Feng Shui Tips to De-Clutter and Downsize

One of the highlights of my summer 'vacation' was to downsize!!! Many of my real estate clients are downsizing in order to, for example: 1) hang up the lawnmower and spend less time on yard maintenance, 2) move into a smaller home, town home, or condo with a master bedroom on the main level - for stair-free living, or 3) move to some type of assisted care facility - for an easier, less-stressed lifestyle.

For a number of different reasons, I decided to move from my approx. 1650 sq. ft. home into a 1-BDR apartment! Wow - for sure, this would be an "extreme makeover" - not to mention an "extreme exercise" in downsizing and de-cluttering! However, moving into a new space became a perfect opportunity for me to employ Feng Shui guidelines for de-cluttering.

Here are 7 questions I asked myself - to help de-clutter and downsize in to my new, much smaller digs! And to acknowledge the source of these 'Seven "Clear the Way" Questions,' they are listed on p. 21 in the book written by Terah Kathryn Collins, The Western Guide to Feng Shui - Room by Room. For all the items that I was about to move (or get rid of), I asked:

1 - Do I love it?

2 - Do I need it?

3 - Does it reflect who I am and who I'm becoming?

4 - Does it act as an energy-boosting affirmation for me?

5 - What positive and/or negative thoughts, memories, or emotions do I associate with it?

6 - Does it need to be fixed or repaired, and am I willing to do so now?

7 - If it's time to let it go, am I going to sell, lend, or give it away, and when?

The reality of the situation was that I had to be moved in by August 1st - so I had a specific deadline I had to meet. This was a good thing, of course - because now I was forced to face all of that stuff - in my closets, drawers, attic, and, garage.... boxes of paper, items of clothing I had not worn in years, multiple sets of dishes, old pieces of furniture that I will paint "someday," etc.

My good friend and professional organizer, Katrina Solomon, has a favorite definition of clutter that I have adopted: clutter is postponed decisions and delayed action. And all of the clutter that I had accumulated over the years had become invisible - until now!

One of the reasons I embraced the challenge of moving to a much smaller space was because - like so many of us today - I had begun to feel very overwhelmed and stressed with trying to keep up with a variety of personal and professional obligations and commitments. And I knew intuitively that when I began the process of simplifying and organizing that the net effect would be a feeling of being more in control, less stressed, more inspired - and there would be more time and energy for new projects and creative initiatives. Well, it has all worked out beautifully! I have new-found energy, excitement - and truly feel re-energized and rejuvenated.