Once Halloween and Bonfire Night are out of the way, it is full-on Christmas preparations for me. I love the holiday season, but I think the preparation and build-up is my favourite part. Once Christmas is over, I then start my preparations for the Lunar New Year on the 1st of January, plus Chinese New Year which falls on Sunday 22nd of January in 2023 – ‘Year of the Water Rabbit’.
Christmas can be an incredibly stressful time for many people, and too much clutter can add to your stress, so before I start to put up my Christmas decorations, I do a big house declutter, this will get me ahead of the game for my New Year preparations.
I sort out my wardrobes, kitchen cupboards, and all the favourite places that I like to ‘hide’ things.
Some people have their clutter on show, while others have it hidden away in drawers and cupboards. The favourite places are in the attic or basement; out of sight, out of mind, that is until you need to find something, then chaos happens.
Excess clutter can clutter your mind. You cannot think straight; it takes twice as long to find something, and you can feel like your home is closing in on you. Does that sound familiar…? Clutter affects us all and you will not realize how much it has affected you until it is gone! Clutter attracts clutter; if you have a messy home, it becomes worse throughout the days and weeks. The clutter you have did not appear by magic, you have been adding to it over time.
The energy that enters the main door of your home should move around freely. This will not happen if the energy runs into objects or heaps of clutter. Clutter stops the natural flow causing blockages and a reluctance to progress in life and business. We can feel confused, tired, depressed, disorganized, and cannot focus on any single task.
I have a few decluttering tips that will help you focus.
DECLUTTERING TIPS
Clearing clutter produces magic. Understand this fundamental principle of feng shui and you will be grabbing for those bin bags. Do not start de-cluttering and go at it like a bull in a China shop. You will soon become bored with the mess around you and end up throwing it back into the cupboard and shutting the door, with no progress made.
- Work out a plan….
- Choose the first room, set a timer for 15-20 minutes; just long enough for you to make a difference.
- Label 3 or 4 big bin bags.
– Bag 1 – Recycling Centre or Tip
Fill this bag with rubbish that is no good to anyone. Anything you want to throw out, e.g., broken, or chipped crockery.
– Bag 2 – Charity Shop
Anything that is still in good condition that you no longer have a home for.
– Bag 3 – Pay It Forward to a Friend
We all have possessions that are too good to just throw away, so maybe you know the perfect person or people who you could gift these things too.
– Bag 4 – Car Boot Sale
You can have a Car Boot Sale bag if you wish and earn yourself extra cash. You could even sell items on eBay. If you decide to use this option you must make a promise to yourself to do this, otherwise, you are not solving your clutter problem. - Sticking to the timer, sort out as many drawers and cupboards as you can within that time scale. Once the timer has gone off, you can dispose of the bags to their rightful place.
- Repeat this process regularly; you will be amazed at how quickly you can see progress.
When I have decluttered, I feel like I have accomplished a great achievement, then I am eager to start getting organized for Christmas. This then spurs me to go through my home and temporarily put away some of my ornaments, to make way for the Christmas items I want to display. It prevents my house from looking too cluttered again.
Keep taking small steps. I promise you; you will feel amazing when you can see the progress you have made.
