The ancient Chinese practice uses a combination of geographical, religious, philosophical, mathematical, aesthetic and astrological ideas to attain harmony through the environment – basically rearrange your furniture and your life will improve. OK, so it's easy to dismiss as gobbledygook, but surely anything that promises so much for so little effort has to be worth a try? If nothing else you'll have the fun of tarting up your workspace.

Firstly, make sure you can see the door from your desk (not least so you can stop whatever you're doing and look busy when bosses approach). If you can wangle it, take this one step further by sitting in the corner farthest from the entrance to gain the 'command' position (no need to let colleagues in on your cunning plan). If it's absolutely impossible to change your seating position, place a mirror by your computer screen so you can see who's sneaking up behind you – in time to minimise this screen.

Free your chi

Where possible, keep electrical wires well hidden. Not only are they an eyesore, but clutter blocks the free flow of chi (the life force). By the same token, try and stay on top of your paperwork – piles of old documents are seriously detrimental to both the chi and your mental health (in China, and increasingly the States, paper trays are never kept on desks).

Now you have a nice clear space around you, fill it with plants (not cacti) – living things stimulate a more active, vibrant energy. As long as you remember to water them. Soothe your mood, stimulate energy and banish negative chi by installing an indoor fountain or water feature. If that's unrealistic, a picture or photo - the larger the better - of flowing water will have the same benefits – which might explain the popularity of tropical ocean-themed screensavers. If you really want to splash out (sorry), fit the north area of the office with an aquarium filled with blue and black fish – this is supposed to activate career success, and will have the added bonus of making you feel like the baddie in a Bond film.

Shoot that poison arrow...

If there is a tall piece of furniture within your line of vision, move it. Big objects looming over you can make you feel uneasy (this is the principle behind crouching down to children's level so as not to intimidate them). What's more, protruding posts, pillars or duct work break up the room's chi and are said to shoot 'poison arrows' at you as you sit blamelessly at your desk. Cover them with hanging plants or place a crystal in the line of fire between you and your potential 'assassin'.

To enhance prosperity, put your safe, till or even petty cash box in either the west or northwest of the office. Or tie some Chinese coins up in silk bags with red ribbon and put them on top of your accounts books in the same area, to ensure financial security and add a bit of colour to the monotony that is invoicing.

If you are right-handed, a desk lamp to the right of your computer will cast a shadow on your line of vision, which will impair your concentration and eventually sap your energy. So move it. Similarly, if you have to stretch the telephone cable across the computer to listen with your preferred ear (usually the left if you're right-handed, as it frees up your right hand to dial), buy a cable extension so you can move it to the other side.

If you're giving your office dιcor a thorough overhaul, make sure there's a good balance of yin (feminine) and yang (masculine). In practice, this means balancing light and dark colours, soft and hard surfaces and smooth and rough textures, which makes sense aesthetically as well as spiritually. You wouldn't want to work in the dark wood and leather masculinity of an old-school gentlemen's club any more than Cath Kidston florals would be appropriate in the office. Brown leather sofas on soft cream carpets, with polished wood surfaces and billowing muslin drapes are another matter altogether... Enjoy!

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