Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Nourishes You
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Fawn Chang
KNOW THIS
It is very important that you start with you not your spouse, not your children, not your co-workers Once they see the success in your world, they will make it their own idea and WANT to learn from you. This is a big differentiator. Focus on you and allow them to have their process.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
This book is dedicated to my sons, Alex and Jordan, who may never know how much I love them or how much time I spent setting up our home to make it easy for us all to stay organized and build good life habits. This book is also dedicated to all children, of every age. May we all have someone to help us see how beautiful we are just for who we are. May each person see the power of living their hearts desire.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Notes before you begin ............................................................................................................................ 5 Change Your Spaces ~ Change Your Life ......................................................................................................................... 8 Clutter Free Living IS Good Habit Building: ..................................................................................................................... 9 Do these things every day: ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Let's get started! Week One ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Day 1: Your handbag, briefcase, wallet. ......................................................................................................... 13 Day 2: Foundations, your clothing and dressers ............................................................................................. 14 Day 3: Your car ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Day 4: Shower/Tub ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Day 5: Necessary Items ................................................................................................................................... 15 Day 6: Your Bedroom ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Day 7: Rest, rejuvenate, have a cup of tea! ..................................................................................................... 17 You Made it! Welcome to Week 2: Transform your Spaces: Transform Your Life! .................................................. 18 Day 1: Stairs and Hallways.............................................................................................................................. 20 Day 2: Behind your doors. ............................................................................................................................. 20 Day 3: Kitchen................................................................................................................................................. 21 Day 4: Bathroom............................................................................................................................................ 21 Day 5: Bathroom again ~ ................................................................................................................................ 22 Day 6: Dining Room ~ Possibly another big job. ........................................................................................... 22 Day 7: Getting rid of Mental Clutter ................................................................................................................ 23 & Day 7: REST! You have earned it! ................................................................................................................ 24 Half Way is the Hardest place to Be!............................................................................................................................. 25 This Week You'll Need:.................................................................................................................................................. 29 Week 3 Necessary Rooms: Necessary to keep CLEAN and working Perfectly! ........................................................... 30 Day 1: Laundry Room...................................................................................................................................... 30 Day 2: Linen Closet/Storage .......................................................................................................................... 31 Day 3: Book Shelves ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Day 4: Utility Room ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Day 5: Photos and Artwork ............................................................................................................................. 33 Day 6: Garage ................................................................................................................................................. 34 Day 7: Finish your garage and then REST! ...................................................................................................... 35 Week 4 Staying on track for the Best of Your Life ........................................................................................................ 36 Quick Recap: .................................................................................................................................................................. 36 Some Questions Folks Who Did The Challenge Had: ................................................................................................. 37 A few Success Stories from the KDKA Pittsburgh Challenge: ........................................................................................ 38 Small things make a big difference: .............................................................................................................................. 38 Continue to do these things every day: ........................................................................................................................ 39 Week 4: Creating Sacred Space ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Days 1 through 6: Other rooms ....................................................................................................................... 40 Here is an example of how to approach a 'community' room: ....................................................................... 41 Kids Bedrooms ................................................................................................................................................. 41 Day 7: You are amazing. Here's your To Do for To Day! ................................................................................. 43 Next step: Feng Shui to make your life work. .............................................................................................................. 44 Forms and Worksheets: ................................................................................................................................... 45 Tips for Organizing your Wardrobe: .............................................................................................................................. 47 Now its time to begin your Feng Shui. ......................................................................................................................... 48 Next steps:..................................................................................................................................................................... 48
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
You are building long-term life skills. Clearing clutter isn't something that you do ONCE...just like we don't only have to eat once in our lives, we are constantly moving through life and if we don't let it move through us we get sick. What we are doing building healthy habits that keep the energy, life force and stuff moving so that it "Choose some doesn't become clutter and stagnation.
Be patient with yourself. If one of us can do it, any of us can do it. Start each day fresh and decide to be happy. In fact, reach for the happiest thought you can muster. Push happiness ahead of you and before you know it, you'll be receiving more goodness into your life. Get help. Call a friend, call a professional organizer. Sometimes just turn on some happy music and move along!
Have a 'staging' area: one room or section of your house where you place all the things that will require deeper decisions (financial papers, kids memorabilia, someone else's stuff, art and craft supplies, magazines you will sort and label). Stay focused and narrate what you are doing, it helps. For this first round of clearing, let it be just that and don't get too fussy or dally in detail. Once you move all the stuff you want to decide about later into that space, leave it there until you get the rest of your home clear and then deal with the 'staging' area. Decide: the power of decision becomes a habit. Decide and trust yourself and the fact that you can trust that you have the wisdom, knowledge and support to get what you need when you need it. Decide how you are going to discard the items you no longer 'need', love or use. Make separate piles for those and schedule a pick-up or delivery for that week. Check the Challenge for places that are looking for discarded items.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Follow the steps in the Challenge. You decide: start small or start large. Starting anywhere will build your success. If you want to start larger, do only one room: your bedroom. Remove everything and only put back your bed, your side tables, your lamps, your dresser, maximum of two books per person, not mirrors (they activate the space unless it's to be able to see the door from the bed), nothing under the bed (preferably; if you must store something there, sweaters, quilts, etc. make it beautiful).
