Feng Shui is known to many as an the ancient Chinese metaphysical system used to create harmony with one’s surroundings. I like to think of it as ancient guidelines on how to get your shit together! Whether you’re into the woo-woo or not, being tidy and organized will help to up your mojo when it’s needed most.
Typically, I get my “Shui” on before I start anything that requires my best effort. What that means to me is creating a ritual by combining a little organization with a little mental preparedness. This changes depending on setting, as what you might do in the kitchen could be very different in the bedroom (or not! Lol). Personally, I have a quick Feng Shui ritual before I exercise, before I eat and especially before I meet with clients.
Let’s face it, if you’re a bit of a rogue like I am, you probably struggle with keeping things in order from time to time. And even if you’re straight up OCD and can’t ever seem to get your space together, having a “Feng Shui” mark to hit will help to settle the anxiousness and the general frazzle-dazzle that comes with clutter. Here are 5 easy ways you can activate your Feng Shui!
1. Clean your floors.
I do this at home about once a week and it makes staying tidy way easier. Once the floors are done and I can walk around without making slippers out of crumbs, dust bunnies and dog hair, the house feels about 65% cleaned! There’s not much I have to do after this but I’ll continue on cleaning if time permits. At the gym, this could take the form of clearing/organizing an area you’re about to use. I find this especially useful before a creative project, as it helps to focus and clear my mind.
A floors-only cleaning, chez moi.
As a believer in all things non-material, I do believe that inanimate objects have a spirit. And the home, really loves being cleaned and polished. In fact, I believe that in caring for the spaces you use, the space returns its love in-kind back to you.
2. Get rid of anything broken, unused or outdated.
This is something you can do all the time. Treat it as a practice in awareness and even intuition. But as your going through your Feng Shui ritual, you can take mental notes about the objects around you that are either not usable, neglected or unnecessary. While you’re cleaning, you’ll notice a variety of these things taking up space. Maybe it’s an old sock with a hole in it. It could be a lighter without butane in it, that’s been sitting around for months. Maybe it’s produce that’s about to go bad. Whatever it is, if you don’t think you’ll use it anytime soon, get rid of it.
Surrounding yourself with waste and useless things, has a detrimental effect on your energy. And even if it’s not noticed by you, it can be picked up in the ether by those around you. Have you ever met a successful, mentally stable hoarder? I doubt it, but if you know one please tell me about him in the comments below!
3. Put everything back in its rightful place.
You might say “But Lee, that’s exactly where that banana peel belongs”, as it creates a micro-civilization under your nightstand. Well I’m here to tell you that maybe you’re right, but likely you are wrong. So very wrong. In Feng Shui, it is advised that everything have a place. For organic material, it’s in the compost! Books belong on a shelf or sorts. Cutlery in a drawer. And toilet paper, on a dispenser. With the first square rolling out towards you and down!!!
“OCD, is not a disease that bother’s. It is a disease that tortures.” - J.J. Keeler
If you have no clue where something goes, put it anywhere aside from that spot you found it. If it looks cleaner, at least you’re on your way! To help you better understand where to place things according to the actual rules of Feng Shui, you can download a Feng Shui map from Google Images or go here, here or here.
4. Inbox Zero
This is for for those of you who spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Chances are you have probably heard of this concept. There are a ton of articles online about it (here’s one), but if you are puzzled as to what this is, it basically means to empty your inbox.
This is a little more complicated than just bulk selecting all your messages and pressing delete. It requires that you also organize your active emails into 3 folders. ‘Reply’, ‘To-dos’, and ‘Waiting’ (for response). I use a couple more: I have one folder entitled ‘Special Archive’ to store threads or documents I’ll need to recall on at a later point. The other one is everyone’s favourite, the trash can.
5. Meditate
You might be thinking, “WTF Lee!? Now you want me to do hold uncomfortable positions and choke on incense?” Well whatever toots your horn, champ. You can get as extra as you want, or be as simple as you need. What I suggest is taking at least 3 deliberate breaths, to simply take in the moment to check in with yourself, to feel a sense of accomplishment and to reset into your Alpha Mindstate. For some of you, the ritual of cleaning is in itself, meditation. Even still, this is a great exercise to zero your mental inbox and rein things in.
Once you’ve cleared your space, you can create a kind of ‘self-caring’ end to your Feng Shui ritual. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, fix up a light snack or pack a tiny bowl and before you do anything, take three life enriching breaths. Thoughts, no thoughts, it doesn’t matter much. Just breathe three times. I’ll leave any incense burning or smudging up to you.
Stay blessed always,
Lee