“I can’t keep up with my work…I go from one fire to another…I feel so overwhelmed…I don’t know where to begin…I feel blocked…I have no energy…” Do you hear yourself or others around you saying such things? Look around. Do you then see piles of unfiled papers, items stacked everywhere, blocked doors, overstuffed closets, broken items... in other words… clutter!
It’s time to begin the clearing of the clutter which holds you back. Standi n the entrance of a room and assess what you see. Is the room filled with piles of papers, broken objects, messy items or items that no longer serve you or have negative memories? Now is the perfect time to make the changes to create the life you are longing for.
A friend recently had a wonderful suggestion. We are currently beginning the season of Lent where people give up certain things for forty days. She thought that instead of giving up sweets why not give up clutter. Each day choose one small area to declutter and place the items to pass on in a bag. After forty days you may end up with forty bags and a much lighter load. This is a very exciting challenge that will have life changing effects.
This does not have to be difficult; in just minutes you can begin to make changes that can turn your home into a comfortable, peaceful haven. I began writing Feng Shui columns with the concept of decluttering because overall, decluttering is the foundation in beginning Feng Shui; clearing the path for positive energy to flow in. An organized home can have a calming effect on you, your family and guests.
What works is balance. You can begin to transform your home from chaos to paradise with the “few minutes a day technique.” I call it the “Salami Method of Time Management,” taking one slice at a time. Organizing possessions and eliminating clutter can be viewed as an adventurous mission that opens portals to the life you want. By getting rid of the things you no longer want or need, you revitalize your home and make room for what you really DO want to flow into your life; you enhance your happiness, clarity and peace of mind. In Feng Shui everything counts, so your storage areas are as important as the most lived-in areas. In other words, if your room is orderly because everything is stuffed into a closet, you are not practicing Feng Shui.
In Feng Shui there are two types of chaos: Active chaos and passive chaos. Active chaos is defined as the clutter resulting from creating something, such a cooking, painting, remodeling, reorganizing etc. This clutter will soon be cleared as your project is completed. Passive chaos is the clutter that remains in piles, in closets, under beds, in garages and generally all over the house. This clutter is what blocks the flow of the life energizing Ch’i and consequently drains your life.
If you are laden with passive chaos and are being drained, it is important to take charge and begin decluttering. But where do you begin?
Early on in my life I felt a need to organize my belongings. I would say that everything has an “X” where it would belong, so as I was cleaning up, everything would return to its designated “X.” I recommend beginning small. Find the Bagua area of your home that is affecting you the most and first pick up what is in plain sight, the visible clutter, and either return it to it’s “X” (a closet, drawer, laundry etc.) , donate, toss, or recycle anything that needs to be disposed of.
Once you have cleared the visible space move to a drawer, or a shelf in a closet. Avoid overwhelming yourself by doing just a little bit each day. I like to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in a room. If a dresser were directly to my right as I walked into the room, I would remove the visible clutter from the top first, another day I would declutter the first drawer, the next day the second drawer, and so on. Give yourself permission to lighten your load by removing items which you no longer use, are broken, or are holding negative memories from that area, and either passing them on, donating them or tossing.
When I retired from my career in education, I realized I did not need all those business clothes. I created a “one third” rule for myself, saying that if I had nine skirts, I needed to remove at least one third, or three of them. Once you begin with this system, you may find that you want to rid yourself of even more. Therefore, with this formula, if you open a sock drawer and find you have eighteen pairs of socks jammed in to where the drawer does not close well, allow your self to remove and pass on at least six pairs.
I focus on that area and set a time to do declutter a little bit every day. This does not take long, and the results are evident almost immediately. You will be able to feel the impact of the positive energy flowing through your house, and many wonderful opportunities coming your way.
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