TIP: Decide
As you go through your stuff, youll be tempted to repair, sell or donate some of it. Before you decide how you will handle the stuff ask these questions and give honest answers: Can I? (really repair it? Go through the learning curve to sell it?) Will I? Do I know how? Will I really make time? Do I have something more important to do with my time? What will that time afford me? (New knowledge or regret that I wasnt playing, reading, learning a new marketable skill, walking, lunching?)
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Clutter Facts:
The average person moves approximately 300 pieces of paper A DAY! That comes out to about 660 pounds of paper per year; unfortunately theres no aerobic value to this one! If you spend 30 minutes per day just LOOKING for things, which you probably do, after you have cleared your clutter and organized, you will have saved yourself over 3 hours per weekthats 182.5 hours per year. That is equivalent to 4.5 work weeks. Could you use that time somewhere else? Increase your health? Learn a language? Pamper yourself? Lets get started.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS! **This is very good feng shui. It gives you a great sense of accomplishment. You will be so proud of yourself.
Set a timer
Setting a timer will: help you make your decisions faster keep you moving on get your body used to making decisions stay with your decisions so you will have rivers of time available for having fun!
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Narrate your motions until the task is completed. By saying out loud what you are doing, you stay focused. Try it: "I am putting away this pair of pants; I am throwing away this drawer clutter; I am walking to my closet to hang up this shirt..." Sounds and feels silly at first but it really helps to keep you "on task" and eliminate distraction.
Where do you walk? Over or around what? Can you easily move it? How many trips do you make to the laundry room, etc.?
Some things can't be changed, some things are the way they are for good reason. Track what you actually do; it will tell you a lot about HOW you spend our energy.
As you Track Your Motions, you will be taking the first step to building new habits which will make your life so much easier. Try any or all of these this week.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
*If you do misplace something, try this: I know that I am much more efficient than I give myself credit for. When we have stress about anything, the body shuts off the higher-order thinking brain and activates our Flight/Fight/Freeze reptilian brain. Sounds nasty, but the
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
effect is: we cant relax and use all the help available to us. When Ive not been able to locate something I do three things: 1) I see it as a blessing from my guides and Angels to slow me down perhaps that is the time I needed to avoid an accident or to put me in the right place at the right time. 2) I stop and ask St. Anthony if Padua. [I know that in every formalized system of belief, there is a similar energy that you can address to help you find lost articles. This is one that particularly works for me and my friends of different backgrounds unfailingly. Try it or one that you know.] St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please help me find my ________ for me. If you do an internet search, youll find many versions of this, but this one is easy and works. Next step, go do something else, follow your guidanceyoull be amazed. So many times I have asked this and mysteriously found myself looking through something that was totally unrelated to where I thought the lost article was last seenwouldnt you know it? I found it! 3) Smile and know that you are re-united with the missing thing or that you will be taken through a set of steps that may even lead to some other beautiful thing you asked for leave the possibilities open and you will be amazed.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
1. Clean out your handbag, wallet and/or briefcase. Wipe the bottom or any pockets or decide if you need to just get a new one. If it is in disrepair in any way, decide how quickly you can move it on Feng Shui says that wallets that are red will activate your money abundance and a wallet that is light blue will attract wealth to you. A new and beautiful wallet will help you feel wealthy keep it organized and this one small feat will translate to higher awareness of the abundance flowing in to you at every moment. Breathe it in! 2. Staging Area: Begin to look around your home to determine where you could use as a staging area. This is an area that will hold the stuff that you are moving on. This could be the garage or a part of your basement. This will only stay in organized disarray for a limited time but it is a necessary area. 3. Plan to gather items to help make this clutter clearing easy:
TIP:
a. Boxes or baskets ~ at LEAST 4 b. Youll need at least 4 and add one for each member of your family. As you are clearing, youll save time when you place their items in here and later youll teach them the system you developed for keeping your home organized.
