feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of harmonizing your surroundings; think more along the lines of “creating energy flow” rather than “ordering”. In the newly revised edition of Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui, decluttering expert Karen Kingston revisits her original 1998 guide with fresh eyes, sharing foolproof, practical tips for effectively getting rid of clutter, whether it’s in your home or home. , garden, workspace, body or mind.
according to kingston, the most important, and until recently often overlooked, step in feng shui practice is getting rid of clutter. And not all clutter is the same. it actually falls into four categories: things you don’t use or love, things that are cluttered or unorganized, too much stuff that doesn’t fit in one space, and unfinished stuff.
Reading: Feng shui clutter free home
More clutter, Kingston says, means more stuck, depressed energy in your space, and that can negatively affect your personal energy, mental state, and overall well-being in a big way. Clutter can also be a reflection of what’s going on in your life (which might explain why that pile of clothes on your chair seems to get bigger as you feel more stressed and out of control).
On the other hand, a clutter-free space filled with things that are loved and used regularly allows positive energy to flow smoothly, not only through the space but through you as well.
See also: Golden Dragon for Power and Success :: World of Feng Shui
“If you have a clear focus in your life and surround yourself with things that have this wonderful free-flowing energy, you will have a correspondingly happy, joyous and flowing life,” Kingston explains.
In that spirit, here are seven clutter-busting tips that even those of us who drown in stuff can adopt.
1. don’t clean up the mess because you should.
“In this book, I’m not telling you that you ‘should’ do this or ‘should’ do that,” Kingston says in a chapter on how to start cleaning up clutter. “‘Should’ is one of the most discouraging words out there. when you use it, you feel guilty and obligated. my advice is to eliminate the word from your vocabulary forever. use ‘could’, not ‘should’, from now on in…[it] empowers you, gives you a choice and then allows you to take credit for a job well done.”
2. Don’t wait to start your cleanup—though some times are better than others.
kingston suggests doing at least one major clutter cleanup per year and emphasizes that any time is a good time to start. That said, you could get even more mileage if you do it at specific times of the year when nature’s renewal cycle occurs, like spring or the start of a wet or dry season.
other opportune moments to dig deeper? after life changes like a big move, recovering from an illness, starting a new job, or even returning from a vacation. “You have a different perspective right now and it makes it easier to make decisions about what you really need to keep,” she says.
3. Know the zones of your home and declutter accordingly.
a key principle of feng shui is the bagua, a diagram or map of your space that connects different aspects of your life, such as prosperity, relationships, health, or creativity, with different areas of your home (kingston provides useful bagua examples on his website). the idea is that stagnant energy in any of those areas is reflected in your life, body or emotional health. Before you start tidying up, make a list of the areas that need cleaning, from the least cluttered (like behind doors or in drawers) to the most (storage rooms, basements, garages). place an asterisk next to the areas that irritate you the most and address those first.
4. Schedule your clutter clearing.
See also: The 8 Best Feng Shui Plants For the Home | Bloomscape
“Make an appointment with yourself to do it and introduce yourself,” Kingston says. and he remembers that you don’t have to do everything at once. “It can be a whole day, a half day, or a series of appointments of just an hour or a half hour, depending on how fast you want to move forward.” she also suggests assigning a specific time to ordering each section (you’ll want to stick to that, too).
5. Play upbeat music—loud.
“Some people prefer to clear clutter quietly, but many find they can go on two or three times longer if they have the right music,” says Kingston. she suggests skipping the headphones and using the speakers, turning up the volume so it’s at a danceable level. (Think of it as a great excuse to create a new spotify playlist.)
6. Wear something red.
or at least something from the warmer end of the color spectrum. why? Kingston says red spurs you into action and warm colors are comforting, making it even easier to let go of clutter. What not to wear on cleaning days? “black attracts low-level vibes and will quickly make you tired when cleaning up the mess. grey…it can make you feel indecisive about what stays and what goes.”
7. Reward yourself, even if you’ve still got some clutter.
This one is simple: If you treat yourself to reaching a cleanup goal, no matter how small, you’re more likely to stick with it. As Kingston reminds us, “You don’t have to aim for perfection. just take care of the main clutter that clogs your space and then get on with your life.”
This post was originally published on March 16, 2016; updated July 31, 2020.