Is it time to clear your clutter?

When you look around your home do you see clear floors and tidy surfaces or do you see piles of toys, books, clothes and general clutter? Our home is a mixture of the two, though my ideal would still be a tidier version of what we have today. That’s because I follow the guides of Feng Shui which despite sounding a little ‘out there’ are actually all about common sense.

Feng Shui Chi or Qi

Feng Shui centres around the flow of positive energy ‘chi’ or ‘qi’. When positive energy can flow freely and in abundance, it promotes happiness, good health and prosperity. So if there are areas of clutter which prevent the free flow of chi then negative energy will build.

What is clutter?

Do you have clothes in your wardrobe that no longer fit or are tatty and tired? Do you have books that you are never likely to read sitting on your shelf? Children’s toys that are broken or grown out of? Food in your cupboards or fridge that is out of date? Paperwork which is no longer needed and a garage full of everything you no longer wanted in the house? All of that is clutter that should be got rid of in order to make way for new opportunities, positive energy and better luck.

Where to start

Set yourself manageable targets? Tackling a whole house isn’t going to be a one day job so plan your time and do one room a day, a week or even a month. When deciding whether you really want to keep something you need to ask if you love it? Does it bring you pleasure and make you happy? If the answer to these questions is no then it’s time to part company. Once the decision has been made to remove something from the house you need to decide whether it can be recycled, upcycled, sold or sent to the rubbish.

Recycle

We take lots of our unwanted items to the household recycling centre, it helps if you sort your items into card, paper, glass etc as this will save you lots of time when you get there.

Upcycle

If you are a crafty person then perhaps you can upcycle an item yourself (look on Pinterest for some great ideas). If you haven’t got the time to dedicate to upcycling then don’t build up a pile of items or you will just create another clutter pile. You could sell such items on sites like eBay, Shpock or Gumtree for others to upcycle themselves. You could donate items on Freecycle or charity shops if you aren’t worried about making money on them.

Sell

Hubby and I actually raised enough money to pay a quarter of our Wedding fees by selling unwanted items at car boot sales. It was easier to do them when we didn’t have the children so now we tend to sell items online using some of the above selling sites. Another great option if you just want to sell off items in bulk without the hassle would be to sell through an auction house like BPI Auctions.

Benefits of Clearing Clutter

When my desk is a mess, my mind feels a mess too. I find it hard to think straight but the moment that I have tidied my desk I find I can focus much better on the task in hand. I am not distracted by everything around me and the same goes for the rest of the house. I can’t sleep well in a messy bedroom or eat in a kitchen full of dirty pots and pans so it goes to show that clutter creates emotional blockages. There are a number of benefits to clearing clutter in the home;

• Reduces anxiety – all items hold memories of something. By clearing away all these memories you are free to focus on the present.
• Increases productivity – I’ve lost count of the number of ‘work’ days I have lost because I have been distracted by something which needed putting away and then it snowballs from room to room. A tidy house or office allows you to get on with the tasks that really need doing.
• Be free of the past – do you still have old trinkets from past loves? Get rid of them, if the love has gone, free yourself of the emotion attached to the trinkets too. It’s time to make a new start.
• Improve creativity – when Chi is allowed to flow freely our creativity can flourish. When I struggle to write a blog post, I say I have ‘writer’s block’ but clearing clutter removes blockages and allows creativity to flow.
• Relieves allergies – if you have an area of clutter in your home then it’s highly unlikely that you dust that area which means you will have a build of dust and mites which is bad news for allergy sufferers.
• Increased opportunities – when your ‘chi’ flows freely you will be more open to new opportunities. This is especially true when the entrance to your home is kept clear. Keep your front door clean and tidy with an abundance of flowering plants and keep your entrance hall light and open to allow those opportunities to come rolling in.

What are you waiting for? Go clear that clutter and see how much better you feel as a result.