Seasonal Feng Shui Clutter Clearing

In Feng Shui, clutter represents postponed decisions and the inability to move forward, so that means when you clear your clutter on a seasonal basis you make room for new, positive energy to flow in to take its place. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for seasonal clutter clearing that lets you take advantage of the natural changes around you.

Summer – Ten Minute Clutter-Clearing
Summer is the season when you spend more time outdoors and may only have a short time each day to clear clutter. Even if you only have 10 minutes, try one of these quick clutter-clearing projects to make your home feel lighter as the temperatures get hotter:
-- Wipe down your front door.
-- Clean all of your telephones.
-- Clear out the top drawer of your dresser.
-- Sweep your porch or patio, aiming away from your house.
-- Wash all trashcans, including those inside your house and outside.
-- Remove old food from your refrigerator and wash the shelves.
-- Declutter the area where you pay bills.
-- Sort through last year's school papers and selectively keep a few.

Fall – Handling Magazine and Newspaper Clutter
In the Fall, as we start spending more time indoors, we begin to notice how clutter has accumulated around us -- like those magazines that have accumulated while you were too busy to read them. This organizing process will help you bust clutter in some of your "clutter-magnet" areas:
1. Go through all your rooms and gather your newspapers, magazines, and catalogs, then place them in piles on the kitchen or dining room table.
2. Go through your piles and if a newspaper is more than a day old, toss it.
3. If you have any magazines or catalogs that you know you will never read, toss them in the recycling bin and consider canceling your subscription.
4. If you have flagged magazine articles or catalog pages, tear out those pages and scan them so you have an electronic version, then add the pages and the entire issue to the recycling bin.
5. For magazines and catalogs you still want to read, write today's date on the cover and place them in your "reading area;" if you haven't read them in a month, recycle immediately.

Winter – Let Go of Hobby Supplies
January is "Get Organized Month," and one first step in getting organized is to get rid of supplies from hobbies that no longer interest you. The first option is to call up friends who are still into the hobby and ask them if they would like to take what they want from your supplies. Next, you could try selling the supplies on a website whose community is dedicated to the hobby. Also, you could try to locate a school or community program that teaches the hobby to see if they will take the supplies off your hands. Or, you could sell your supplies on sites like eBay or Craigslist. Finally, you could recycle usable supplies on sites like Freecycle.com.

Spring – Spring Clean Your Workplace
Whether you work in a corner office, a cubicle, home-based studio, or anything in between, clutter will keep you from moving forward in your career or business. A quick first clutter-clearing step is to remove the outdated notes, phone lists, take-out menus, etc. from your bulletin board and replace them with relevant new ones. Then, get rid of dried up pens and markers and pencils with worn down erasers and replace them with fresh ones. Dust your desk, your chair, and any silk plants. Finally, remove everything from your shelves and dust, then put back only the books and manuals you currently use and recycle the rest.

Clutter often reflects living in the past, and getting rid of it paves the way for you to move forward throughout the seasons of the year. No matter which season, pick a time and a place, then do a little every day until you conquer your clutter hot spots.