clutter
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clutter
I am new to this forum. I am really having clutter issues and I liked how feng shui explains clutter and how it effects the person. I agree with many of the principles. Has anyone else had issues with decluttering and other family (kids, all packrats too) members? Any advice would be helpful.
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raaeft1234
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:28 am
I have been bone lazy throughout my life and my table is full of clutter. Clutter is related to procrastination and vice-versa. I believe if I am able to declutter, it would be the best and most effective Feng Shui remedy to declutter one's table,drawers,room,house,computer, finances and so on. I get bouts of energy periodically when I virtually do the cleaning and it really works.The end result is prosperity.
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raaeft1234
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:28 am
I have been bone lazy throughout my life and my table is full of clutter. Clutter is related to procrastination and vice-versa. I believe if I am able to declutter, it would be the best and most effective Feng Shui remedy to declutter one's table,drawers,room,house,computer, finances and so on. I get bouts of energy periodically when I virtually do the cleaning and it really works.The end result is prosperity.
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NormaHartie
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:06 pm
- Location: New York
- Contact:
Clutter
Clutter is definitely something that causes negative, stuck energy .
For people with problems de-cluttering, I suggest they use what I teach my clients: the 50 % Solution. On every surface, remove half the objects and put them away for 6 months, then flip them. This way, you half have as much stuff and can really "see" what is out there.
Link removed...please use link exchange..Rhutobello
For people with problems de-cluttering, I suggest they use what I teach my clients: the 50 % Solution. On every surface, remove half the objects and put them away for 6 months, then flip them. This way, you half have as much stuff and can really "see" what is out there.
Link removed...please use link exchange..Rhutobello
Norma.. I like that suggestion.
Another one that seems to work for many people is to take all of the clutter and put it out on a table. DECIDE that you don't need 1/2 of the stuff and put it directly into a garbage bag.
Then take a look at what is left over and see if there is anything that you have not used for the past year. If you think that these things won't be useful in the near future.. put them in the bag. Then take what is left and see what you haven't used in the past 3-6 months. Put them neatly in a box with a top and store them in an out of the way place (IE: the garage). Once a year you can reevaluate these things and dump them if you don't need them.
Finally, you need to make a decision that you won;t bring unneeded things into your life. When you want something ask yourself do I REALLY need this? Is there something that I already have that can do the job this item will do? If it is a replacement item.. get rid of what it replaced! Keep your life simple.. You don't need near as much as you think that you do.
Mystic
Another one that seems to work for many people is to take all of the clutter and put it out on a table. DECIDE that you don't need 1/2 of the stuff and put it directly into a garbage bag.
Then take a look at what is left over and see if there is anything that you have not used for the past year. If you think that these things won't be useful in the near future.. put them in the bag. Then take what is left and see what you haven't used in the past 3-6 months. Put them neatly in a box with a top and store them in an out of the way place (IE: the garage). Once a year you can reevaluate these things and dump them if you don't need them.
Finally, you need to make a decision that you won;t bring unneeded things into your life. When you want something ask yourself do I REALLY need this? Is there something that I already have that can do the job this item will do? If it is a replacement item.. get rid of what it replaced! Keep your life simple.. You don't need near as much as you think that you do.
Mystic
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RobinSongsmith
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:36 pm
- Location: Canada
Clutter Defined
Even before I knew anything about Feng Shui, my step-father used to tell me that the mess in my room was a reflection of what is in my mind. Then I married a woman who was obsessed with cleanliness and having everything in it's place, which drove me nuts. Well, now she's not so obsessed and I'm not so lazy to clean up and we get along much better. I guess it's just finding your comfort zone and reaching a balance.
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tootsiewon
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:32 pm
Clutter
Clutter is bad no matter where you have it! If you need to store things in your basement, then store them. Don't just dump stuff there and leave it. Invest in some shelving and storage bins. Get three big boxes and mark them "Keep", "Give Away" and "Toss". Maybe you need a "Sell" box, too. Sort stuff out, mark the bins and put them in some sort of order. If you make a "Sell" box, then hold a sale within a week or list stuff on E-Bay right away. Don't let yourself delay.
