Clutter Clearing Action Plan

Clearing clutter will help you move forward in your life. If you feel a little unsure of how to get started, I’ve put together a plan for you. My first piece of advice is to begin with little corners and build your momentum. You might want to focus on clearing clutter in the kitchen, living room and bedroom, since they are three significant rooms in the home.

As I recommend in Chapter 3 of “Feng Shui Your Life,” try to look beyond the clutter and visualize how you will feel when your home and mind are clean. Start with baby steps. Baby steps lead to large steps—which leads to a happier you. If you find your momentum, don’t stop. Here is an action plan for your living room. You can use this model for each room in your home. 

Instructions

1. In a journal, list the areas in your rooms that need the most clutter-clearing attention. Number their importance with regard to how each one drains your energy. Start with an easy area so you are less overwhelmed.
2. Get your clearing bags and boxes ready to fill. You might have a combination of bags including Trash, Recycle, Donate, Filing, Future Gifts, Not Sure and Storage categories. Make sure to remove them from the house when you’re finished. They will go to the trash, charity, storage or friends. Do not keep them in your home or they might find a way back.
3. For each item, ask yourself the four clutter-clearing questions. 1) Do I need it? 2) Do I use it? 3) Do I love it? 4) Does it make me happy and evoke a positive memory?  Make quick intuitive decisions. If you aren’t sure, put it into the “not sure” box. Keep the pace moving.
4. Quickly recycle junk mail as well as old newspapers and magazines. If there are articles you want to keep, cut them out and put them in a special box or binder.
5. Go through your bookcases and give away half-read books or ones you don’t intend to ever read again. Keep books you love, refer to, have sentimental value and move you forward towards your goals. Let go of books that no longer serve you (i.e. books from a past career, from college or an outgrown hobby) and donate them to a local library. Clear your bookshelves to open the door for new interests. Do the same with your old CDs and DVD’s. Leave at least one open shelf open for your new passions.
6. Remove unworn, ill-fitting clothes in your closets, bureaus and armoires. Make sure to clean out the space under the bed so energy can move freely around you while you sleep. You can feng shui your bedroom for love after clearing clutter.
7. Look objectively at your artwork, mementos and furniture. Notice which objects bring you joy and which don’t. Remove ones that have a negative connotation or you don’t like. See how it feels to put them away for a while.You might feel much lighter and happier.
8. In the kitchen, look in the pantry for expired foods. Examine your pots and pans keeping only the ones you use. Remove toxic household cleaners. If you have china or dishes you don’t us or like, feel free to sell or give them away.
9. Remove and/or fix broken items. Just looking at them drains your energy.
10. De-clutter your coffee table, entertainment center and mantel. Take everything off and only put back the objects you need, use or love. Focus on beauty, organization and purposefully decorating.
11. Re-access your collections. Can you downsize? You may want to give some away or sell them on the Internet.
12. Physically remove the clutter from your home. Each day you clear some clutter, take the boxes or bags to charity or to the trash. As you clean out, new opportunities will come in.
13. Dust your furniture, vacuum your carpets and clean your windows. Open the windows and doors to let fresh air and energy inside.

You might want to do a space clearing and a house blessing afterwards. Also, to clean your own personal energy field, take a relaxing salt bath and give yourself a gift for a job well done. It has been said that less stuff = more happiness. Congrats – you are on your way to creating an energized, beautiful and forward-moving home!

Excerpted from Chapter 3 of “Feng Shui Your Life.”