This is the energy you are coloring your world with...make it beautiful.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
4. Mark Boxes or Baskets Clearly: a. Donate These you will either give away or have someone take away b. Trash This will go to the trash collection c. Decide Later ~ this is to keep you on task which is vital for your success d. Return either to give back or take back
Getting personal: Clear out your Living Green: undergarment drawer. Discard everything Did You Know? that isnt beautiful; keep only what is fresh, Forever in Blue Jeans: not worn or damaged. Keep only what is Natural Home Insulation... beautiful! I like to keep only the amount of Heres a company that re-cycles clothing that I would use on a two-week blue-jeans (pre-consumer) into safe, vacation. (There are the odd seasonal environmentally friendly and soft, allthings but if you think about it, you probably cotton insulation. wear the same things more than you realize and so why are you crowding yourself for the Ill wear it someday routine. Do this and you wont believe how good this makes you Donation Blue Jean feel! Socks: only keep matched and Drop Off Centers Coming Soon! comfortable socks. [Relationship note: unmated socks signal something to be done, http://www.bondedlogic.com something lost or even a relationship that is unfulfilledif that isnt incentive to move the mismatched socks to the rag bag or recycle bin I dont know what is!] Discard
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
the rest as well as the growing bin of unmatched socksanyone know how we can turn it into insulation?
Day 4: Shower/Tub
Empty your shower/tub area of everything but one bottle of shampoo, one conditioner, one body soap, one razorone of everything you neednot two, one. Throw away the rest (empty and recycle if possible).
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
2. Now you can clean it. Clean each surface, lamps, overheads, windows, sills, light switches, phone cords...this is a NEW start for you, make it your best. What are you saying in your head? Fresh new start, love, life, happiness, health, wealth, freedom, securityyou name it! 3. What to return to the room? Your room is best to have only things that you love and things that you will need to rest, rejuvenate and reconnect to health, a good nights sleep, or your significant other. Feng Shui: remove mirrors, electronics, laundry baskets, clothing if you can, remove things from past relationships and lovers, dont replace artwork or decorations that are not beautiful, loving and soft.
4. Make the bed with freshly laundered linens (mattress pad and pillows if you can). I wash my linens with a of Sea Salt to clear the energy. I also place Sea Salt on the mattress (under the mattress pad) to keep the clearing effect going. Use of lavender essential oil or vanilla will add aromatherapy for a cozy and warm sleeping experience.
Feng Shui recommends a new mattress and box springs if you want a fresh new relationship or just a good night's sleep free from the past! Laundry: I remove all my
laundry from our bedrooms before we go to sleep. It's a good practice. That way, you aren't sleeping with the stress of the day.
5. Night tables: only what you need. Do not fill the drawers, leave 25% of the space empty...this will allow the life force to flow and revitalize your life. 6. Books & Photos: only 1 or 2 books per person. Keep the photos of people you dont want to be sleeping with out of your bedroomplace them in your living room or family room, appropriate places for the people who are part of your life. You'll sleep or connect better where there are less "people" in the room with you. This leads to the next BIG feng shui issue: 7. TV/Electronics: a feng shui bedroom "don't". But if you MUST, cover it when you sleep and keep it as far from the bed as possible.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
8. Clothing and Shoes ISSUE 1: only what you wear. If you have 4 different sizes, box and label or purchase a hanging wardrobe and remove the extras to storage elsewhere. 9. Clothing ISSUE 2: how much do you need? We don't need 15 pairs of hose, 450 pairs of unmatched socks, 12 pairs of size 6 jeans and the PeptoBismal Pink suit (I had one of these). Be BRAVE: move it on: the local theatre group, the GoodWill or AmVets, local Church Yard Sale. You'll ultimately be better put together! 10: Photos and Artwork: a feng shui issue. Artwork: display only what is beautiful, sensuous, loving and restful. As for photos, only a few (we don't want a party in the room every night) and be selective about with whom you are sleeping!
Fawn
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
You Made it! Welcome to Week 2: Transform your Spaces: Transform Your Life!
Congratulations! You made it to Week 2! Keep the good habits that you built last week. Start leaving 10 minutes before you think you need to leave, place your necessary items in the same place every dayrefer to week one
TRUST ~ your most amazing tool! Trust will allow the abundance of the Universal Energy to flow to you exactly when you need it, which makes it easy to let go of things that you don't need. So breathe the inspiration of Nature and manage your spaces! Courage ~ you need heart not mind for this one! Do things quickly and dont look back. It goes back to TRUST: trust yourself that you are making a good decision. 10-15 minutes a day to get ahead of the clutter; the small bits of time that you build in (referred to above as those 10 extra minutes) to stay ahead of clutter. Resolve: Give yourself permission to do this and then "just do it"! I know you can.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Decision power. Patty Kreamer, Professional Organizer says, "Clutter is just unmade decisions." When you choose something that may be draining your Life Force Energy, it's a lot different than just tooling along being drained. So decide...even if you decide to decide later. When you come across an item and you can't decide, put it in the 'can't decide bin' and move on. This Question: "Does it bring my energy up and empower me?" "Does it take my energy down and dis-empower me?" When you look at your stuff ask this powerful question. Wait for the answer from your body. Notice how you feel about this 'thing'. Then decide how you want to live...uplifted or drained? Keeping something that drains you will then be a personal and therefore more powerful choice. At some other time you may make a different choice but at least now you know the scoreyoull be living from decision rather than default. A trash bag/bin/box If you decide to tackle a larger project: o Labels, sharpie or a Label Machine o Three bins or laundry baskets Label these: Donate, Discard, Decide Later
Warning:
If it is NOT yours, DONT throw or give it away. What do you do with it? Put it in a bin or box labeled with the persons name and let them decide. Ultimately, if they ask, you can help them learn how to use the clutter-clearing skills. Remember we are working on YOU and when you create a life that is organized, the people you live and work with will want to be a part of it. If its forced on them, there will be resentment and if you begin crossing the boundaries of the things that belong to another, you will actually be giving your own personal power away. Doing this one little thing will help your relationships tremendously in the long run.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
TIP:
Discard everything that you havent used in 1 year, unless you absolutely LOVE it or have the time to love it. If you hear yourself saying, ...just in case know that you are affirming lack in your life. TRUST that you will have the resources, the item or the know-how to get the job done when the time comes.
