10-Minute Declutter: Hundreds of Tips to Organize Every Room of Your House
208
10-Minute Declutter: Hundreds of Tips to Organize Every Room of Your House
208Hardcover
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Overview
- Use plants to absorb emotional and mental clutter
- Use a consistent color scheme throughout your home
- Use a board instead of post-it notes to organize your life
- And much more
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781592339143 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Fair Winds Press |
| Publication date: | 09/17/2019 |
| Series: | 10 Minute Series |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Sales rank: | 1,105,811 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.70(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
THE BASICS OF FENG SHUI
Western society tends to think of luck as pure chance. The people who follow the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui, however, believe we can cultivate and manipulate luck. Rather than simply playing the hand Fate dealt them in the game of life, they use this method to remedy their problems and attract health, wealth, and happiness.
Feng shui's objective is to create harmony and balance in your environment. To accomplish this, feng shui masters apply a variety of practical solutions, called cures, to everyday problems. These remedies include such things as establishing convenient traffic patterns through your home, positioning furniture in comfortable arrangements, and eliminating clutter in your living and work spaces. There's nothing magical about these cures — they are sensible ways to make life easier and more efficient.
But feng shui also has a mystical component based on the I Ching, ancient Chinese philosophy, color and number symbolism, and other esoteric knowledge. Many of the cures feng shui recommends are symbolic as well as practical. The logical solutions enable you to function more effectively and comfortably; the symbolic ones influence your subconscious to change old patterns and conditioned responses that may be blocking you at a deeper level.
The Art of Placement
Feng shui is also known as the art of placement. By placing furniture, accessories, artworks, architectural elements, personal objects, and so on in particular spots, you create either a comfortable environment that people enjoy spending time in or an unpleasant one they can't wait to leave. Many good interior designers and architects unconsciously understand the principles of feng shui and use them automatically to create harmonious, well-balanced environments.
Even if you've never studied feng shui or interior design, you've undoubtedly experienced the effects of good and bad placement. For instance, if the first thing you encountered upon entering a living room was the back of a sofa, how would you feel? Unwelcome? Blocked? If you walked into an office and saw clutter everywhere, what would you think? That the person who worked there was so busy or distracted that he or she might not be able to pay attention to you? Once you start noticing your feelings and responses when you enter a space, you'll begin to understand how feng shui works.
Ch'i: Feng Shui's Pulse of Life
Literally translated, feng shui means wind and water. Wind and water, as we know, can be harnessed to produce energy. Feng shui also allows us to control and direct natural forces and utilize their energy constructively.
The principal force feng shui considers is ch'i (pronounced chee), the life-giving energy of the Universe that flows through everything — our homes, the Earth, our bodies. Acupuncturists use needles to eliminate blockages so ch'i can move freely in the body. Feng shui practitioners employ various cures, such as those discussed in Part Two, to keep ch'i flowing smoothly through our environments. One of the most common impediments to ch'i in our homes and workplaces is clutter. Clearing clutter from your environment is like unclogging a pipe so water can run through it again.
Ch'i travels through an area in much the same way you do. As you walk about your home, notice whether the pathways you normally use are easy to navigate or obstructed. D o they invite you to enter? Is it difficult to move through the space or to open windows and doors? D o some areas feel pleasant, others awkward or uncomfortable? You can't see ch'i, but after you work with it a while, you'll begin to sense its presence.
Ideally, you want ch'i to move through a space like a gently flowing stream or a light breeze. If it rushes by too quickly, it won't have time to bestow its life-giving benefits. If it gets "stuck" and sits like a stagnant pool, you may feel uneasy or even become physically ill. Clutter, debris, dirt, and disrepair interfere with the healthy flow of ch'i, producing tension, confusion, stuffness, congestion, and a general feeling of malaise. Once clutter has been cleared away, other feng shui cures, such as lights, plants, sound, color, and mirrors, can be employed to rectify ch'i imbalances and create harmonious environments in which to live and work.
As Within, So Without
Our homes clearly demonstrate this axiom — so clearly that a feng shui master can walk through your home and see at a glance what's going on in your career, your family, your love life. From the point of view of feng shui, your home says a great deal about you — not only about your taste, but also which areas of your life are stable and balanced and which ones are incomplete, obstructed, or unsettled.
That's because your home is a symbol of you — the outer representation of your inner state. This powerful symbol not only reveals what's taking place in every area of your life, but it also shows your attitudes toward your situation. How you furnish, decorate, clean, and arrange your living space express in visual terms what's going on inside you — whether or not you are aware of it.
