I recently watched the TV show “Hoarders” from the Biography Channel about real stories of people hoarding a lot of stuff that fills literally every space of their house. It wasn’t a happy show but I like watching it because it makes me aware that though I’m not a hoarder, it gives me the determination to make my surroundings free from clutter. According to Mayo Clinic:

Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them.  Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets in unsanitary conditions.

Hoarding is a mental disorder, also known as compulsive hoarding and compulsive hoarding syndrome. It’s not clear what causes hoarding. Some researchers believe that hoarding occurs on a continuum — some people may simply be considered harmless pack rats, while others have a much more severe form of collecting that is life-threatening. The condition is more likely to affect those with a family history of hoarding, so genetics and upbringing are likely among the triggering factors.

Though this post is about the Ten Commandments of Clutter, I can’t resist to include the topic about “hoarding” because these people also need compassion and understanding. Instead we should help them organize their stuff. If that won’t work, help them seek professional help.

So without further ado, here’s the “Ten Commandments of Clutter” from HMR that will help all of us in maintaining order and organization in our life:

1. Stop procrastinating. Decide what you are going to do with the next piece of clutter you pick up.

2. Quit making excuses. You are only fooling yourself.

3. Use it or lose it. If you’re not going to use it, get rid of it. Period.

4. Learn to let go. For every square foot of space filled with clutter, there is one square foot of living space in your home that is lost.

5. Be a giver. Poor, needy, friends, relatives–everyone benefits more from a giving person than a pack rat.

6. Set limits on the amount of space allocated to any kind of clutter. Limit closets, bookcases, and filing cabinets. When one space fills up it doesn’t mean you should buy more space ( another house).

7. Use the In and Out inventory rule. When something comes in, something goes out.

8. Less is more. Less = more time, money and energy. Also = less stress.

9. Keep everything in its place. For example, the blender doesn’t belong in the bedroom or the mail in the bathroom.

10. Compromise. Stop letting perfectionism keep you from doing what needs to be done, or from letting someone help you dispense with your clutter.

Functioning efficiently is better than functioning perfectly.

photo source

Feng Shui your living room

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Not happy with your living room? Maybe it’s time to feng shui your living room to create peace and harmony in your life.

The ideal and favorable location of the living room is in the South-East, characterized by lively, uplifting tree energy.

Tree energy is one of the five elements in feng shui. Some call it Wood energy. When we say uplifting the tree energy, it means using wooden furniture, actual plants, any wood or paper and tall green objects.

But do you know that there are things to avoid in the living room? Here’s the list and why:

Spiky plants – sharp-pointed leaves cuts the chi energy preventing smooth flow in your living room. So plants like palms and yuccas should be avoided. These plants are not safe around kids anyway.

Clutter! – we all know that a cluttered room leads to a cluttered life. In feng shui, to prevent chi energy from stagnating, keep the living rooms free of household clutter and too many decorative objects. Less is more. Ottomans in living rooms are good storage for clutter if you’re having a hard time parting with your stuff.

Closed curtains – we should keep the curtains open to allow energizing sunlight  freely  into the rooms. Keep curtains wide open during the day. You will also save energy by using natural light in daytime.

Over-furnishing – chi energy needs to move so keep furniture to a minimum.

Protruding corners – protruding corners like the sharp corner of a shelf or side table must be covered to avoid cutting the chi energy. You can screen them by using bushy plants or drape them with fabric/tablecloth.

Now after you applied feng shui in your living room but still feels stagnant, a water feature can boost favorable chi energy especially if  placed in the south-east part of the room. You can use an aquarium, a waterfall painting, and the like. Happy reorganizing!

Source

living room photo from Smart Furniture

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I stumbled upon a blog that showcase DIY on how we can maximize our working space and achieve a clutter free desk. It inspired me to try it myself but for now, I want to share to all of you this ingenious way of hiding all the unruly cords of pc, laptop, speakers, USB hub, mouse, etc. and other gadgets as well. You name it, everything can now be “invisible.”  Van Mardian of decluttered.com is kind enough to allow me to repost some photos of his work and from other contributors. Basically, using wooden pegboard and some wires is all you need to achieve this awesome DIY. So without further ado, here’s the before and after photos:

BEFORE

AFTER

So you get the idea? Hiding all the cords and small gadgets under the desk. A DIY that’s easy to do and functional. My next post will talk about positioning your desk and chair that is considered most advantageous in Feng Shui. Watch out for it.

