Sometime earlier this year, I looked at my room and it was a mess... so I cleaned it.
When I was done, I scanned the room and didn't like what I saw. The room was in a state of disarray such that no matter how much I cleaned it, It still looked messy. It was fundamentally untidy. Messy at its core.
I figured that the way things were arranged was the problem. Even when things were put back in the proper place, I felt that this 'proper place' was all wrong.
I was having one of those 'get your life together' moments and decided to seek help from two books; Feng Shui by James Adler and Real Life Organising by Cassandra Aarssen. The names sounded promising so I decided to give it a go.
I found them both very insightful so i'll share some tips from each. 🧹
feng shui
The aim is to make your living space healthy so it will in turn make you healthy. In feng shui, removing clutter improves the flow of qi (circulating life force) in the room.
Imagine your home as a living organism that may have a disease, and yourself as a healer restoring balance. Imagine clutter as bacteria that needs to be removed so that your home is healed and attracts good energy.
Bedroom
Avoid mirrors directly opposite the bed.
Bed position: not directly in line with the door. A good place is in the corner of the bedroom, diagonal from the door.
Kitchen
Only keep things on your counter that you use regularly.
Add positive energy with a vase of fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit.
Try to create an atmosphere of warmth with warm coloured elements like yellow/ orange/ red kitchen towels or plates.
Try natural fragrances like rosemary, clove, mint and tea tree.
Living room
Minimum furniture to promote the free flow of qi.
Furniture arrangement: imagine yourself as water flowing into the space. Is your path obstructed? Or is there healthy movement around the furniture.
Ideally the sofa shouldn't face the door directly. The best position is in the corner of the room farthest from the door.
Bathroom
Keep the toilet lid closed
Real Life Organising
The aim is to make a functional home.
Look at an item. Do you like it, find it beautiful or useful? if not then get rid of it.
Most people wear only 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. Try to purge the items that you don't use.
Garbage bag therapy- to help declutter, get a bag for garbage, a bag for recycling and a bag for donating. Ever so often, go on a treasure hunt around your house and try to fill them. ✨
For children- if they want a new toy, they should choose one of their old ones to give away to another child. This teaches them the value of giving to others while maintaining a manageable amount of belongings.
I think the tip above would be great for adults as well. 😉
Try to store items close to where they're actually going to be used e.g. painting supplies stored close to the desk you paint on. Store pots on a shelf close to the stove rather than some obscure drawer on the other side of the kitchen.
Put items in open, attractive storage baskets for easy clean up e.g. when you're done crafting, tossing the items into a craft basket makes cleaning simple.
Put the baskets close to where they'll be used most; the closer its is, is the more likely you are to clean up after use.
A new beginning 🌱
We've just moved into a new flat and we're at that stage where everything is strewn about the floor, either in a bag or a box. This is both my least favourite and ABSOLUTE favourite part of the moving process.
A large part of me really doesn't like to see things cluttered and messy, so the piles are a real eyesore at the moment. Another issue is that each box, plastic bag or suitcase represents a whole ton of work that needs to be done. In its own way, each container is daunting.
'Am I going to keep, donate or toss this?'
'Shall I put this here, here or here?'
These are questions you ask yourself for every single item. Phew!
In the same breath, I love this part of the process because you can arrange things in almost any way you want. You can make it personal, creating a living space that aligns with your aesthetic. There's so much to create! Just thinking about it is dizzying, in an exciting kind of way :)
P.S. I've just arranged the furniture in the bedroom and honestly, if I were qi, I would be very happy flowing through this lovely, well organised and expertly arranged space (if I do say so myself 💅🏾 😌).
P.P.S. It's funny how I'm writing this post about cleaning and organising while sitting on a pile of jumbled boxes 😅. Okay break time is over, time to get back to work!