You don’t have to believe in the Chinese zodiac to take advantage of some of the benefits of celebrating Chinese New Year. We all need a little extra luck after all, especially in the workplace.

So here is our “Auspicious Days to Start Work in 2012 Chart” to help along your new year. Just work out what zodiac animal you are – if you’re unsure, check out an astrology website to work it out – and then use our calendar to discover when you should be asking for time off.

And to make doubly sure you’re year is getting off to a good start, try wearing an auspicious colour.

Orange is said to bring happiness, blue will bring you a smooth year ahead, red is good for generally good prosperity and gold will apparently bring you lots of money.

So, why not try it out and see … you never know, it just might work!

AUSPICIOUS DAYS TO START WORK IN 2012