TIP:
What you live with owns you. If you dont think you can move it on, hire a Self-Storage Area (appropriately named). When you have to write a check every month, you will begin to understand the COST that stuff has in your lifes energy.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Day 3: Kitchen
~ Associated with your wealth, health and nourishment. 1. Clear out your refrigerator of all expired items and all the things you havent used in 6 months. 2. Wipe the shelves and the drawers and the tops and bottoms of the jars you replace into the fridge. 3. If you have time, or want to make time, do the freezer. Don't be afraid to throw things away. It's also wasted if it makes you sick and drains your health.
TIP:
When you are half-way through a cleaning job is when it is the messiest. When you are going through hell, just keep going. Is one of my favorite quotes from Winton Churchill. Keep Going! Refer to the tips to help you stay motivated and moving on.
Day 4: Bathroom
~ Related to your Wealth & Health. Clutter in here will diminish your ability to access your abundance of money, love and health. 1. Last week you cleared the bottles from the shower/tub. This week let's tackle the area under the sink. 2. Throw away anything that you haven't used or that is in disrepair. Wipe the bottom of the vanity if you have one and replace only what you use. If you bought shampoo 3 years ago and were holding on to it in case you ran out, move it on or throw it away...it's draining you. 3. Make sure that your plumbing and fixtures work perfectly. If you notice a leak or rust, put it on a list for a repair person and clean it up.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
3. Linens: move out any that are tattered or stained. This is important in feng shui because you want to increase your sense of wealth and nourishment while you are eating. 4. Thin out collections, which are sometimes displayed in the dining room. Too much is disruptive so treat these same as photos and rotate your collections as the Museums do. It keeps the energy fresh and alive. Store the rest neatly and well marked so you can use and love them too. 5. Are the chairs comfortable? Although this isn't a 'clutter' issue, if they are not comfortable, think about moving them on and replacing them. It will be so much better for your health and digestion and relationships. If they are comfortable, do you love them? Are they clean? 6. Clean the draperies, the sheers, and especially the windows! Windows are the eyes of your home. Make sure you are able to see clearly. 7. Clean the chandelier. Change the light bulbs or at least, when they are cool, wipe them completely. They gather dust and look so much nicer when they are clear. 8. Mirrors? In your dining room (or anywhere). Is it clean and clear? Smokey mirrors, antique but splotchy mirrors, mirrored tiles are all negatives in Feng Shui. You need to be able to clearly and the bigger the mirror the better. Make sure you can see your entire head. What is the mirror reflecting? If its not wealth, health and happiness, replace it with a beautiful piece of art or a framed print (remember: not a sharp abstract). 8. Clean the carpetor at least spot clean it and use baking soda (without the scentjust plain old baking soda) to absorb the smells. Vacuum it up and voila, a fresh carpet until you can do a better job. (Have extra vac bags on hand, what you put down will be as heavy as what it picks up.)
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
thoughts. Listen to the thoughts your mind is thinking: is it what you want to be living with? Peace? Harmony? Acceptance? Trust? Allowing? When you notice that you are thinking a self-limiting, self-deprecating, or negative thought: Change your Mind. Have a ready thought that is happy and uplifting to replace it with such as: "Every day in every way I am getting better and better" or try this: "People Love to Give me Money" or "I flow smoothly and lovingly through my day; everything lines up to support me to be my best." When in traffic, just saying smooth easy flow" over a few times with a smile in your heart calms your mind and really does loosen up the lines!
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
When you are meeting internal or external resistance, it means you are having a positive impact toward changing your life! Take a deep breath and recommit to yourself.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Here's one way to make your day about the things that are important to you.
