Shui (basically, the art of flow) for a while now. Vicky White’s article provides an introduction to Feng Shui, as well as good ideas for its use in the office.

The articles “Tidying up worth it” and “Get Organized” (In The News) encourage flow in a stuff and space perspective, while the “Pre-dawn Risers” article and Tip of the Week come from a mind and time perspective. Stuff, space, time, and mind. With these “in the flow” we are unstoppable!

Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify

2. Quote of the Week

“When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.”

-W. Clement Stone

3. Article: 10 Tips to Feng Shui Your Office and Boost Your Prosperity

Guest article by Vicky White

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 we spend so much time in our workplaces, these spaces have a huge influence on our lives. 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 we clear our clutter we get into our power and create a space for new things to come into our lives. 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 is not 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 stuck 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. Of course, it is 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.

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©2002, Vicky White. All rights reserved. May be duplicated with attribution and copyright notice intact. http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

Vicky White is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant and Life Coach who works with clients internationally. Get your FREE 7 part e-course “Your Secret Weapon: Powerful Feng Shui Tips to Give Your Business The Competitive Edge”. http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

4. This Week’s Simplification Tip

Evening Schedule Review

If you frequently start your day off with a bang, jumping into all the things you need to do, and end the day frazzled and wondering “what just happened?”, then review your daily schedule the night before.

The key here is separating Planning Time from Doing Time. Reviewing your schedule is a Planning Time activity. You review your goals for the week, identify priorities, and considering your scheduled appointments, develop a sense of when you will work on your goals.

Then you jump into your day with direction. You aren’t just doing, you are Doing activities that support your goals. At the end of the day, you get the satisfaction of having made progress on your goals.

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Spread simplicity – forward The Weekly Simplifier to your friends and colleagues!
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5. In the News & On the Web

If you know of something in the news or on the web that should be featured here, let us know!

In The News

Pre-dawn risers relish peaceful “me time” (Arizona Republic)
http://tinyurl.com/l5bfd
(NOTE: In order to view this article, you’ll need to supply some minimal demographic information to AZCentral.com.)
For those seeking true “quiet time” in our modern world, the time before dawn may be one of the last refuges available. At least that’s the thinking behind this article. Plenty of people are taking advantage of the opportunity–more and more folks are making use of the time “when no one else is up” to prepare themselves mentally for the day…and they are reaping the benefits that come from it!

Get Organized (Washintonpost.com)
http://tinyurl.com/kle6h
Several useful tips on how to get your home and your stuff organized, from professional organizers, cleaners, and movers. Some of these are a little basic, but we wouldn’t be including it if it didn’t offer something new–and it serves as a good rundown of the main steps and phases involved in decluttering.

Tidying up worth it (Regina Leader-Post)
http://tinyurl.com/fqklf
Once your place is decluttered (or maybe it already was), then it’s time for cleaning. This article reviews the process of clearing out your stuff, then gives a lot of useful tips on how to do a powerful “spring cleaning”, no matter what the season.

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

Selected Entries

Here are some selected entries from the site. Click on the URL below each title to read a given entry.
Enjoy!

Using Email Folders
http://projectsimplify.com/tips-tricks-ideas/organization-tips/using-email-folders/

Simplify for Others
http://projectsimplify.com/tips-tricks-ideas/tips-to-simplify/simplify-for-others/

Simplify With a Virtual Assistant
http://projectsimplify.com/tips-tricks-ideas/tools/simplify-with-a-virtual-assistant/

Organize in Small Steps
http://projectsimplify.com/tips-tricks-ideas/organization-tips/organize-in-small-steps/

To Stress or Not To Stress
http://projectsimplify.com/tips-tricks-ideas/tips-to-simplify/to-stress-or-not-to-stress/

7. Keep Smiling

The First Moment of the Day

“The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn’t, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there.”
-Monica Baldwin

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Who is Monica Baldwin?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

After spending 28 years in a closed order of nuns (she entered in 1914, a few months before the outbreak of World War I), Monica Baldwin (1896-1975) left the convent in the middle of World War II, entering a world changed beyond belief from the one she had left. In the intervening period, she had not read a newspaper, seen a photograph or heard the radio. She published a memoir, I Leap Over the Wall: Contrasts and impressions after twenty-eight years in a convent, in 1950.

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Thanks for reading – see you next week!

Publication Information
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The Weekly Simplifier is published by:

Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530-205-5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: newsletter@projectsimplify.com