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Just when you thought “clearing out” can’t have style, I’d say you’re wrong. A lot of people accumulate a pile of STUFF because they have no style in decluttering. I can see you rolling your eyes because decluttering is simply cleaning, so what does style got to do with it? When I mean by “decluttering style,” I talk about your own way of doing things when you declutter your room, home, office or car.  This include the time when you feel your best – in the morning, during the afternoon and early evening, or late at night. In short, whatever method that works for you. Like you, I’m not a Saint who is clutter free all the time. I have my moments when I don’t want to budge and leave stuff every where. But when I’m up and about especially in the morning and early evening (when I feel my best), I declutter to the max and my stuff cleared, thrown or kept. In Feng Shui, decluttering or clearing out is of paramount importance to attract wealth and money energy. There may be times that despite you’re working hard, finances is slow. It’s like whatever you do in your career and business, luck is elusive. You may not know that by just decluttering, you allow wealth and money energy into your home. For my “decluttering style,” here’s what I do:

1. Love letters/cards from past relationships. THROW EVERYTHING! I read it once before I dispose it. If you can’t part with it, okay, you can keep at least one. Though I never had problems with love letters from past relationships because I made it a point to throw everything after the relationship is over. When I do that its like I am setting the person free and I feel good about myself .

2. Birthday, Christmas and other special cards. Same with love letters, you can throw everything after reading it once. But if you need your greeting cards for documentation for those in LDRs (Long Distance Relationships) keep it, but once you’re finally with your loved ones, I think disposing some of it is okay. I keep mine in clearbooks.

3. Photos. Recently, I attended a debut and the debutant said if there’s one thing she regret not doing in the past, its not taking enough photos of herself. I agree with her. We like to take photos of different events, milestones in our life.  But these photos can cram our homes if we don’t start a system of organizing it. At home, we have albums that house our old photos while I put all the unsorted photos in a photo storage box. But here’s what I did to my old photos. I kept the happy photos and disposed the photos of people I can’t remember and photos that are shabbily taken. In doing so I reduced the photo clutter. Taking photos are great! But you can keep it neat and organized.

4. Gifts from boyfriends, girlfriends or spouse/s. If whenever you see the gift makes you happy then keep it. But if you see the gift and it makes you angry, I’d say give it away to free yourself from negative feelings. You don’t want to attract negative chi into your home. Just surround yourself with stuff that makes you happy.

5. Jewelry and Accessories. I keep my jewelry and accessories organized by using plastic storage box used for storing arts and crafts materials. I line the box with tissue paper to protect my stuff. I have one for my “valuables” and one for accessories. I dispose plastic or metal accessories that are broken and rusty.

Its not easy to say goodbye to our STUFF. But you may need to do it one way or another to attract not just wealth and money energy, but to promote good health and wellness. Happy decluttering!

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You accumulated a lot of computers and electronics, but keeping them clutter free has been a perennial problem. Worry no more because here’s a sleek USB Hub that will keep your unruly cords in place. When I saw this Cables To Go 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub I was skeptical, it looks like a harmonica. But after reading the reviews of people who actually bought and now using this gadget, you’ll be surprised to know what it can do to help you with cord clutter and for a better geeky experience as well. So here’s what their raving about and how it will help you declutter your cords:

• The 7 ports allows you to  attach your fixed electronics (like printers and webcams) at the back keeping it neatly out of sight. The 3 ports allows you to attach transient electronics like iPods, digital cameras, etc.
• It is solid and stays put on your desk
• It is compact, does not take up so much space in your working area
• It is nice looking, modern and sleek
• It is plug and play
• You can take the hub when you travel
• Many swore their computers and electronics worked without a glitch when all plugged in the 7 ports
• Mostly compatible with all kinds of OS

I would suggest you read the reviews first before buying this product. In addition to the USB hub, to give you more control of your cords, use plastic twists tie. When the cords are neatly plugged in the USB hub, you can secure them with plastic twists to keep them in place. Keeping your geeky cords in place allows good chi to flow smoothly in your working area, you also prevent accidents by tripping over it.

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