Vivaterra Modular Wire Shelving collection
If your closets have no more space, and the kitchen drawers are stuffed to the brim with stir sticks from Starbucks and soy sauce packets from the Chinese takeout, it’s time to take action. “We often begin a new year with renewed intentions for positive shifts in various aspects of our lives,” says California-based certified Feng Shui and energy consultant, Terumi Leinow (spiritoffengshui.com). “Getting more organized, with a commitment to clutter-clearing, can facilitate your progress.”
Good Feng Shui: a San Francisco interior designed by Grant Gibson
But equally important, perhaps, is understanding clutter. “What is clutter?,” says Leinow. “It is stuck energy. Imagine that there is a tendril of energy that connects you to everything in your space. The more stuff you have, visible or stuffed away in closets and drawers, the more sluggish you feel. If you’d like to feel more vitality, commit to clutter-clearing. It will enhance clarity, and help you fuel the exquisite life you desire and deserve.”
Here are Leinow’s tools for organization, along with eco storage ideas to help you get “unstuck.”
Tidy Up
Store magazines or out-of-season clothing and hats in these hand-knotted paper-and-iron lattice bins; the receptacles are equipped with a removable and washable cotton lining; containerstore.com
Neat Freak
Get organized with the white modular wire shelving collection; use it in the garage, kitchen or bathroom; vivaterra.com
Mark the Spot
Stow toys or office supplies in this sturdy canvas storage bucket. The item is hand-printed on recycled cotton canvas and imprinted with eco-friendly inks; darbysmart.com
Feng Shui Expert Terumi Leinow's Top Tips
1. Approach your decluttering in bite-size pieces and set specific dates in your calendar for various areas you will tackle. Begin with the most important room: your bedroom, as this is where you rest and rejuvenate. Use well-being and beauty as a guide to decide what to keep and what gets tossed or given away.
Pick up each item and ask yourself, “Is this...?” or “Does this...?”
A) ...essential (for example: a toothbrush)
B) ...beautiful, and lift my spirit
C) ...promote well-being
If not, realize it is clogging up your space. Take decisive action to donate it or throw it out. Follow the basic organizing principle of “a place for everything and everything in its place” so that every item has a designated location where it lives.
2. If you are overwhelmed with excessive clutter and need help, consider hiring a professional organizer to get you started.