To Begin:
1. Sit down for 15 minutes and write down everything you do on a typical day.* 2. On another sheet of paper, write down all the roles you play. Mum or Dad, Boss/Employee, Home-maker/manager, Artist, Student/self-Cultivation, etc. 3. Now, imagine that you are at the last few days of your life: what you will be thinking and feeling and wishing you had done? What will you be reflecting on? How will you have positively impacted those areas of your life? What will you be saying: "I always wanted to..." about? 4. Let's look again at the roles list. What can you do on a daily basis to make those roles fulfilling? [See Roles and Time Spent Worksheet in the Appendix of this Giggle: Heres one schedule that eBook.] always makes me laugh. The Grinch (Jim Carrey) is trying to prove he Spend 15 minutes more being fun cannot possibly schedule himself to a with the kids, or people you love? tend the Ceremony Awarding him Learn to bake a souffl? Or learn the Whoville Award for Person of the to speak Frenchanything? Year Smile more? Become the top-producer in your "3-4:00 Jazzercise field? 4-4:30 Stare into the Abyss Write that book that people 4:30-5 Dinner with myself needthe one only you can (can't cancel that again) write? 5-5:30 Solve World Hunger (tell no one) 5. Look again at your typical day. By Cant go, I am totally booked!'" clearing your clutter from your spaces, from your mental processes and your social calendar, you will have opened up close to 40% more time. What are you going to do with that time?
Just Do It! Sometime on Sunday or Monday, make 5 and 15 minutes to plan your week ahead. Include all the things All the things you need or want to do (refer to your Roles & Timing Sheethow can you add these important things to your life?) Schedule your personally important things: Date night with your significant other, cooking classes with your kids, etc. Rearrange your schedule to include those things just as you would schedule an appointment. Choose the top 3 What are the most important things you can do this week that will give you the greatest boost ahead or give you the deepest satisfaction? Give yourself time limits to do those other things. This is very important! Deadlines are a way that keep us efficient. You may have heard: Work expands to fill the time allotted and its true. The more time we have, the more time it takes. Here are a few ways to keep yourself limited and efficient: o Emails? Save time by checking emails at most 3 times a day. Folks will get used to it and wont sap your energy with back and forth emails. Handle the questions and give solutions. Rather than go back and forth about scheduling an appointment, instead say: I am available this day at this time or this day at this time. Do either of those work for you? It is part of the decision-game and cuts out the clutter so you can enjoy your time doing something else that supports you better. o Phone calls? If you have to make a few phone calls, make the toughest one first, allot a number of minutes for it and move on. Make your next phone call. How much is your time worth? Come to a conclusion and then move on. o Have an Exit strategy. When you want to leave a conversation or someone is taking you down the path of oh isnt it awful have a pocket answer that will take you out of the loop. Narrate your moves: Dane Cook the comedian, said one way to exit a boring conversation is to Narrate your next steps: I am going to get a go to the bar and then get some hor doevres and then go to the bathroom. Of course, hes a comedian, but I tried narrating my next steps and it works. Give yourself permission to say, "I would love to talk, but I need to go right now, do you want to schedule lunch for sometime?" Use the Switch method: Oh, I forgot, I have to run, have an appointment in __ minutes, nice to see you (Even if the appointment is with the steering wheel of your car or for some
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
quiet time for yourselfits true and you dont need to have someone edit your life choices for you.) When you place your life as your first priority, you won't be diddled down the path of someone else's meandering conversation about the same old stuff. By giving yourself boundaries, you will be opening the space for all those things you want to do, and with your last few breaths, you'll be saying, "What a ride! I had a GREAT life!"
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Many of us don't realize that it's vitally important to have all these necessary rooms cleaned and clutter free. Feng Shui looks at your home as reflective of your life and also as impacting your health and your body. The necessary places: bathrooms, utility rooms, laundry rooms, garages impact your ability to stay healthy. Just as we need a clear and flowing lymph system, a clean and well-working colon, our homes need the same. The first step to a well-working health system is to make sure that you are able to eliminate the toxins (clutter) and then Do a Web Search rejuvenate...the same with your home.
Tip:
~ In the same way you wont be able to clean a window clean with a dirty rag and your clothes won't be as clean as they can be from a dirty laundry room. So let's take a few minutes to begin to clear up this very important area. 1. Eliminate misfit items...If there are items that are just waiting for attention (socks to be matched, buttons or zippers to be sewn, laundry that just can't get done) start making decisions. Take it to where you watch TV and mend or match it this week. If you don't do it this week then move it out of your house because you just won't do it. Can someone else use it? Move it on. If not, discard it.
2. Clear out the bottles and excess stuff that you don't use. If there are cleaning products here that you haven't used in a long time, discard them. The bottles you are currently using and 1 back-up is plenty.
