Declutter Your Home and Re-energize Your Life

Have you ever noticed that you have no energy when your space is cluttered? It seems to be a problem that feeds itself: clutter builds, it drains your energy, you need energy to declutter, fatigue sets it, you think of all the other things that are more important than cleaning right now, motivation dies... and the clutter sits there. Sucking the life out of you.

Have you also noticed how great you feel when your space is clean and organized? This feeling rarely lasts long, because children get home from school, projects get worked on, you do things in the yard, and before you know it, the clutter is back.

You want that good feeling and energy that comes from a healthy space, but it's hard to maintain. The trick is to mindfully declutter, create a space that gives you energy, then maintain the balance of energy that you created.

It can be done.

Feng Shui is a chinese system of geomancy which is meant to improve the flow of chi, or 'life energy'. The words Feng Shui translate to "wind-water" so much of the rules set forth in Feng Shui treat energy as it flows through your space, much like wind or water would flow.

To have a harmonious space you want to control how energy flows through. For example, a house on a rocky cliff, near a stormy ocean will get weather beaten, where a house alongside a meandering river will have peaceful energy always flowing to it.

Feng Shui is complex, I would encourage you to read more about it, but for the purposes here, there is a direct connection between energy and clutter that can be explained with Feng Shui.

Imagine energy flowing through your house, as a small brook of water. Imagine friends as they stop by, which door they come in, what greets them, where do they naturally want to go from there. This is how energy moves in your house.

Now, think about clutter. Clutter is like a rock that has been dropped in your brook. The energy still flows, but it has to work harder to flow around it, and behind the rock a small pool may recirculate, creating a small space where leaves or twigs may collect. The more clutter, the more difficult the flow of energy.

You want some things in your brook to direct the flow. If there were NO rocks, the water would run too fast and begin to erode the soil. The key is to have some beautiful rocks that create a pleasant flow of energy. In your home, this translates to a few things in your home that make you happy, make your space beautiful, energize you when you look at it - perhaps some flowers, or a nice piece of artwork.

Have you ever noticed that you can feel incredibly uncomfortable in a large, empty, sterile, lifeless space? The energy in that space is too powerful, while the energy in a cluttered space is stagnant. Neither of these are ideal. This is why they often 'stage' homes for sale, a completely empty house or an overly cluttered house is harder to sell.

We are most energized when we live in balance.

So, the secret to decluttering is not to get rid of as much as we can, but to create a space that feels balanced for us. Create an environment that gives us energy.

"The best artist has that thought alone Which is contained within the marble shell; The sculptor's hand can only break the spell To free the figures slumbering in the stone." ~ Michelangelo

Michelangelo often talked about his job as a sculptor as if the figures already existed in the stone, and it was his job to remove everything that was NOT the figure.

This is a great way to approach creating your space. Remove everything that is NOT your ideal space.

For the most part, decluttering comes down to defining two things:

1. What do I love?
2. What do I need?

That's all you need to know. Those two things are the spirit of your space, it is your job to carve away at the rest. It doesn't have to happen over night, it took Michelangelo a few years to create his David, you have your whole life to create your space.

So, look at the things in your environment. What do you Love? Do you find that it's hard to see them because there is so much clutter? Carve that away. What do you need? Do you find yourself spending hours looking for things you need because there is so much clutter? Carve that away.

Take one small space at a time. Decide what you love and what you need. Then find a way to get rid of the rest. It's as simple and difficult as that.

Move the things you love to spaces where energy will flow past them. If you never notice a favorite painting because it's in a room you never sit in, move it - give it life. This will bring you energy, this will make you smile every day as you move past it. Play around with your space, and see how it feels as you move things.

Clutter becomes unmanageable when we have too much stuff for the space. The balance is thrown off. This happens because we buy things, but very rarely do we sort through and get rid of things that we don't love or need anymore.

Items accumulate, and we run out of places to put stuff, so clutter happens.

Once you have created a space that you love, and that brings you energy, it is important to maintain this.

We can't maintain by cleaning alone. This just wipes away the dirt, but does nothing for the clutter. Clutter is accumulation. Clutter is blocked energy.

The only way to maintain balance, is to take something out of our house every time we bring something in. If our closets are packed, we need to get rid of some old clothes when we buy new ones. If our book shelves are jammed, we need to donate old books when we buy new ones.

Define your passion, create your space. Then bring new life into your space when you find new things you love, but maintain the energy flow by continually removing things that have stagnant energy.

Life doesn't stand still. Life is a flowing river. It's okay to change the course, it's good to have it flow and bubble around rocks in its path. Just clean out the debris so it doesn't get clogged.

When you see it this way, it doesn't feel like an overwhelming chore. It's a creative process.

Enjoy seeing your vision slowly take shape and grow. Be open to new possibilities as they come.

Then feel yourself become energized by the process...