With fall fast approaching, meetings and activities resuming from their summer hiatus and children going back to school, now is a perfect time to remove unwanted and unneeded baggage from your life. Whether things unwanted or unneeded take the form of stacks of unread magazines, closets bursting at the seams with clothes, linens or just “stuff,” all fall into the category of clutter and creates stagnant energy.
Not only does it matter that you have created stagnant energy through all of this clutter but depending on where it is located in your home or office, it can create slow or difficult areas in your life. For example, if your clutter is located in the southwest area of your family room you may find your relationships with family members, friends or co-workers a bit on the difficult side. Or, if the clutter is in the center of your home, your life may seem a bit disjointed with nothing quite working the way you planned.
As a general rule of thumb, “clutter is anything you do not need, do not love or has no specific purpose in your life”. When evaluating clothing, “if it doesn’t fit, look great on you or make you feel like a million dollars, get rid of it.” When evaluating “stuff” in closets, cupboards and pantries, “if it is broken, chipped, a duplicate or something you haven’t used in three years, get rid of it.” These same rules apply to all areas of the home and office including the garage and storage areas.
Clutter needs to be eliminated from anywhere it accumulates in order to ensure that maximum energy will flow throughout your home, office and life. For some of us it is easy to eliminate “stuff” that has accumulated over the weeks, months and years. For others the thought of such an undertaking is so overwhelming that they simply cannot begin.
No matter which side of this clutter issue you are on, there really is an easy process to follow for uncluttering your home or office. If you have lots to unclutter, make it as easy as possible. Begin in one room and one room only or else the task will seem daunting. If there is a particular room that is bothering you then begin there. If not, always begin in your bedroom then move to the kitchen.
All you need is three boxes and determination. Label one TRASH, the next one CHARITY and the third MAYBE. As you sort through things using the definition above, determine whether you are going to keep the item or piece of clothing. If you are then it should go back on the shelf or hang back in the appropriate place in your closet. If not, then decide if it is in good condition and can be re-gifted or given to charity. If yes, place it onto a shelf dedicated to re-gifting items or place it into the CHARITY box. If it is not in good condition, put it into the TRASH box. If, after great deliberation, you are just not sure of what to do with the item, place it into the MAYBE box. You have probably guessed by now that the CHARITY and TRASH boxes should be full when you are done and the MAYBE box should have only a few things in it. Re-visit the MAYBE box in 90 days and make a decision. Either keep it or “get rid of it.” It really is this simple.
I recently received the following email. “Upon returning to my office in my Feng Shui”fever” (thank you, Pat!), I discarded “boatloads” of outdated materials and reams of paper, moved my new silk philodendron (with 7 “Susan B. Anthonys” scatteredatop!) into the southeast corner of my office cubicle, and placed a mirror facing east strong>(since my desk & I face west) on top of my desk… Within 24 hours my office becamea curiosity, AND NOW ALL OF MY CO-WORKERS ARE CONGREGATING INMY OFFICE -SOMETIMES THREE AT A TIME – proclaiming things like, “it’s so peaceful in here” or “was that mirror always there?” , etc…”, Lydia S. Through the simple process of uncluttering her office, she made a huge difference in the flow of positive energy while also creating a peaceful setting in hectic surroundings facing constant deadlines.
To improve the flow of positive energy into your home or office does not cost anything but time and the determination that you want to improve your life. Feng Shui simply defined is the use of positive energy in your surroundings to bring about desired results. Shift the stagnant energy created by clutter and enjoy the positive changes in your life.
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© Pat Heydlauff, All Rights Reserved
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, uses Feng Shui design principles to eliminate chaos and stress at home and within oneself. More than a Feng Shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps remove clutter and negativity while encouraging personal growth, improved relationships and prosperity. Her new book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,” shows how to achieve a better tomorrow. For information on her consulting, speaking and artwork, call: 561-408-2708.
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