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3. Washer & Dryer: Wipe the top and the outside of the washer and dryer; clean the fabric softener reservoir, and of course, the lint filter. Consider cleaning the air vent...your dryer will work better if the air can flow through your clothes.
http://www.animalrescue.o 2. Keep only 2 sets of sheets per bed rg/giving/wishlist.htm and 2 sets of towels per bathroom. In this area, less is more. One recommendation is This one is from is sister, to have all the beds in your home be the same size (Queen)thismynot always Amy: Thanks Amy! feasible but it does cut down on the different linens you have to purchase and track. You can donate the excess to the local homeless shelter, as long as they are cleaned and in good shape, or to an animal shelterotherwise discard them. Find out how to donate Place them in a bag in your staging area for to Womens Shelters. Do a moving them on. Web Search similar to this one.
TIP:
3. Pretty Shelves and Baskets Remove everything from the shelves, wipe them with orange cleaner (or scent you love) and replace neatly only those things you love. This step may take a few more minutes, but go for it if you can:
Donate Clothing, Furniture and Household Items to Women's Shelter http://www.wcspittsburgh.org/4 7.php
4. Baskets helplabel them. What other items are in your linen storage area that you don't use? Place personal items (hot water bottle, flashlight, cotton balls, etc.) grouped in baskets that are pretty. Place these on a shelf so that you can access everything easily.
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operate properly. We often keep ratty looking mops or broomswhy? Send them back to the Universe to be recycled and get new ones that are fresh and clean. The Feng Shui of this is obviousnew and fresh equals an uplifted environment. Vacuum or mop here. Wipe down the outside to remove cobwebs (what is a cob?) and to let you know if there are any significant issues to deal with. 2. Look for rust, leaks or water marks. This is an indication of something not working perfectly and this is a very negative drain on you. If you need to, call a plumber or HVAC person. 3. Filter Check Check to see that the filter on your Air Conditioner and Furnace is clean. If you have a de-humidifier, make sure that the hose is not encrusted with rust or sludge. Keeping these items clean and working perfectly is a vital step in good Feng Shui.
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Day 6: Garage
It is most important that you can get into and out of your car, your garage, on your bikes, or whatever, easily and effortlessly, and that it looks beautiful and welcoming!
Make it a FoyerIf this is your daily entrance, the state of the garage sets the tone for what you experience in your home. Make it beautiful and welcoming. Depending on where this area is located according to the Feng Shui Ba Gua, that aspect of your life will be greatly influenced. There are other Feng Shui considerations, but the first of these is: Clear the Clutter!
If you don't use your front door daily, it is equivalent to covering your mouth and trying to live your fullest. Your front door is known as the Mouth of Ch'i...if you are not using it daily, you are not getting your full breath of fresh air and opportunity. Open it daily, welcome the new, and use it often! The Life Force doesn't listen to 'Reason' or excuses. Have you tried to have a conversation with a storm lately? Its an advanced move.
Just Do It! This may be a multiWeekend job; don't be daunted...just start. If this looks like it's a bigger job than you can do yourself, enlist some friends, turn on the tunes, and order after-clearing pizzas. Make a For Sale pile and you may sell some stuff to passers-by who might need what you dont! You'll be glad you did. All out, only beauty back in. If you can, I recommend taking everything out, sorting and discarding what you don't use. Then deciding exactly what you are able to put back. Tools, Trash & Storage Depending on how big your garage is, how many cars or how much lawn equipment you use/store, there will be decisions you need to make. Can the equipment be stored somewhere else? Do you use all the tools? Can they be organized and housed behind closed doors? Paint? You need to be very careful how you dispose of paint, oil, or any toxic substance. If not useable, you need to take it to a paint recycling center. A Web Search for Hard to Recycle Items could help with Paint, etc. If it is a useable quantity of good paint, try a local recycler such as the one we have in Pittsburgh: Construction Junction, or call Habitat for Humanity. They'll gladly take it and use it on the homes they are building or re-sell it to raise funds.
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COLOR? What color is your garage painted? Is the floor beautiful? Have you been to a high-end auto dealer? These are beautiful places to be in. Honor yourself and your daily entrance into your home by making it wonderful. Garages are fast moving, metal energy, with what Feng Shui calls a Yin environment. You can use colors that help to support the gua (from the bagua) that this is in, or use soothing and happy colors to welcome you at the end of the day, or send you off to a glorious morning. Artwork? Of course. Remember this sets the tone for what you will experience in the rest of your home. How about a print from Jack Vettriano (pictured here) , or a nature scene, or something that says to you, Welcome Home, I Love You!
