Bizarre Hazard of a Cluttered Work Desk

Those piles of paper, stacks of folders, and last week's half-filled coffee cup on your office desk mean one thing: You're likely to get sick. British researchers from a company called Analysts with Open Ergonomics conducted a study for Japan's NEC-Mitsubishi and concluded that cluttered desks contribute to worker sickness, reports the BBC News Online. It even has a name: Irritable Desk Syndrome. The opposite is also true. A tidy desk leads to healthy bodies.

The study's purpose was to analyze the desks of 2,000 NEC-Mitsubishi employees and determine specific ways employees can improve their work areas. Fully 40 percent of those surveyed said they were infuriated by the clutter on their desk, but couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. Another 35 percent admitted they suffer from back or neck pain because they knowingly sit at their desk in an awkward position. Lead study author Nigel Robertson, who calls himself a "deskologist," said that cluttered desks should be treated as a serious problem. "What most individuals fail to realize is that desk symptoms typically escalate very quickly, from persistent discomfort to chronic pain which can end a person's career and reduce their quality of life in a wide range of ways."

The BBC says that if the survey results are to be believed, then millions of office workers must be suffering from Irritable Desk Syndrome that is compounded by working long hours and sitting with poor posture. What can you do before it's too late? "The two essentials for less stressful, more productive desk management are: Don't endure, act today; and do it yourself--don't wait for someone else to fix it for you," says Robertson.
Analysts with Open Ergonomics advise you do the following to improve your work area, reports the BBC:

Setting Up: Pay more attention to the way you set up your desk to reduce stress and health risks.

Sitting Pretty: Adjust the way you sit to improve back posture.

Take Five: Take a few minutes to stretch at your desk to reduce injury from routine activity.

Change of Scene: Take regular breaks away from your desk to improve your concentration, overall health, and colleague interaction.

Express Yourself: Give your desk individuality to remind you of life outside work.

Keep Cool: Prevent dehydration and overheating at work to promote higher energy levels.

De-clutter: Organize your desk to reduce stress levels and increase productivity.

CompuServe 3-29-04

Feng Shui Books & Authors

The Western Guide to Feng Shui, Terah Kathryn Collins, Hay House. An easy to use and understand book that covers all the basics and provides special information about the Bagua Map.

The Western Guide to Feng Shui—Room by Room, Terah Kathryn Collins, Hay House. Covers all the basics and provides special information for each room in your home. Includes many inspiring and instructional photographs.

Home Design with Feng Shui A-Z, Terah Kathryn Collins, Hay House. This book covers all the basics in a quick reference guide.

The Western Guide to Feng Shui for Prosperity, Terah Kathryn Collins, Hay House. True accounts of people who have applied Feng Shui to their lives and prospered.

Feng Shui Personal Paradise Cards, Terah Kathryn Collins, Hay House. These richly illustrated reference cards give you examples of how to put Feng Shui into action in your life. Includes 54 cards and 60 page instruction booklet.

Power Thought Sticky Cards, Louise L. Hay, Hay House. These cards are beautifully illustrated and contain powerful thoughts to help you find your inner strength. Reusable peel-and-stick backing. Great Feng Shui Enhancements.

Feng Shui for the Soul, Denise Linn, Hay House. This book explains how to create a harmonious environment that will nurture and sustain you. Some of the Advanced Feng Shui workshops are based on this book.

Space Clearing A-Z, Denise Linn, Hay House. This book explains how to use Feng Shui to purify and bless your home by removing old and stagnant energy.

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, Karen Kingston, Broadway Books. This book shows you how clutter affects your life, and gives you the tools you need to clear it.

The Temple in the House, Anthony Lawlor, AIA, Tarcher/Putnam. The subject of this book is finding sacredness in common places.

A Home for the Soul, Anthony Lawlor, AIA, Clarkson Potter (a division of Random House). On creating warm, nurturing and beautiful homes that support harmony and revitalization.
Feng Shui: The Book of Cures, Nancilee Wydra, Contemporary Books. 150 simple solutions for health and happiness in your home or office.

