Setting up a new kitchen or home office can be an overwhelming task. What is the best location for all those different types of things? Just the quantity of things to be organized can shut you down. Recently I helped one of my long-term clients set up both her kitchen and home office following a rennovation. She kept taking deep breaths and saying, “Oh, my!” every time I brought in a new box and unpacked it. She wasn’t alone! I too experienced the gut- clenching feeling of, “Oh my God! What do I do with all this stuff!”

Experience has taught me to push past those feelings and just make the best guess I can for the optimal placement of everything. I’ve learned that aiming for perfection will keep me from unpacking anything or will set me up to feel like a failure when I don’t make the best decisions about placement.

Initially it’s most important to get everything out of boxes and the boxes removed. Then I place things by category. For example, all the food stuffs go together in one location. Within the food stuff category, I clump together snacks, dinner items, baking and dessert items, canned good, drinks, etc. Then I place those categories based on how often my client and her family access each category. Those that they grab most often are located between waist and shoulder level.

Once things are initially put away, I tell clients to use the space for awhile. Doing that will help them fine-tune its organization. If something isn’t in the best location, they’ll feel irritated by the effort it takes to retrieve or put things away. Or, they will feel bothered that they have something they seldom use in their face all the time, taking up prime real estate. That irritation is their cue to make an adjustment in location. I recommend that they bring things they use the most closer to them and move things they seldom or only occasionally use further away from them.

So, the next time you have to unpack a kitchen or an office, cut yourself some slack! Don’t expect to organize it perfectly the first time. Organizing is a process, a process of figuring out what works best over time. Get things unpacked and placed in the most logical location. Remember, it’s likely that you’ll have to move things around a bit once you start using the space. That’s part of the process, not a sign of incompetence or failure!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

I often hear clients say, “I just don’t know where to start!” The negative energies of their disorganized spaces are shutting them down. To break through negative energy paralysis I recommend that you ALWAYS start organizing by looking for big items to organize or move out of the space.

Just moving big things will break the hold of the negative energy and kick your brain back into gear. It will also allow you to see progress quickly and feel energized and motivated by your success.

Big things include furniture, boxes, books, clothing, office equipment, office supplies, etc. Little things include PAPER, paper clips, tiny toy parts, jewelry, etc.

Remember, start with big stuff and you’ll be off and running! Once the big things are organized, you’ll be feeling like a pro and it will be so much easier to tackle that annoying little stuff.

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

When you start to organize any space, don’t start with paper (unless it’s the only organizing problem you have)!!!

Psychologically it’s important to make visible, tangible progress with your organizing efforts very quickly. If you don’t, you’ll quit!

Look at a flat piece of paper. How long will it take you to see results when you deal with paper piece by piece? A LONG TIME!

“It’s distracting!” you say. Yes, it is. So, scoop up the loose paper. Put it in a bag or box and put it to the side to tackle AFTER you’ve organized everything else. Once everything else is organized you’ll find that it’s much easier to face the paper.

Try it! Let me know how this tip works for you!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

How many times have you promised yourself that you were going to tackle an organizing project and you broke your promise? It’s easy to do because staring down an organizing project by yourself can be overwhelming, even terrifying.

Just this week when a client and I finished the unpleasant task of sorting and organizing her bathroom drawer, a task she’d procrastinated doing for a long time, we marveled that though the task at first seemed onerous, the process of working together and completing the job was actually fun. I popped out with, “Make it fun to get it done!”

Are you stuck, but want to move forward with an important task? Make it fun! Here are some ways to do that:

• Invite a kind, non-judgmental friend (preferably NOT a mother or spouse) to help you. That way the task becomes a social event.
• Put on your favorite music, fix your favorite non-alcoholic drink, and light a candle to create a pleasant mood.
• Promise yourself a special reward once the task is completed, like treating yourself to lunch at a favorite restaurant, getting a massage or calling a friend.

Have fun and get the organizing done!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

The weather the last few days has been really nasty! Some tropical storm just dumped a bunch of wind and rain on Virginia and assaulted us with high winds and gray skies. During that time I had such difficulty maintaining my usual optimistic attitude. My body seemed to scream, “Sleep!!!!”

About the same time I was gifted with two large blocks of time to get office work done. Great! The urge to sleep is not exactly compatible with being productive at difficult tasks like writing and communicating with speech prospects. What to do when you don’t want to do anything??!!

The first thing I did was acknowledge how I felt. Rather than deny it and try to push through the inertia (what I normally would do-totally disrespectful, by the way!), I first decided to do something that could help increase my energy. I got an ionic foot bath that drained all kinds of toxins out of my body. What an amazing and scary experience! The water was black! No wonder I had been feeling sluggish! I couldn’t blame the slime that came out of my body on the weather!

After the foot bath I ran many errands to clear the errand clutter that had accumulated in my brain, on my to-do list and in my car. I cleared my body and I cleared my errand to-do list. Boy, did I feel lighter!

Once I’d done all that clearing, I again had energy to tackle my more difficult action items, like writing a tips list to send to my coach. Yes! I did that and actually got my desk cleared and some substantial tasks done.

So, the next time you’re fighting with yourself to get things done, check in to see what you really need at that moment. Because of fatigue, the weather, or your mood, you may have to take a short detour to re-energize yourself. The trick is to get back on track once you’ve received the benefits of the detour. Remember, a detour is a temporary place whose purpose is to lead you back to the main road to your productivity and success.

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Feng shui teaches that your outer space is a reflection of your inner self. I was recently reminded of that principle when I read the following passage on a client’s calendar:

“The pollution of the planet is only an outward reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner space. As within, so without: If humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution.”      Ekhardt Tolle

If reducing inner pollution was a simple task, we’d all do it. Many are not even conscious of their inner pollution. But, most are conscious of the manifestation of their inner pollution in its expression as outer pollution in their cluttered home and work environments.