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You have changed Your Life
So keep your head down and keep going! Here's some more help:
Quick Recap:
Here is a quick recap to help you keep digging through old stuff to access that well of riches we call life:
You are building life skills. Clearing clutter isn't something that you do ONCE...just like we don't only have to eat once in our lives, we are constantly moving through life and if we don't let it move through us we get sick. What we are doing building healthy habits that keep the energy, life force and stuff moving so that it doesn't become clutter and stagnation. Be patient with yourself. If one of us can do it, all of us can do it. Start each day fresh and decide to be happy. In fact, reach for the happiest
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thought you can muster. Push happiness ahead of you and before you know it, you'll be receiving more goodness into your life.
Get help. Call a friend, call a professional organizer, call me. Have a 'staging' area: one room or section of your house where you place all the things that will require deeper decisions (financial papers, kids memorabilia, someone else's stuff, art and craft supplies, magazines you will sort and label). Stay focused and narrate what you are doing, it helps. For this first round of clearing, let it be just that and don't get too fussy or dally in detail. Once you move all the stuff you want to decide about later into that space, leave it there until you get the rest of your home clear and then deal with the 'staging' area. Decide: the power of decision becomes a habit. Decide and trust yourself and the fact that you can trust that you have the wisdom, knowledge and support to get what you need when you need it. Decide how you are going to discard the items you no longer 'need', love or use. Make separate piles for those and schedule a pick-up or delivery for that week. Check the Challenge for places that are looking for discarded items. Follow the steps in the Challenge. You decide: start small or start large. Starting anywhere will build your success. If you want to start larger, do only one room: your bedroom. Remove everything and only put back your bed, your side tables, your lamps, your dresser, maximum of two books per person, not mirrors (they activate the space unless it's to be able to see the door from the bed), nothing under the bed (preferably; if you must store something there, sweaters, quilts, etc. make it beautiful).
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A.
The idea of using a timer is to work with an end in mind and allow yourself to create a boundary. Knowing that the task at hand is finite makes it more manageable. It is proven that humans have a 90 minute time limit on our ability to focus. After that we lose interest and focus. If there is a task you dont like, limiting the time you have to do it will help you to see the end in sight. Work at your normal speed (use the decision making skills even deciding to decide later and placing that item in the decide later, or check with soand-so bin will help you move along and keep the time draining nostalgia to a minimum); knowing that the job is finite makes it more manageable. Of course, if you work best in a competitive, beat the clock mode, go for it. My intention was to ask you to be gentle and to begin to know how to incorporate these 'Life/stuff management' tools into your life.
One woman doing the Challenge stopped me on the street and said: "You won't believe this: I was, at 11:45 at night, cleaning my underwear drawer and found $300 cash! I am so excited!" Another woman discovered that every one of her doors was blocked or not working properly. Her response, "No wonder my career is stopped cold!" Getting the energy flowing in one area of your life will help you flow more beautifully through all of it!
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Family Room:
This is where the family gathers and everyone should have fun in this room. The things that stay in the 'family' space are for community...this is not the domain of any one person. When this stays clutter free, organized and reflective of what you want to create with your family, your family's style and tastes, you are building community strength and unity. Look for the stashes of stuff and move them all out. Sort them into baskets or bins foreach family member and deliver it to their private space.(We'll talk in a bit about getting your family/children/roommates on board.) Storage should be neat, labeled and if it all looks the same (except for the labels) it will not look like clutter. TV/DVDs/CD's: Get all the videos from every part of the house and collect them to one space.
Sort them: VHS, DVD's, Beta's,8MM? Go through each pile; decide what you want to watch again and put them into genres (comedy, drama, music [jazz, rock, rap, easy listening, what was I thinking? (move these on]) or sort them alphabetically. Getting a system will make you feel SO together. Label your system so you dont forget what you did. Take your 8mm's, your reel-to-reels, your VHS's and have them put onto DVD's; I'm sure theres a store near you. You'll love yourself for it. Dont Want Them? Take them to a library, to the local church 'sale day', put them in the donate pile, etc. Move them out within a week if you can. Games: which do you really play? Sort them and put them somewhere, perhaps in a bin, basket or behind closed doors. Pillows and Blankets: are they neat and beautiful? Are they clean and warm? How many do you really need? Take the old ones to the Animal Shelter or the Local Shelter, theyll love you for it.
Make sure everyone feels comfortable in this space. Personal things can go into personal rooms, your own room, office or studio/craft room.
Kids Bedrooms
Please take a moment to remember when YOU were a kid...remember that you loved someone to just be with you, be nice to you,
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listen to your meanderings or just stand there and say, "you are great!" That's what your kids want, so be gentle with both of you. If your clutter clearing skills weren't good before the Challenge, it's a good bet you inherited YOUR skills from your parents. Here's your opportunity to give your children a life-long gift: the ability to keep their spaces clean, organized and neat will help them in ways that you are only beginning to experience for yourself. We are building life skills, not life sentences. Make this as fun as you can and ask your kids to spend only 1 minute per year of their age...otherwise you are defeating yourself and them. Give them some advance notice: for instance in the morning say, "after lunch we are going to sort your toys to see which ones you are done with and which ones might need to be fixed." This helps them get on board with the project and gives them a sense of control, allows them to budget their emotional resources and makes it about them, too. Approach this room with care and allow them to learn how to make good choices. The decision boxes will be:
o o o o
throw it away, store it for later, donate or return to owner misc. toy parts (this one is a must: that way, when a game piece or toy piece is found and lost, you'll know where to find it. Keep this one in your active storage area.)