Feng Shui in the Garden, Nancilee Wydra, Contemporary Books. An excellent reference book, also includes garden designs.

How to Grow Fresh Air, Dr. B. C. Wolverton, Penguin Books. 50 house plants that purify your indoor environment.

Sell Your Home Quickly and Profitably

Selling your home is a completely different experience than living in it, and it requires a very different mindset. When you are creating a home to live in, your goal is to make it comfortable for you and your family. When you are selling a home your goal is to make it comfortable for prospective buyers. Forget the reality of every day living. Make it look like a model home so you can sell it quickly and for the highest price.

Home staging is particularly important now because the housing market has changed dramatically, and a lot of sellers are finding that it's taking much longer to sell their homes than they thought it would. Don't wait until your home has been on the market for a while. Make it look great for the very first sale day and get it sold fast. The longer it's on the market the less your chances are for getting the price you want.

First, you need to depersonalize. All of the things that make you feel at home, like photographs and chatchkies, will make a prospective new owner feel like they are invading your personal space. They may feel uncomfortable enough to rush out before they have time to think about whether the house would work for them, they might be distracted by your things and not see the details of the house, or they may just be unable to see themselves living in the space because you are still occupying it so completely. Pack up all of your most personal and visible belongings, and look forward to seeing them again when you move into your new home.

Next, no matter how large or small your home, you want it to look as spacious as possible. This is where you really have to forget the reality of every day life. Perhaps you need two large storage pieces in your bedroom to hold all of your clothes and accessories, but they are making the room look small and cramped, instead of large and spacious. Remove one or both of them. Right now, the way the room looks is more important than the fact that you will be inconvenienced.

Clutter. You’ve heard it before, but I can’t stress it enough. It’s your worst enemy. Pack it or throw it away, but don't try to hide it, because perspective buyers will probably find it!

Make sure that every room has just one function. An exercise room/guest room/office is going to confuse your buyers, making it difficult for them to come to a decision. Simplify each room, and when you are feeling the inconvenience of that in your everyday life, just think about the money you will be earning and how soon you will be living in your new home!

Don't hide any great architectural features behind furniture, drapes or accessories. Let your fireplace, your beautiful woodwork, and the great view out the window be focal points in your rooms. In a room where there is no architectural focal point, create one by accessorizing a coffee table, dining table, window, bed, or bookcase.

Make your home comfortable for your buyers. Make it easy for them to see how great it is, and imagine themselves living there. Then you will be able to realize your dream of living in your new space sooner rather than later!

Richard Bach Quote

“The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change.”

Nadine Stair Quote

“If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual trouble, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would pick more daisies.”

The Philosophy of Feng Shui

I have just been exploring Feng Shui web sites and what a variety I found! The information can be very confusing. But if you focus on the philosphy behind the information, rather than the details, you will start to understand the underlying principles. Remember that Chinese cultural beliefs tend to become intertwined with Feng Shui principles, and those beliefs are often contrary to the beliefs we generally hold here in the U.S., and sometimes we can’t even understand them. So try to strip away the fluff to get at the real information, and if don’t understand something don’t do it!

These are the basic principles behind the practice of Feng Shui:

• Everything is alive with vital energy.
• Everything is connected.
• Everything is changing.

To put these Feng Shui principles into practice in your life:

• Live with what you love.
• Put safety and comfort first.
• Simplify and organize.
• Express yourself!

Organize Your Head!

The most difficult part of organizing is not the physical work, or even the planning. It’s the obstacles we face inside our own minds. We keep things, and arrange them in our environments, for crazy reasons that have their basis in our past mental and emotional experiences. The key to dealing with these issues is first to be honest with yourself. Look at the optimum or practical way to do something and see where you differ from that. Then have a really honest session with yourself and try to figure out why. You could also talk to other people that you trust. This will show you what your obstacles are. Here are some of the obstacles that many people face: perfectionism, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, difficulty in managing time, and an inability to say no. And there are many more. Remember that these traits are not things that we either have or don’t have. They come in varying degrees, and most of us have at least a small amount of a few of them. I have a noticeable amount of at least three! Once you see what your obstacles are you can look for ways to change or moderate this underlying behavior. Consider books, online resources, workshops and therapy. Find what works for you. Because, once the mental and emotional obstacles are removed, you will find yourself and your life becoming more organized and a lot easier!

