Make that Clutter go away!

In August 2006 I graduated from the Wind and Water School of Feng Shui as a Certified Practitioner trained in Black Sect Tantric Feng Shui. To clarify, this means that my specialty is the ancient Chinese way. Now, a lot of people will argue that this is the “correct” way to practice Feng Shui however, I have been taking classes for the Compass school and find that while it is different it now makes more sense to me. For my writings here though I will generally be discussing and using the Black Sect teachings.


Clutter got you down?

There are many ways to get rid of your clutter but the most important is to stop making more before you even try to clear it out. Here are a few tips that really work for me.

First of all, do not even bring the junk mail into the house. Toss it in the recycling or shred it before it makes it to the desk or table. Also, I have found that if you want to get off some of the mailing lists and they don’t seem to listen, then mail them their stuff back with a nice little note asking to be removed.

Assign a spot for everything and stick to it. Purse, keys, kids backpacks, mittens, shoes whatever it is that you are always searching for in the morning should have a designated place and be in that place before bed at night. Makes for much easier mornings.

Mind clutter is a big deal. Keep a to-do list and use it. Another thing that works for us is to keep a pad and pen in the nightstand and when you wake up thinking about something, write it down and go back to sleep.

Flat surfaces are made specifically for you to fill up, right? Ok, so start there. Walk around your home and see what surfaces collect “stuff” and make that your initial focus. Take nine minutes per day and just get rid of things that are no longer useful but are out in the open that everyone visiting can see. It doesn’t sound like much but you can really get a lot done in nine minutes. Once the initial “flat surfaces” are done then move on to the places that aren’t obvious and stick with the nine minutes per day. In no time at all you will have a clutter free home or office.

Start a bag or box for items that are in good condition but that you no longer wish to keep. This way you will have a head start if you choose to have a yard sale or to donate the items to charity.