April arrived this week. It brought the energy of a new beginning, which we know as Spring.
I began capitalizing on the Spring Energy in late December, before the calendar on the wall witnessed that Spring may be coming, and the weather had not heard of it at all.
Clutter is a form of Self-Sabotage. Before you disagree with me or become defensive about the piles of things you have in the basement, garage, or attic, I confess that I am not immune to it. My basement has been a source of bickering in my home since we moved in and blended the two houses, almost five years ago.

My partner loves things that he plans to use but never does.

When I updated my short book “Breaking Free from Self-Sabotage,” I got the push to use my mindfulness skills to address the clutter in the basement that had been bothering me for a while.
Some people don’t understand clutter. They think that clutter is the big mess displayed in those homes we see on TV shows, with hoarding taking over every inch of the house. Yes, that is clutter, but there are levels of clutter. Understanding and finding them will help you improve the quality of your life, and especially your sleep.
If you are hoarding, please seek help. If you cannot enter your bedroom or have trash everywhere, call for help. That is massive clutter. If you have a few closets stuffed with things, or one room full of boxes, or a garage that holds everything you don’t have a place for on the inside of the house, you have small or medium clutter, and this blog can get you on your way to a clutter-free home. Also, if you resist getting rid of things, keep reading, I have a secret weapon to get rid of clutter.

Why do we need a clutter-free home?

People may wonder how clearing the clutter in the closet or medicine cabinet will help improve their lives. Clutter slows progress, depletes people’s energy, and influences decisions and actions negatively. It does all that and more through the energy of the objects, the environment the clutter is in, and through the thoughts of the people who pass by the mount of sluggish energy and add to it.

Everything is energy. Every time you open your closet or kitchen cabinet, and you have the subtle thought “I need to clean it up,” it takes up valuable space in your mind and depletes your energy. It also removes power from the energy you need to solve problems, create new things, and even improve your sleep. You can read more about it in my new book “Sleep Well with Feng Shui,” coming out April 22^nd.

Test my experience: Clutter in the basement, drags people down.  Clutter in the attic makes people feel “airheaded.”

People with health issues must have a clutter-free home. We want the energy of our space to be free, light, energizing, and supportive, and that’s what you can expect from a clutter-free home.

If you are skeptical, try these suggestions and see what happens. You have nothing to lose.

1)    Bedroom Clutter

The energy of your bedroom is the most critical energy area for your life. You spend the most time there, and the time you spend sleeping is resistance-free. The energy of your bedroom will impact how you sleep, your career, finances, health, and relationships. Clean up the clothes, books, and magazines from the floor. Dust the furniture and change the sheets weekly. You want to make your bed daily, too, so when you walk into your space at the end of the day, it welcomes you with open arms.

Remember to remove the TV and any electronics. If you are not fully committed yet, try not to watch television or use your phone at least 30 minutes before sleeping.

If your bedroom is dark and dense, and you have trouble sleeping, my upcoming book “Sleep Well with Feng Shui” walks you through step by step how to improve the energy of your bedroom with Feng Shui. You can use Feng Shui to transform your sleep, which in turn enhances your health, relationships, finances, and creativity.

2)    Kitchen cabinets.

The energy of the kitchen is directly linked to your finances. If your cabinets are full of expired food, or food you don’t eat or can’t find, this is the type of energy you are fueling your finances: carelessness. Organize it and clean it often

3)    Medicine cabinets and drawers.

This is a space you use daily. You open that medicine cabinet every morning at the start and end of your day. Discard old medicine and products you don’t need or use. Please don’t hold on to the half-finished drug in hopes of using it in the future. You don’t want to get sick again. Tell the universe that you are done with the past. Discard the almost empty bottles of makeup from three years ago, the empty toothpaste tubes you try to squeeze the very last bit of toothpaste from, and sundries you don’t use. Make room for the new.

.

4)    Bedroom closet.

Open your closet and see the room for abundance. Is there any room, or are the hangers too close together, and are there multiple clothes sharing hangers? You may think that having it stuffed with clothes is being abundant, but it is not. It’s precisely the opposite. As I explain in “Sleep Well with Feng Shui,” the rule is to donate, sell, or discard clothes that you have not used in a year. If you buy two new items, two old ones must go. The exception is ball gowns and formal occasion clothing. Tell the world you are abundant and don’t hold on to things you paid too much for in hopes of fitting them again, or selling them. If you can’t sell it in 30 days, donate it.

5)    Garage.

Cleaning the garage is like cleaning the secrets. You have nothing to hide. If you walk in and exit your house through the garage, you must ensure that the space is clean and free of clutter. That is the start of your outer life and the first space you see when you come home. Also, if you want to release any secrets, be willing to start cleaning your garage. You will see how your secrets will begin to heal.

6)    Office space.

Your office says a lot about your career. Busy desks, busy job. Clutter creates confusion. The worst energy in this area is a broken desk. You must fix it or trash it. If the legs are broken, buy a new one. The rule is to buy the best desk you can afford. Clear the clutter by removing everything that you don’t often use from your desk. Some people cannot work unless the desk is clear of papers and things. The pile of paper does not impact others. Either way, you need to clean the paper clutter weekly. Check the file cabinets and old reports that are not relevant to what you do now. Also, clear your computer files every six months.

7)    Entryway.

The entryway energy will impact one of these areas depending on where the front door of your house is located. If your front door is on the left as you enter the home, it will impact the knowledge and spirituality areas. If it is in the middle, it will affect your career, and if it is on the right, it will affect your ability to receive help. In any way, you want to clear the clutter of the entryway. Remove all the shoes that have been there for weeks, the bags, mail, and anything that doesn’t scream “Welcome.” Every time you open the front door, you want the energy, which in Feng Shui we call Chi, to come into your home and be free and flowing instead of dragging heavy and tinged with confusion, heaviness, and depression.

My Secret Weapon

My new book, Sleeping Well With Feng Shui, comes with a Clutter Assessment and a Clutter Clearing Meditation that helps you detach emotionally from the things that create a lack of flow. 

In full disclosure here, I thought most of the clutter in our house was his, but I had a fair share of things I didn’t use and didn’t know I had.   When I received the Clutter Clearing Meditation for the book, and tested it, it led me to a small box in my closet, which led to rearranging the entire closet, including the top shelf I couldn’t reach without a stepstool, and getting rid of purses, hats, scarfs, and dresses, shirts and knickknacks that meant nothing to me.

Since I began to clear the clutter by giving things, my husband began parting ways with things, selling some and donating others.  And I didn’t have to nag him.

Use the energy of the Spring to improve your home’s energy.  Always start with your bedroom.  In addition to improving your sleep, it will give you the energy to work on the rest of the house.

Do these simple suggestions, and you will improve your energy, the energy of your home, and most importantly, how you sleep.

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

.

If you like this article, please “like” and “share” it, and leave a comment below to share your thoughts. Also, check out my new book “Sleep Well with Feng Shui” for more insights into creating a bedroom sanctuary that supports deep, restorative sleep and transforms all areas of your life.