Feng Shui by Touch...A to Z

A Feng Shui Consultant's Self Consult - Annie Pane, East Coast Feng Shui

I touched everything. And I mean everything. Three times this year I touched all the stuff in my home. Just like I advise my clients.

The first time I touched everything, I did the middle floor where the living areas were. The second time, I did the middle and the top floor where the bedrooms were. And this last time, I did the middle, the top and the garage level, I did everything.

My home was a Feng Shui consultants dream...and nightmare...at the same time. I learned things about myself and about Feng Shui that I didn't know...or worse, realized I knew but didn't 'get it' in my body.

I learned that most of us, throughout our lives, have never lived or worked in an environment of total harmony. Our bodies do not know what total harmony feels like. And when you feel it...it's scary and comforting and emotional, and cleansing, and it strips away all pretense of who you thought you were. And more important, the affect your surroundings have on your body is subconscious, until you feel this harmony.

You become your surroundings. Literally. We all know that. If the fame and reputation area of your home is cluttered with dirty dishes, no appointments come in. If something's broken or the toilet's leaking in the wealth and prosperity area, there's a slow steady drain on your money. If the exercise equipment is still in the love and relationship area, then we're still working too hard at loving, rather than letting ourselves be loved.

I wanted to not only know 'who' my surroundings said I was, I wanted to make sure it said exactly who I wanted to become. So I touched it all. I made the decision of who I wanted to become with each thing I touched, kept or discarded. And Feng Shui changed my life...again.
I touched every knick knack. I touched every dish towel and potholder. Every book. Every half used container of makeup. I touched every piece of clothes I owned. And I gleaned. And gleaned. And gleaned. And I gleaned.

I touched my every possession with intent... and appreciation for it being in my life. And I touched...knowing that some of those things, perhaps most, would no longer remain with me.

There were keepers. There were goers. And there were the guilt ridden 'hangers on' that needed to be either embraced or released. And that my friend was hard.

Everything in your life is there for a reason. And there are no mistakes. We know that. But during this process I realized just how much stuff was in my life that had no earthly meaning whatsoever. And, this stuff defined my life and who I was! and if I didn't know why it was in my life, then for what reason should it be there? I asked that question thousands of times...as I touched...everything.

I was on a mission. I wanted to create the kind of environment that was an example of what I preached and taught to my students and clients. I had to walk the talk. Big job. Not easy.
Facing what I was eventually to call a catharsis, I knew I had to keep on with this until it was finished, or I would fall back into the energetic pattern or my previous surroundings. The pattern of denial and being stuck at being someone I was no longer. The dye was cast. Feng Shui had again made me continue to push through self imposed limitations.

As I went through my possessions, one at a time, I kept only those things that made me feel good...or better. No matter what the cost, financially or emotionally, I dumped, sold, gave away, but somehow got rid of everything else that didn't belong in my New Life.

I prayed God would give me the strength to continue this process. It was like divorcing myself.

Divorcing the me that I no longer wanted to have any part of...the me I didn't want to be anymore. I knew I now had the ability and the tools to become who I knew I could be. The real me. I had the key to the process.

Everything in your space talks to you. Everything. If you look around and really study something in your home, you will begin to feel what meaning that object has for you. If it's a good feeling...it's a keeper. If it's a bad feeling...it's not. If it's a hanger on it's really important! This is how you must look at the things and people in your life. Or you will live your life at the mercy of your environment or other people's wishes.

Stuff. You can keep it, get rid of it, or you can address the things that are hanger's on by setting them aside. Just separate them...and wait three days. At the end of three days your opinions will change about the possession...it will become a keeper or a goer. But it will no longer be 'hanging on' to you. And it won't be your own guilt or someone else, making decisions about your life.

You will know this in three days, because in three days you will be different. Your energy will have changed based on what you previously kept and what you previously threw away. And you will become clearer on how you feel about the item previously in question. Guaranteed.