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tootsiewon
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:32 pm
Pretty hard work, eh?
Yeah, mucking through a job like that isn't easy. When I was your age, a job like that was the last thing on my list. Hauling kids here and there, shopping, cooking, laundry, etc. always had to come first. (Sigh!)
Visualize the space the way you want it to be. Keep that picture in mind. That'll make it a little easier.
Who knows? Maybe you'll actually find a way to enjoy the basement, once it's organized.
Visualize the space the way you want it to be. Keep that picture in mind. That'll make it a little easier.
Who knows? Maybe you'll actually find a way to enjoy the basement, once it's organized.
My mom was a pack rat...she instilled in me that you have to keep it becuase you never know when you might need it, and the minute you get rid of it, is when you want it. So I still have that in the back of my mind. But Like I said...when I need it...I cant' find it. Then she always said...another's trash is someone else's treasure...so try and sell it...so I have had multiple rummage sales over the years and sold barely anything...so it is hard to let go...because I could make some money out of it...but with 4 kids (ranging from toddler to teen), a full time job, and a part time business, there is NO time to sit and organize it all for sale on ebay or waste 3 days of my time for a rummage sale. I just listed two brand new winter coats that still have the tags on them from when my daughter was a toddler (she is 5.5 yrs old now...that is how long they have been hanging out at my house)...it took me soo long to get those listings posted...that there is NO way I could do that for everything in my house. It would take me days. I am to the point where I just want to put it all in my van and dump it at a charity to sort and do what it needs too...and then when it is under control...then i can sell an item here and there as i clear out clutter.
Funny thing about clutter: It will eventually find it's own destiny.
I, too, struggled with clutter. Couldn't seem to throw things away, so I'd "store" things in my garage.
When things started feeling unmanagable, I'd move!! Yes. I would sell my house and move. LOL This would force me to clean that clutter. Now, if that isn't enough, When my clutter couldn't fit into my new home, I'd pay for it to be stored. And as you might figure, time would go by so fast, I wouldn't be missing anything, and before I would know it, I'd lose the whole darn storage for failure to pay on time!!
Yes, I can review my loses (which I painfully do from time to time) OR, I can look at the learning experience behind it: You can't lose a whole lot, if you don't have a whole lot.
Or better yet, my lack of will power to keep things orderly, has been mostly due to the fact that when things start piling up, it's so over-whelming, I can barely make a move.....it so naturally sounds Feng Shui....anyway, I know things have tendancy to replace themselves, but it has become so serene and easy to manage now that my clutter is gone. I really have changed. My need to "keep" things is very managable. I like simple things now, and I feel my life is richer for the experience of my clutter loss!! (and also much tidy-er) :smt003 (AND, I'm not spending so much time straightening up anymore!)
I, too, struggled with clutter. Couldn't seem to throw things away, so I'd "store" things in my garage.
When things started feeling unmanagable, I'd move!! Yes. I would sell my house and move. LOL This would force me to clean that clutter. Now, if that isn't enough, When my clutter couldn't fit into my new home, I'd pay for it to be stored. And as you might figure, time would go by so fast, I wouldn't be missing anything, and before I would know it, I'd lose the whole darn storage for failure to pay on time!!
Yes, I can review my loses (which I painfully do from time to time) OR, I can look at the learning experience behind it: You can't lose a whole lot, if you don't have a whole lot.
Or better yet, my lack of will power to keep things orderly, has been mostly due to the fact that when things start piling up, it's so over-whelming, I can barely make a move.....it so naturally sounds Feng Shui....anyway, I know things have tendancy to replace themselves, but it has become so serene and easy to manage now that my clutter is gone. I really have changed. My need to "keep" things is very managable. I like simple things now, and I feel my life is richer for the experience of my clutter loss!! (and also much tidy-er) :smt003 (AND, I'm not spending so much time straightening up anymore!)