Here's an example. A woman I used to know was very private and refused to let many people get close to her. Her home, although large and well appointed, was so cluttered that there was no place to sit — a clear reflection of her reluctance to welcome visitors.
Take a good look at your own living space. If you're like most people, you'll notice that some areas are neat, clean, and orderly, while others are messy or neglected. Are your social areas inviting but your study chaotic? A feng shui practitioner might interpret this as an indication that you enjoy friendship and entertaining but find work less appealing. Perhaps you've been meaning to organize or do repairs in a certain sector of your home but never seem to get around to it. These disorderly parts correspond to unresolved issues in your life that you don't want to confront.
In chapter 3, I'll show you how to analyze your home to spot problems. Then, in chapter 4, I'll explain how you can fix your life by fixing your home.
Intention
The physical parts of feng shui can't be separated from the psychological ones. When you implement a cure — such as repositioning furniture, installing adequate lighting, or cleaning up clutter — you show that you want to improve conditions in your life by improving the condition of your environment. Once you decide you are ready for a change, you'll just naturally start applying feng shui cures in your home and workplace.
Your intention to take charge of your life and create your own luck is the most important part of feng shui. In a sense, your willpower is the active ingredient in feng shui, the power that makes it work.
Although feng shui cures will have an impact even if your heart isn't in it, you'll get better results if you are purposeful in what you do. If you lack sincerity or perform the cures without really intending to change your life, you may lapse back into old habits — such as allowing clutter to pile up again — and nullify the positive benefits of the cures you applied.
CHAPTER 2THE PROBLEM WITH CLUTTER
Albert Einstein may not have known anything about feng shui, but his opinions on clutter control suggest he understood its basic concepts when he said, "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
Much of feng shui involves symbolic associations. Physical conditions in our environments symbolize emotional issues and attitudes we hold. Broken furniture, for instance, can signify broken dreams, physical injuries, or a breakdown in communication among family members. Dirty windows make it difficult to see situations clearly. Doors or drawers that stick may represent aspects of your life that are stuck.
It's easy to see the connection between physical clutter and messiness in your personal life. We even use the term "baggage" to describe old concepts, hang-ups, and behaviors that limit personal growth and happiness. If an area in your home is cluttered, you are probably experiencing confusion or blockages in the part of your life that corresponds to the cluttered section. Conversely, areas that you just naturally tend to keep neat and organized show the parts of your life that function smoothly. (I'll talk more about this in the next chapter.)
I have a friend whose home is extremely neat — except the area that's linked with love and relationships. This room is full of empty bottles and boxes, old paint cans, cast-off furniture, and cartons of memorabilia from his youth (including photo albums containing pictures of old girlfriends). The room has no heat and the roof leaks. No one who understands feng shui would be surprised to learn that this man has a lot of unresolved issues and outdated attitudes about women, love, and relationships.
Large-scale clutter produces physical obstacles that indicate the presence of psychological obstacles. The home of another man I know is cluttered with enormous piles of stuff. Books and magazines, clothing, DVDs, dishes, electrical equipment, athletic gear, and more are stacked on top of furniture. It's almost as if he has built a "clutter fortress."
Many people who have experienced poverty hold on to stuff they may not need because — consciously or not — they fear the shortages they experienced earlier in life. Holding on to old stuff, however, can keep you from letting go of the past and moving ahead with your life.
From the perspective of feng shui, clutter can represent several things:
• Confusion: Disarray and disorganization in your environment show that some areas of your life are messy or unsettled.
• Old baggage: Saving old and worn-out or unused items suggests that you are holding on to old ideas, attitudes, grudges, fears, or habits and allowing them to clutter your psyche.
• Obstacles: Piles of stuff represent blocks that limit your progress; they physically hamper your movement and hinder the flow of ch'i through your environment.
By clearing away the physical clutter around you, you can actually clear up disorder and difficulties in your life — sometimes overnight!
CLUTTER, DIRT, AND DISREPAIR
From the perspective of feng shui, it's advantageous to free your home of clutter, dirt, and disrepair. Some homes are plagued by all three, while others may suffer from only one. That's because each of these problems symbolizes something different.
Clutter refers to an accumulation of too much stuff, without proper organization or distinction. Clutter usually signifies confusion, lack of focus, chaos, instability, or muddled circumstances. If your home is cluttered, you may have too much going on and lack direction or a sense of priorities. Perhaps you are scattering your energy, rather than dedicating yourself to what's really important. You may be uncertain about your goals, who you are, or what you want in life. Often we see this sort of clutter in teenagers' rooms because they haven't sorted out these personal matters yet.