One way to clear inner pollution is to clear clutter from your home or office. As you clear clutter, reducing distracting sources of negative energy, you will be able to be more conscious of your inner state of being and make better choices in all areas of your life. Clearing clutter, thereby reducing outer pollution, can reduce inner pollution. And, reducing inner pollution could save our planet! That is a real win/win situation!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Things that irritate us suck a lot of energy from us without our being conscious of the energy leaking away. What do I mean by an irritant? Here are some examples:

• Being greeted by a stack of papers to process when you first walk into your home
• Not having a trashcan in a spot where you regularly need it
• An unsightly tangle of cords
• A cell phone battery that regularly dies despite being recharged every night.

How do I know that irritants are energy suckers? Each time I eliminate one of them I am rewarded with little surge of well-being, optimism and energy. I get energy when I make the irritant go away. I get back the energy it was costing me!

Irritants are also distracting because they are sources of negative energy. Anything that regularly distracts you, whether or not you are conscious of the distraction, keeps you from being as productive as you could be.

So, pay attention for the signs of irritation: grumpiness, a short temper, heavy sighing, rolling your eyes, jaw clenching, groaning. When you identify the source, take action to eliminate it. Then watch your sense of well-being return as you eliminate a source of negative energy, thereby creating positive energy for you!

Please note: people you care about can be irritating, and elimination of them from your life is an option, but probably not your first option! I suggest that whenever possible, tactfully bring the source of irritation out into the open, and together work out how to eliminate those uncomfortable feelings.

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Some of you are thinking, “Duh! I already do that. Doesn’t everbody?” And others of you are going, “Ewww, I’d rather die! It’s overwhelming! It’s boring!”

For those of you who already have the good habit of corralling paper daily, keep up the good work! Being conscious of the daily flow of paper and deliberately controlling its flow is the only way to win the war on paper.

A casual approach to paper is a guarantee that you’ll create your own personal paper nightmare. Paper is relentless in its flow into your space. You need to be relentless in your handling of it.

Do it daily! It really only takes minutes! Minutes of agony are better than hours and hours of excavation that will be required if you procrastinate and let paper accumulate.

Here’s what I mean by PROCESS PAPER DAILY:

1. Make sure paper follows a specific route. For example, papers may arrive from a mailbox or kids backpacks to all many different locations in your house. Teach family members that papers either go to their space to be dealt with (like homework or the spouses business papers) or they should end up on the kitchen counter to be sorted and deliberately distributed to places where they will be acted on, stored or referenced, like the desk, filing cabinet or home office. Paper should not float from room to room. It will take over if you let it stray from a defined route.
2. Sort incoming papers into categories. I recommend these categories: trash; refer out to someone else; action; filing; reading; holding for later reference or action; and possibilities of things to do, buy, etc.
3. Distribute papers by category to their appropriate locations. For example, trash goes to the recycling bin or trash can. Action papers are moved to the desk or countertop where action will take place. Filing is filed or stored in a filing tray until you have time to file. Reading is taken to the location where you do your reading, perhaps a basket on your desk or next to your sofa.

You’ll notice I don’t recommend that you complete all the tasks associated with those papers on a daily basis. That would take more time than you have every day. I am just recommending that you control the flow of paper coming in, sort it and distribute it to the place where it will be acted upon or stored. If you do that much daily, you will find your stress goes down and your productivity goes up.

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner, Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in life. If you’re ready to clear clutter and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Last night I got back from a wonderful weekend at Mark LeBlanc’s Achiever’s 100 celebration. Attending that business development workshop was the best thing I’ve done for my business since I asked Mark to be my coach (check out Mark out at www.markleblanc.com). I came home excited to get to growing my business to a new level.

Getting home after 10 p.m., I dropped my bags and fell into bed. Normally when I return from a trip I unpack immediately because doing so grounds me and helps me to quickly get back into my life. I felt weird just dropping the bag, but I knew getting enough sleep was even more important to my being grounded than unpacking the bag.

When I got up I immediately unpacked the bag. I felt driven to do it. I wanted to be home and feel like I was fully at home. When the bag stays unpacked it sends off an energy that communicates that I’m ready to leave again. It also makes my bedroom feel cluttered. Since I know that energies attract more of the same, I also knew that the risk of leaving the unpacked bag was that its clutter would attract more clutter. It would become a clutter bud that could easily grow into a clutter puddle!

Arriving home today, after having left my cell phone and feeling somewhat discombobulated by that all day (so, I wasn’t completely grounded!), it was such a relief to find my bedroom clutter free.

There are all kinds of payoffs for unpacking quickly following a trip. If you don’t regularly do it, consider making it a new habit to acquire in the next few months. You may be surprised at what a difference it makes in your clarity and peace of mind!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Everything in your space tells a story. If you don’t like your story, change your space!

You are intimately connected with the spaces in which you live and work. Your space is an outward reflection of your inner self.

You affect your space and your space affects you. The energy of your space attracts more of the same. For example, if your home or office is peaceful, well organized and communicates harmony and abundance, you are likely to attract harmony and abundance.

Conversely, if your house is disorganized, dirty, and poorly maintained, reflecting stress and lack, you are likely to attract more stress and difficult life situations. It’s a mistake to think you can inhabit a chaotic space and not be affected by it.

Do you like what you see in your space? If not, I’ll bet you’re also not thrilled with parts of your life. Commit some time to making positive changes in your space and watch for positive changes to occur in your life after you make those changes.

There is much we have no control over in our world. We can, however, control the condition of our living environments. Control what you can, the condition of your home, your office, and watch your story change!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.