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tootsiewon
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:32 pm
As we grow...
Lisamarie, you've obviously paid attention to things that develop into monsters for you!
Comfort29, my mom and dad were both packrats. When they finally decided to start getting rid of a few things, they sold the best things for too little and hung onto things that had little or no value.
Chip away and things. An hour here and there is better than nothing. I know what your mom means, however. When someone needs something, they call me because I'm the one who will probably have it.
I also have a problem with "hanging on to things". My kids always ride me about that. However, here's what happened this week. When I moved into my new place last September, my kids helped me with the big stuff. I had hung onto some things that they thought were totally ridiculous. One of them was a large frame that had held a mirror. The mirror broke when my daughter last moved. She was going to trash the frame but I thought it might be something I'd like to have, so I kept it. Originally, I thought I'd mount some art in there. This week, I was going through some boxes and I found a book about tapestries. I thought it'd be fun to try my hand and weaving. One of the suggestions in the book was to make a small loom out of an old picture frame. I went to the pole barn and pulled that old frame out of storeage and made a loom. Sometimes, things come in handy!
Also, this week, I found a bunch of old necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I took a some pieces apart, combined them with fabric and made curtains out of them.
I could've thrown these things out. For some reason, I knew I needed to keep them. There's a difference, for me, in knowing I need to keep something and feeling compelled to keep something. The latter is not as comfortable as the first.
Pray for discernment and you'll get it.
Comfort29, my mom and dad were both packrats. When they finally decided to start getting rid of a few things, they sold the best things for too little and hung onto things that had little or no value.
Chip away and things. An hour here and there is better than nothing. I know what your mom means, however. When someone needs something, they call me because I'm the one who will probably have it.
I also have a problem with "hanging on to things". My kids always ride me about that. However, here's what happened this week. When I moved into my new place last September, my kids helped me with the big stuff. I had hung onto some things that they thought were totally ridiculous. One of them was a large frame that had held a mirror. The mirror broke when my daughter last moved. She was going to trash the frame but I thought it might be something I'd like to have, so I kept it. Originally, I thought I'd mount some art in there. This week, I was going through some boxes and I found a book about tapestries. I thought it'd be fun to try my hand and weaving. One of the suggestions in the book was to make a small loom out of an old picture frame. I went to the pole barn and pulled that old frame out of storeage and made a loom. Sometimes, things come in handy!
Also, this week, I found a bunch of old necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I took a some pieces apart, combined them with fabric and made curtains out of them.
I could've thrown these things out. For some reason, I knew I needed to keep them. There's a difference, for me, in knowing I need to keep something and feeling compelled to keep something. The latter is not as comfortable as the first.
Pray for discernment and you'll get it.
well for an update...I have been cleaning clutter for the last month. One room at a time. Even my neighbors have commented on the amount of garbage I have been putting out at the curb suddenly each week. But it feels wonderful and freeing. I cleared out 1/4 of my basement that we were using as a small family room...and cleaned it out...and now it can be used as a family room again. When I go down to the basement...my goal has been to grab something and bring it up (mostly for garbage) I have cleaned out every room except my daughters room so far...and still need to do the closets. And even threw out a ton of stuff in my garage. I still have alot of items in my small house...but there is alot less, and they are having a place to be put away. When I feel that things are content for me...then I will start eliminating more thing that are being stored. I have had no urge to shop other then for groceries...because I don't want more "stuff" in my house until I get things under control. I have been hauling out a bag of garbage or more a day. hauling out bags of clothes for charity or friends. Just the acts of doing this has pumped up my part time business, and family is helping out a bit more. I feel liberated.
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Rhubarb Lady
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:12 pm
Tootsiewon idea
What makes your post interesting is that unlike the adage "you never know when it might come in handy" you actually use the stuff! So for my clutter problem you have inspired me to think of a real concrete definite use within a specific time frame (week/ month/ etc) and STICK to it!
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