Clearing Clutter For Health and Wealth

I live in what I have always considered a pretty clutter-free home. But after reading Karen Kingston's book "Clear Clutter with Feng Shui," I've realized I can still do with less. I started last week. The little clutter I have already cleared has had a surprising affect on me. Karen is ruthless in her suggestions (empty the trash every day!) but gentle and convincing in her approach. I have managed to give away and throw away several boxes. I truly didn't believe I had that much! The things I didn't toss, I started using again.

Karen defines clutter as:
Things you don't love
Things that are untidy and disorganized
Too many things in too small a space
Anything unfinished

She even told me that the word "clutter" comes from the Middle English word "clotter," which means to coagulate. Okay, I get the picture all too vividly.

The problem with all this clutter is what she calls "stuck energy." As clutter accumulates, energy around your space slows. And as that energy slows, more clutter accumulates. The result? You become what you see; tired, confused, in disharmony and disorganized. Your life is literally put on hold. There's just no space for anything new.

Here's the good news. By clearing clutter, you change the possibilities in your life. A week ago Sunday, I cleaned out my jewelry. On Monday, I received a totally unexpected gift in the mail, a beautiful silver bracelet that was just right for me. No, it wasn't my birthday. The giver just thought I'd like it. And I do! Hmmm. I think I'll clean out the garage this week.

"Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure." ~ Piero Ferrucci

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." ~ Allen

"Barn's burnt down...now I can see the moon." ~~Masahide

"In my hut this spring, there is nothing-there is everything!" ~~ Sodo

"It is not the greatness of a man's means that make him independent, so much as the smallness of his wants." ~ William Cobbett

I'm no expert. But I've developed some techniques that work well for me. Take them, try them, they're all yours.

1. For every item I bring in to my home, one item must go out. That goes for everything, even mail.
2. Four times a year, I start pitching until 25 things have gone (100 items a year).
3. I do not print hard copies of documents and papers I can just as easily keep and read on my computer.
4. The library has become my friend. I give them books (just in case I might want to read them again--never have though) and I borrow books.
5. I've realized that a collection, whatever the collection might be (books, dishes, clothing, hats, shoes, etc.), is a way for me to not deal with an emotion. That's what I work on, the emotion.
6. I use those things I consider precious, even if they might break or wear out. I'm not going to live forever.
7. Unwanted mail does not even enter the house. It goes into a recycling bag in the garage.
8. I go to the recycling center once a week, no matter how much or how little I have to recycle.
9. I reward myself with things that can be used up or have a life span; like, fresh flowers, chocolate, bath soap and bubble bath, candles, a nice meal, ...
10. I turned the home office back into a bedroom. This forced me to downsize my office needs (laptop computer, online fax service, files on disk, etc.) and put things away at the end of my day.