Who couldn’t use a little more money flow in life?

If you want to get things moving in your money arena, decluttering, organizing and clearing out the old are my favorite Feng Shui tips for creating more abundance in life.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is the 5,000 year old Asian art of placement. This ancient practice has been utilized to successfully correct the flow of energy for centuries. Where you put your things, how you think about them, and what you do with them affects the flow of  your life.

This ancient science is taken so seriously in Asia, there are actual laws limiting the amount of “cures,” such as mirrors, big businesses like banks can have on the outside of their buildings.

If this sounds crazy to you, take a trip to Japan and look closely at the architecture. There’s nothing random about the design and layout of those buildings.

So how can you make an impact on your own environment?

If you want to boost your flow of money and remove all those seemingly insurmountable obstacles you face daily, starting with your office is the quickest path to freedom.

Clutter, dirty cups, stacks of paperwork and an unappealing environment aren’t going to make you jump for joy each morning when you walk into the office.  (Home offices count, too.)

We want to create a space that makes you feel excited to enter and facilitates feelings of success each morning, not a feeling of dread as you face a desk piled with unorganized paperwork.

A well lit, pleasant, healthy space is going to make you feel more productive and positive, which then translates into better productivity and, ultimately, more money.

So ask yourself:

How do I feel when I walk into my office? Is it well lit? Are the windows clean?

Looking through dirty windows can cloud your thinking and affect your mood more than you realize. Make an appointment to have them cleaned and make them sparkle.

Is the room dark?

Lamps are cheap to buy and lighting is an easy effective way to brighten up any space. Consider track lights on a dimmer switch.

What color are your walls? All white? While that’s great for brightness, consider painting one wall a beautiful color that makes you feel happy. Consider finding a piece of art that inspires you and facilitates a feeling of success.

Clear out everything that isn’t either loved or used. In other words, this is your workspace. This is your domain.  Everything in this room should be a representation of who you are or who you want to become.

A photo or piece of art that was given to you, but not truly loved, is going to bring your energy down on a subtle level. When someone gives you a gift, it’s yours to do what you want with it. If you don’t love it, lose it.

The love it or lose it rule also goes for pens that drive you nuts, pencils you’ve gnawed on and cheap desk items that don’t represent prosperity.

Think of  successful executives; their tools are beautiful and well tended. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find things that represent beauty and prosperity—even looking at a small, yet beautiful pottery bowl filled with paper clips is going to make you feel more abundant than a paper clip box with the lid torn off.

How do you feel about your chair and desk? Is the chair comfortable and in good working order? You spend more hours in this chair than you do your comfy living room couch, so if you can, invest in a good one. I found a modern red leather chair on sale for $99 and paired it with a beautiful, well worn, wooden farm table as my desk.  The combo may sound silly, but when you walk into my office, the combination is beautiful.

It really doesn’t matter what you use as your desk and chair, just make sure your reaction is one of pleasure when you use them.

Working in an office with ugly carpeting or tile?  Throw a great rug on top and you’ve just covered the ugliness.  It’s important to feel good and surrounded by beauty in the place that generates your income.

Now look around. 

What needs to be repaired? Burned out light bulbs, missing parts, broken items and things you no longer use represent poverty. Fix it, replace it or lose it. (Preferably, recycle it.)

When was the last time you cleaned your tools?

That’s right, your computer screen, your keyboard, your phone, and even your calculator. Stuff accumulates energy and the last places you want old energy stuck are the tools you use to generate prosperity. You’ve had lots of calls,  calculated many bills and read tons of emails on those tools.

Erase away the past by cleaning these items. My favorite way? Lavender oil. Grab a bottle and a cotton ball and wipe everything other than your computer screen down with it. Lavender will clear away the germs as well as the energy.

As far as your computer screen goes, get a soft towel damp with an appropriate cleaner and wipe it clear. Ahhh… don’t you feel better already?

Now clear your phone messages. Talk about keeping old energy! You’ve had arguments, received disappointing news and probably  said a few things you regret—so erase the memories and the old energy.

Go through and write down old numbers you need from messages, make a master list of who to call back, and then erase them all.

Same with emails. If you can’t part with your electronic history, at the very least create email files and file them appropriately.