Your energetic pattern, or your body's personal energy, is composed of what is constantly being said to you by your surroundings. This is the energetic pattern you take out into the world. It is this pattern, composed of the collective meanings of your surroundings, that defines how you see the world and how the world treats you.

If you change your energetic pattern by changing your surroundings, you change your presentation of who you are to the world. If you change your presentation of who you are to the world, the world will respond to you differently. The world only responds to you how you tell it to respond. You create it all.

Feng Shui becomes a tool to help you learn to 'live better in your own skin' and a tool used to get what you want out of life. It has a map that will not let you forget any arena of life. You are constantly creating who you are by how you live, what you have in your space, and the meanings you have attached to these things around you. You can live the life you choose, you can have the kind of life you want, but you have to take responsibility for creating it.

By using all the principles of Feng Shui, I was able to define who I wanted to become...for now. I created a new conscious definition of the me I wanted to be. No longer would my surroundings dictate in a haphazard way who I was.

I decided what everything meant in my home. And, I now know what everything says to me subconsciously and why. I gleaned my possessions so that what I already owned, defined who I was, and I added appropriate symbology to define who I wanted to become.

This is the real secret of Feng Shui. You decide who you are or who you want to become, and what you want. Then, with intent, you make your surroundings support that image and those desires. You are then well on your way to making it real. Your body interprets the meaning of your surroundings subconsciously, and you become what your surroundings represent.

It's like the books. I had thousands. But I only kept books that were representative of who I am now, or who I want to become. The novels went away. The old school books went away. The last of the trashy romances bit the dust. On my shelves now are books asking life's greatest questions, or those telling it's greatest secrets. I decided what I wanted to absorb from my book shelves, and that is all I kept.

I now know what harmony feels like. I can literally feel it. This feeling permeates my body. It is reinforced by my surroundings everyday. I created a new energy in my home and my body absorbs it sub-consciously. When I walk through my home I feel it.

I am different out in the world. And, I like how the world is responding to the new me. I am more relaxed, calmer, more focused, much more clear, and accepting. I love this place...and I love how it makes me feel.

But the truth be known, it wasn't easy. My body went into near shock after I finished this process. I felt a sense of calm I had never felt in my life. My old destructive energy pattern was truly broken. And that fact rattled me. All my life, I realized, I had lived in chaos. And now my surroundings no longer supported chaos. I was amazed. What a different feeling! My body felt lighter and I knew I was somehow different. But better.

I am in awe of how I react to events and situations and people in this new energetic skin. I am forging new ground, and becoming who I always said I wanted to be. Anger doesn't exist anymore, frustration is subsiding every day, and love or acceptance has taken on a whole new meaning in relating to the people in my life. Yes it is amazing. You decide, you do the work, and you become who you really want to be. What a concept!

So change your life, Feng Shui your space. Recognize that you can have whatever kind of life you want. You can create that life, one step and one day at a time, just like I have. Go ahead, start with the medicine cabinet!

Space Clearing with Candles

This form of space clearing is used to clear negative energy from entire buildings, even though you may live in or use only a small portion of the building. Please use all appropriate safety precautions when burning candles.

Place a 9 tea light candles on a heatproof surface (saucer or candle holder) in three rows of three, one to represent each Gua of the Bagua Map (see below). The candles can be placed anywhere, either in the building you are clearing or in another building. Make sure each candle is a safe distance from the others and any flammable objects. Light each candle while speaking aloud or to yourself an appropriate version of this intention:

“My intention for the burning of this candle is to release and remove all non-beneficial energy from the (name of gua such as Health & Prosperity) of the building (identify the building – where I live, where I work, etc.), and to replace it with beneficial and uplifting energy.”
Let the candles burn until they go out, if possible. Check them regularly during this time to insure that they are burning safely.

The Bagua Map (Each section is a gua)

Wealth & Prosperity Fame & Reputation Love & Marriage
Health & Family Center Creativity & Children
Knowledge & Self-Cultivation Career Helpful People & Travel

Clearing People and Animals

A similar ceremony can be performed to clear the energy of the people and animals who live and/or work in the space. They do not actually have to be in the space at the time the ceremony is performed.