Dirt suggests low self-esteem, a low energy level, or poor health. Animals often stop cleaning themselves when they are sick or under stress. »e same thing happens with people. If you lack vitality or enthusiasm for life, you may not see the value in cleaning your home. If your sense of self-worth is poor, you may not feel you deserve to live in pleasant surroundings. Do you know people who always apologize for the unsightly condition of their home? These people are actually apologizing for the inadequacies they see in themselves.
Disrepair around the home equates with emotional despair. Broken furniture, cracked tiles, and crumbling plaster suggest broken dreams or a sense of hopelessness — your life seems to be falling down around you. Doors and windows that stick indicate feelings of being stuck or trapped by circumstances. Systems that don't work properly may symbolize self-imposed limits or areas in your life that aren't functioning adequately.
NEW CLUTTER, OLD CLUTTER
In my home, clutter tends to collect in my office. As a freelance writer and artist, I'm often working on a number of projects simultaneously, and my desk may hold several stacks of paperwork that pertain to various jobs in progress.
"New clutter" of this sort usually indicates that you may be trying to do too much, that you lack focus and direction, or that you are letting things distract you from your primary path or purpose. New clutter can also include clothing lying around, toys or sporting equipment scattered about — things you've used recently, but haven't bothered to put away.
Cleaning up this clutter can help you to become more centered, focused, and effective.
"Old clutter" is all that outdated, unused stuff that tends to get stashed in the basement, attic, closets, and garage. Old files, physical or digital, fall into this category, too. Lots of old clutter suggests you fear letting go of things that no longer have purpose in your life, even though they may actually be holding you back. Perhaps you are living in the past, are letting old ideas or emotions govern your present behavior, or are too security-conscious.
I used to work with a woman who never threw out any of the paperwork from her old jobs. Her files were stuffed with old folders, plans, cost sheets, etc. Although she rationalized that she might need to refer to this information someday, in reality she rarely did. With so much old clutter filling her drawers, the message she projected was that she didn't have room for new jobs, and so she subconsciously undermined her success.
Once she realized the connection, she tossed most of her old paperwork and quickly attracted new business.
WORKPLACE CLUTTER
Do stacks of papers, books, and file folders fill your work space? Do you have to shuffle through piles of paperwork to find something? On your computer, is your desktop a mess of icons? On your phone or tablet, are there apps you never use? Is your email inbox overflowing?
Disorganization in your work space wastes valuable time and money every day. How much does it cost you to search for misplaced or inaccessible materials, return phone calls because you can't put your finger on information when you need it, redo work, replace supplies that you stashed someplace but can't remember where, and so on? A carpenter I know has so much clutter in his truck and workshop that often he can't find a tool he needs and has to buy a duplicate. In some work environments, clutter can even lead to accidents and injury.
But clutter in your office has another drawback, too. It prevents you from focusing completely on the task at hand — your subconscious keeps reminding you of the unfinished business all around you. Over time, this can cause you to feel ineffective, unproductive, and overwhelmed.
ACTIVITY CLUTTER
Multitasking has become a way of life in our modern world. We pride ourselves on being able to juggle a number of operations simultaneously. We check social media, talk to our loved ones, watch TV, go over our to-do lists, and eat breakfast all at the same time. At work, we follow the same pattern — scrolling through our email while talking on the phone, fling paperwork, and jotting down appointments on our calendars. Even when we're engaged in a single activity — particularly a mindless one like unloading the dishwasher or raking leaves — we're usually thinking about something other than the task at hand. Yet no matter how busy we are, we rarely feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day — most likely because we haven't truly experienced anything we've done.
When you try to do several things at once, you can't pay attention to — or enjoy — any of them fully. Confusion, stress, and forgetfulness are the inevitable results of this "activity clutter." How often have you put something down when you were involved in some other activity and forgotten where you left it? How many times do you have to ask someone to repeat what he or she just said because you were thinking about something else?
Narrowly focusing our attention and living in the moment reduces the confusion and stress produced by activity clutter. His Holiness the Dalai Lama even recommends against talking while you are eating, because in order to get the full benefit of either activity you must focus on it completely. When our attention is fragmented, we feel disconnected and derive less satisfaction from what we're doing. We end up missing out on what's going on right now — which is most of life!
Activity clutter also includes packing our days and nights with so many engagements, projects, and tasks that we rarely have a free moment to just be. One of the reasons we fill our lives with busyness is so we won't have to confront our feelings — and ourselves. To avoid looking deeply at ourselves, we scroll through social media, watch shows or movies, text or talk on the phone, do household chores, work out, go shopping.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Declutter"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Skye Alexander.
Excerpted by permission of The Quarto Group.
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