Load a beautiful screensaver picture and clear your computer desktop as well. There are weeks I walk in and see a zillion files on top my laptop, I immediately notice a feeling of overwhelm before I even begin my day. Make desktop folders and drag those things into neat, virtual folders.

Bored on a conference call? Put your phone on speaker and clear out and organize  your photos, documents and downloads. Delete, drag to a file and organize while listening.

Now let’s talk about your real desk top.

Drag everything on to your floor and clean the top with an appropriate cleaner. Now consider the surface. Do you like it? If not, think about getting one of those desktop calendars if that floats your boat, or if you really don’t like the surface of your desk and can’t paint it, get one of those clear plastic covers and put a bunch of pictures that inspire you underneath it. There! Suddenly your desk top is beautiful and interesting.

Now look at the pile of things on your floor.

One by one, put your “newly cleaned” tools back in their proper places. As you arrange everything, remember that the far left hand corner of your desk is your money corner. Consider putting your phone or your desktop computer screen there.

The far right hand corner is your relationship corner. This is also a great spot for your phone or a file holder filled with potential clients. Either corner is also a great location for a beautiful plant or vase of flowers. What’s important is to create an environment for peace and happiness.

While it might feel funny to think about your office in this way, simple things such as a beautiful plant, a fresh flower, or an inspiring photo of a place you want to visit on your desk space will create an environment that you want to inhabit. When you enjoy being at your desk, even bill paying becomes a tolerable event.

Now, look at the remaining things left on your floor. These things need to be touched only once. Pick something up and either read it or toss it, transfer the information to a file or put it on a to do or call back list.

Touch it once. Use this rule and you will never have a pile again.

Bills? If you can’t pay them immediately, put them in one of two files: due on the 15th or due on the 30th. Having piles of paper everywhere feels overwhelming and reinforces out of control feelings.

Remember, piles of paperwork creates clutter and clutter blocks the flow of prosperity. Whenever I walk into a cluttered home, I can guarantee that the occupants are either overweight or having money issues.

Have one or two healthy, vibrant plants in your office. Keep them well trimmed of brown leaves and as you water and mist them, imagine your prosperity thriving like the plant.

Consider a water feature in the money corner of the room. Fountains that allow water to pool are especially good for creating fresh energy and the trickling sound of water is soothing to hear. Chimes hung in your money corner or near the door of your office (remember to ring them daily) also stimulate the flow of energy.

Now ask yourself: where is my desk?

You should have a clear view of the door when you sit at your desk. It’s an old Feng Shui rule—you don’t want to be startled by someone walking up behind you while you’re working or on an important call. If this isn’t possible, at least have a mirror on your desk or on the wall so you can see behind yourself .

What are your hidden money secrets?

Do you worry? Do you hoard? Consider the hidden places in your office. What are your closets and drawers like? Do your files contain things you no longer need or use?

Stuffed drawers and closets hold old non-productive energy. It’s a boring and labor intensive thing to do, but seriously consider cleaning out those hidden places. They are affecting you, I guarantee it.

I’ve been doing Feng Shui for private and corporate clients over 17 years, and can promise that miracles happen when you go the extra mile and clear out those hidden spots. The public may not see them, but you know they’re stuffed and messy. That knowing weighs on your mind far more than you realize.

When was the last time you went through your bookshelves?

Books represent knowledge, and if those shelves are stuffed with old books you no longer use, chances are your creativity has become stagnant, too. Donate old books to someone who will use them, and open yourself up for some new energy and new information. If you’re like me and you love your books, at least make sure they are in-line with who you’ve  become in life. For example: if you’re no longer in debt, you don’t need all of those how to get out of debt books! Pass them on to someone who needs them.

Make sure your shelves are up to date with who you are and who you want to become.

When you’re complete, air the place out.

Throw open your windows, burn some sage to clear the space and say a blessing. Thank yourself with a beautiful coffee mug or tea cup. No worries on spending a little extra money for it, you’re about to make a fortune!

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Author: Tamara Star

Editor: Emily Bartran

Photos: Jared Eberhardt/Flickr; Sebastien Wiertz/Flickr; Amy Gizienski/Flickr