We’ve been doing a feng shui makeover on the house. Started a while ago with some little things, wind chimes and a new welcome mat outside. Then we did some rearranging inside and a whole lot of de-cluttering, especially the entryway. We donated a lot of books to the local library, enough to empty out a bookcase. Now all the books fit neatly in their shelves instead of being double stacked all over the place, and the empty bookshelf can be used for storage, or become a home for new books. Because one of the reasons we cleared out books? We haven’t stopped acquiring more and don’t kid ourselves that we ever will.
It feels unbelievably good to clear things out and to make space for more of what we want to invite into our lives. One of the statements I read that really struck me was that if you hem yourself in (with clutter) and weight your environment down with items that represent the past, it makes it very difficult to change and to move into your future. So in addition to getting rid of books I’ve had for years but know I’m not going to re-read, I threw out versions of my own printed manuscripts I had in my filing cabinet. I have the final versions electronically; I don’t need to store the ballast.
There’s still plenty of work to do, clearing out cabinets and closets, but the progress we’ve already made feels wonderful. And as a side benefit, new ideas have sprung up wanting to be written. From now on, I swear if I get stuck in a book again the first thing I’ll do is clean up clutter and get rid of dead weight, especially anything involving past projects.
Yup, I’ve been doing some cleaning also. Closets, cupboards and garage. Nice to free up space!
Tracy, you’re brave, tackling the garage! It is good to have the space open.
Charli – congratulations on the effort and the results. And thanks for the inspiration to do some of this on my own.
Gwen, you’re welcome. I have several books on feng shui but I think the most useful is The Feng Shui Directory by Jane Butler-Biggs. It gives an overview of the history and schools of feng shui, breaks it into different sections for health, relationships, work, etc. Little changes in your environment can make a big difference in how you feel. Have fun with it!
I’m so with you! I’ve been getting rid of stuff left and right! It makes the house feel so much better, more open, to not have piles of stuff everywhere.
Isn’t it awesome, Lauren? And once you get started, you want to keep going.
Wow, I’m going to have to try that. Right now my desk and office is a mess. :/
Jordan, my office is now so orderly and soothing. It makes it a lot easier to sit down and not be distracted by everything around me, especially the mental clutter that goes along with it. “Oh, yeah, I need to file that, mail that…”
It feels so good to clear things out. You go!
NJ, I’m so glad I made the effort. : )