Place a tea light candle for each person and animal on a heatproof surface (saucer or candle holder). Make sure each candle is an inch or two from the next and a safe distance away from flammable objects. Light each candle while speaking aloud or to yourself an appropriate version of this intention:

“My intention for the burning of this candle is to release and remove all non-beneficial energy from (name of person or animal), and to replace it with beneficial and uplifting energy.”
Let the candles burn until they go out, if possible. Check them regularly during this time to insure that they are burning safely.

Space Clearing with Sea Salt

The negative energy left over from emotional and physical events in a space affects the occupants and should be removed with some form of space clearing. Clear a space when there has been an illness, mental or emotional stress; when moving into a new space; when you need a lift, or a space feels heavy or uncomfortable; and to assist you in meeting personal and professional life goals.

Sea salt is very effective in absorbing negative energy. Use the natural salt without iodine or any other additives. Get together enough cups, bowls or saucers (plastic is good because it’s unbreakable) to place one in each corner of each room. Don’t forget basements, attics and other storage spaces. They can also be placed under desks, beds, and in closets.

Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt in each and place them on the floor. If you have pets or young children consider placing them up high for safety reasons. Leave the salt in place for 24 hours, then flush it down the toilet to remove the salt and negative energy from your environment.

If there has been a lot of negative energy in a space repeat this procedure 3 days in a row. To maintain an energetically clean space repeat this procedure once a week or once a month, depending on how much negative energy collects in the space.

Feng Shui Crystals

These 30mm (1 ¼”) round faceted lead crystals are used for a few different purposes in Feng Shui. In general, they moderate the flow of energy in places where it may be moving either too slowly or too quickly. Energy has a profound and immediate effect on your life, and balancing it can be of great benefit. You can place the crystal in anything that will hold it steady, or hang it from a ribbon or nylon fishing line.

---Is your home a perfect rectangle? If not, hang a crystal in a window facing the "missing" corner to extend the energy to the outside and balance the house.
---Hang a crystal at the bottom of a stairway, high enough so that no one can reach it, to stop energy from pouring down the stairs leaving you with too much energy on the first floor and not enough on the second. This is especially important in homes where the outside door is close to the bottom of the stairway.
---Hang a crystal in the center of a long hallway to prevent the energy from rushing through the narrow space.
---Suspend a crystal from bathroom ceilings to so that your good energy won't run out through the drains.
---Use a crystal in any space that needs to be balanced and cleansed.

I use Swarovski crystals. If you need some and don't know where to get them email me at Beth@TheFengShuiCenter.com.

Top 10 Organizing List for 2007!

If you follow these 10 suggestions you will able to focus your thinking, clarify your thoughts, and have more time for the fun and positive things in your life this coming year.

10. Remove everything from under your bed.
9. Update your phone/address list.
8. Delete old unneeded files from your computer’s hard drive.
7. Clear clutter from stairs and hallways.
6. Clean out and organize your clothes closet and drawers. Try this to help you get started! www.tomslighthouse.net/special/Socks.swf
5. Organize the kitchen junk drawer.
4. Clean out and organize your handbag and briefcase.
3. Organize your financial files.
2. Clean off the top of your desk and decide what habits you have to change to keep it that way.
1. Create a convenient space for organizing your mail every day when it comes in. Be sure to include a large wastebasket!

Top 10 Feng Shui List for 2007!

If you follow these 10 suggestions you will feel more balanced and notice more opportunities coming your way in the coming year.

10. Write down your goals for the year.
9. Place a couple of books, tapes or CDs, on subjects that you want to learn about, in the front left corner of your home.
8. Place an image of a helpful person in the front right corner of your home.
7. Place a pair of things in the back right corner of your home.
6. Place a valuable object in the back left corner of your home.
5. Place a heavy object in the center of your home.
4. Remove everything from your bedroom that does not make you feel like resting and relaxing.
3. Do some space clearing at least once a month (see other posting in this blog for more info).
2. Hang something bright and cheerful on or near your front door.
1. Clear your clutter!