TIP:
Click here to discover the pit-falls of asking 'Why'. This is a great article (and a site for great Parenting information...even if you are re-parenting yourself!) If the link fails, go to http://www.janebluestein.com/hand outs/bound_why.html#
Agree on the rule that the toys need to be put away before bedtime or better yet, before you begin to play with another. This will help focus and cut down on the tendency to be scattered and easily distracted. Clothing: It may be best if you go through this one alone, but if you know that your child is particular about their clothing, be sure to include them. Use the same guidelines as for your clothing. See Addendum
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For a complete room redo: wait until after the personal items have been
sorted. Let your child know that you'll be doing this, engage them only if it will be advantageous to both of you. The promise of a new color of paint (that they choose) will always help brighten the reason for a cleaning. Then use the same bedroom guidelines for your bedroom from Week 1. for clearing your child's space. It will be up to you to keep it clean at first. Enlist them with games (my kids loved this one: when we were picking up toys, I would say, "I got that one" "I got this one." They took the challenge and forgot that they were cleaning!)
Especially in kids roomsthrough the TV and the Computer you will invite anyone in the world into your children's lives. It's important that you monitor who is filling them with ideas and spinning their reality; not to mention taking liberties with your children that have included abduction and worse.
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Look at that list. It is a picture of your hopes and dreams and who you are. In the next week, do one thing (gather information, make the phone call, sign up, book the tour) toward making something on your list happen. When you do, know that the forces of the Universe are aligning themselves to make it happen for you...the time, the funds, the people are all coming to you right now. "Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be."
Kurt Vonnegut
"Everything you can imagine is real." Pablo Picasso" It's YOUR life, go out and make it the one you've always wanted." Dustin Hoffman to Will Farrell in "Stranger Than Fiction"
Now that you have no clutter blocking you and new skills to keep your spaces fresh, you are ready to start to activate those spaces in a feng shui way to get more of what you want.
Be your best self! Be what you think you want to be: just start being it. It is the way you will walk into your best you.
I am always here to help you! I would love to meet you, hear your successes and help you whenever you need it. Just email me or call me. Email me with ANY questions, comments or successes! fawn@designandfengshui.com
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Self
Mother
Reliable, helpful, reasonable, good resource for following/knowing your hearts desires, offering creative solutions when asked All of the above
Travel with my sons to China, laugh a lot, take archery lessons with them, talk talk talk about everything
Friend
Anyone that doesnt make me feel good, anyone who I can identify as not my people, anyone who is overly negative
Health
Ride a horse, rock climb, ski, bike Paris to the Sea, Cooking lessons in Tuscany,
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.
Role
Self
Spouse/SO
Friend
Child
Career
Wealth
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Great start!
5. Next: you'll probably have things left in the "staging" area that dont form a great ensemble, but that you LOVE. For instance a blouse that really doesn't go with anything you currently have and you put it on and take it off every time. What do you do? Make a bin of those items you try on over and over but never wear. There'll be shoes like this too. Set the bin or basket aside for right now. 6. Put all the things you LOVE back in your closet today, you can organize them by blouses, skirts, trousers, pants, jackets, etc. or by color, but you choose. Here are some other options: Match your outfits as though you were dressing a mannequin, will help you actually wear the clothes you buy. It's also a great tip on how to pack your suitcase for a trip. A wardrobe, consultant can actually save you money. Department stores such as Nordstroms or Neiman Marcus offer wardrobe assistance as part of their services. You can also check for a consultant in your area. Together you'll match the outfits in your wardrobe, make a list of what you need to wear with what, what shoes and accessories to keep and then you'll be 'TO-GETHER'! Take a photo of each item and print it out; take this with you when you go shopping so that you what you need to match up. Make a list of the things that you need and carry that with you also so that you can start wearing these great things. Donate them; give them to someone who would wear them.
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Notice everything around you. We are intimately connected to our spaces and often the orchestra of life is sending us messages Call or email me if you would like your own personal consultation fawn@fawnchang.com
I am always here to help you. I wish for you the sweetness of feeling alive and held softly in the loving arms of the world. Warmest regards,
The Clear Your Clutter Program and logo copyright and property of Fawn Chang. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission. Contact: fawn@fawnchang.com for permission. I am happy to help.