Declutter for the New Year
The custom in China is to clean, declutter and repair things in preparation for the Chinese Lunar New Year. This cleaning, decluttering and repairing is an intentional act to let go of the old year, wash away the bad luck and stagnant chi, in order to welcome the good luck and the blessings to come in the new year. I love this idea of using intention while taking care of our home. That’s what Feng Shui is all about!
The Chinese Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year that date is on January 31st Pacific Time and February 1st in most other time zones. The different dates are because of the timing of the new moon.
New moons are always a good time to set an intention, so the Chinese Lunar New Year is a pretty potent time for a new beginning! We’re moving from the Year of the Metal Ox to the Year of the Water Tiger. What is your intention for the new year?
Contact me if you’d like to have a Feng Shui consultation or to learn space clearing ceremonies and other transcendental cures for your home and life balance in preparation for the Year of the Tiger.
Why is decluttering so beneficial?
Feng Shui is about creating a healthy flow of chi in our environment which will in turn support a healthy flow of chi and vitality in our life. Our living space need ’space’ for the chi to flow in a harmonious way. Clutter blocks the flow of chi. Decluttering is the first step to good Feng Shui.
What is clutter?
Clutter is anything that is unloved, unused or unorganized. It can even be things you love and find useful if they don’t fit in your space. A space can only hold so many things before the energy gets stuck and stagnant.
What does clutter do?
Clutter eats away at our life-force energy. It costs us time and money. It affects our mood and well-being. Clutter causes stress and weighs us down. After you declutter you’ll feel like a weight was lifted off of you!
We’re connected energetically to all of our belongings. Even the things we can’t see, hiding away in storage. When those things don’t have a positive meaning and purpose in our life, they pull at our life-force energy. It’s like having skeletons in your closet.
Clearing your clutter saves you time
The main reason people put off decluttering is they ‘don’t have the time’. That’s what my clients tell me and I’ve defiantly experienced this myself. Modern life is very busy, sometimes we can hardly keep up. Who has time to stop to take care of home and declutter?
The paradox is that having clutter costs you time and decluttering now will actually save you time in the future.
Did you know…
- The average person spends one year of their life looking for something they misplaced. Source: US NEWS & World Reports
- 80% of the papers we file, we never refer to again. Source: The Small Business Administration
- After de-cluttering, the average time spent cleaning is reduced 40%. Source: The Soap & Detergent Association
What would you rather be doing with your time?
In the book The Blue Zones of Happiness, Dan Buettner writes…
“Americans may find it harder to make room for flow and family time because our houses are often filled with clutter. In fact, we may have more stuff than any society in history, and according to one study, Americans spend $1.2 trillion a year on nonessential stuff.”
Clients have told me that they’re afraid that if they declutter they’ll end up not having enough things. But what ends up happening is that after decluttering the value and appreciation for what they have increases. Clutter waters down the value of the things we love and find useful. So even though after decluttering we have less stuff it feels like we have more because the value and appreciation of our things has increased.
Ask yourself these 3 questions to guide your decluttering process
Focus on one category of things at at time and hold each item in your hand when you ask:
- Do I love this? Things that you love or make you happy uplift your energy. Things that don’t lower your energy.
- Do I use this? If something is useful to you, that is a good reason to keep it. Its function gives it a positive purpose in your life. If something is useful but you never use it, then why keep it?
- Do I have room for this? Get realistic about the amount of space you have, in order to balance your answers to the first two questions. Stay connected to the reality of your space and how you want it to look and feel.
Are you overwhelmed by the task of decluttering and organizing?
People ask for my help with decluttering because they feel overwhelmed in their home and overwhelmed by the task of dealing with it on their own. My clients leave their online decluttering coaching sessions feeling motivated and inspired and with a clear plan of action. Having someone walk them through the process step-by-step and gently holding them accountable, helps them to achieve their desire to create a comfortable and peaceful environment. If this is you, contact me to learn more about Decluttering and Organizing Coaching.
What are the things that you value the most?
Decluttering now in preparation for the new year will save you time in the the Year of the Tiger so you can enjoy and appreciate the things that you value the most. May the Year of the Water Tiger bring you many blessings of good health, prosperity and happiness and the time to enjoy them!
