21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Click here for earlier posts in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


Throughout Your Home


21. Always be on the lookout for clutter, and be poised and ready to PURGE. This is the final tip in my 21 Quick Clutter Fixes series. The value here is not in you having a specific area in which to clear out clutter, or a typical type of clutter to keep in check. The value here is in your adopting “clutter radar”. When you see something, grab something, come in contact with something that you don’t use, love or need, IT needs to go. Either trash it, recycle it or donate it.

If you’ve gone through these tips and used them to your advantage to eliminate clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home, then you’ve gotten some practice by now. Maybe you got rid of a ton of stuff. Maybe you uncovered a few things to pitch. The important things to remember are 1) You are never going to be “done”, as things are always coming into our lives, accumulating, becoming clutter – so purging is something you’ll want to do regularly, and 2) How good it feels to be free of the burden of clutter, so you’re motivated to stay on top of it.

I pat you on the back for any and all clutter-clearing you’ve done over the course of this blog series, making your space a healthier place for you and your family. And for the future, keep the environment top-of-mind in the decisions you make about what to buy, what to bring into your home – for the sake of a healthier world for all of us.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.


Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In Storage


20. Keep only what you love, need and have the space for. If you’re not moving frequently, chances are you have stuff in storage, tucked way for safe-keeping…in the attic, basement, crawl space, or extra closet(s) that’s been there for years, and continues to accumulate.

Most people operate under the “out of sight, out of mind” concept. As long as things are boxed up, shelved, behind closed doors they’re not affecting you on a daily basis. They’re not part of what you need to “deal with”.

This is not so, according to feng shui. Everything you have is connected to you. Every THING can either weigh you down or lift you up. If it’s not:


something you need (serving a purpose),

something you love (positive vibration) or

something you have the space for (energy can flow freely)



then it could be endangering the feng shui – balance and harmony – of your space (and your life).

Set aside a day or a weekend, on your calendar, to give your storage space a good review, go through, and clean-out. If you get into it and find it’s going to take a LOT longer than you anticipated, break it down. Maybe only do one box or section at a time. If you’ve lived in the same space for a long time, the task can be overwhelming. Do as much as you have the energy for at one given time, then be purposeful about getting back to it. You can do it, and it’s going to feel soooo good.

Eco Tip: The less stuff you LET in your home, the less you need to get rid of, dispose of later. Making environmentally conscious choices about what you buy and keep eliminates some of the burden you place on the planet.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry


19. Clean UP the shoe pile. Shoes, shoes and more shoes! They can get out of control, especially if there’s more than one person living in your house. And especially if you live in a place with actual seasons, not only do you have different shoes for different purposes (outfits), you have different shoes for different types of weather too.

Lots of shoes hanging around in your entry can clog the chi. Read my last post for more about why you DON’T want this. Besides the annoyance you feel when they’re in your way, the energetics of looking at a pile of “anything” day after day will bring your energy down.

They key is to go up; use your vertical space. This idea can help you maximize space in almost any area in your home. But it’s especially important here. Get the clutter up so you can keep your energy up – so it’s not being brought down by piles of stuff.

Vertical Shoe Storage I Like:

2-Shelf Storage Stacker from The Container Store

Peva Overdoor Shoe Bag from The Container Store

Eco-Friendly Deluxe Bamboo Shoe Shelf


And speaking of weather, make sure you also have convenient places for shoes and boots to set and dry in the winter – either a boot tray or rug work well.

Tip: Minimize what you need to store by boxing up off-season shoes and storing elsewhere.

Eco Tip:  Be smart about your shoe purchases - choosing styles that are timeless, or shoes that can serve more than one purpose (outfit) both reduces what you consume, and what you eventually waste.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry

18. Clear the pathway. Entries are one of the most important places to keep clutter-free. According to feng shui, they are “mouths of chi”. They are where chi (life force energy) enters our inner spaces from the outside world. In order to attract that chi, and keep our homes filled with good, vibrant energy, it must be allowed in. Then once beckoned in, it must be allowed to flow freely, and circulate. Otherwise we end up with dead, stagnant energy in our homes. Yuk.

Our homes feel bad and we feel bad because clutter stops chi in its tracks. Clear, open spaces encourage it. If your entry has become a catch-all or a dumping ground of stuff, give it some good attention.

Lucky 7 Step-by-Step Guide to Clear Entry Clutter

(Can be used for Laundry/Mudrooms, too...any room in the house!)

Step 1: Grab a trash and recycling bag. Start at one end of the room and move around clockwise/counterclockwise. Get rid of garbage, dingy old things, paper you don’t need, general junk. Remove the bags from the area.

Step 2: Grab 3 boxes. Label: To Return (to other people, the library, etc.), To Donate (to charity) and To Go Elsewhere (in the house). Move around the room as you did in Step 1, sorting things into these categories. Leave the things be that stay in that area. Remove the boxes from the area.

Step 3: Take everything you’d like to keep in the area and sort it into categories. Remove from the area if possible to make room for Step 4.

Step 4: Clean the area. Dust, wipe shelves, clean windows, vacuum and mop floors. Get into the cracks and crevices.

Step 5: Move things that stay in the area back in, and place in their homes. If you find you need more for storage, this is the time to purchase containers or organizers. But be creative with what you have in the house BEFORE you go shopping. Use boxes, baskets, trays, jars, etc. that you already have on hand.

Step 6: Deal with one of the boxes from Step 2 one at a time. 1) Return the things that need to be returned. 2) Take your donation items to charity, or schedule to have them picked up. 3) Put things away elsewhere in the house.

Step 7: Take a few moments in the space to breathe deeply, and pat yourself on the back. Observe how good it feels now that the chi can enter easily and circulate. Job well done.

TIPS: With each of these steps, keep focused on exactly what you’re doing. Don’t get distracted by things you’ll do in other steps. If you’re short on time, do one step a day, or one step a week.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Laundry Room/Mudroom

17. Streamline your cleaning products. Similar to the post I wrote about streamlining your personal care products, choosing cleaning products that can do double, triple, quadruple+ duty is smart. Less bottles hanging around, less time spent digging in your cupboards for what you need.

Many eco-friendly products can do just this. There’s lots and lots of info out there on the web related to natural cleaning products, which I don’t have the space to expand upon here, but be sure to check out these two resources:

Earth Justice
Earth Easy

In my house, I like to use Thieves Household Cleaner, a Young Living product. One tiny ounce mixed with water makes 30 ounces of cleaning solution. I make up spray bottles with bottles I would normally recycle. Reusing them this way keeps bottles out of the landfill. If you buy a bottle of cleaner and dispose of it when it’s gone, then buy another, that’s more of an impact on the environment. Reuse as much as you can. Thieves can be used to clean bathrooms, countertops, appliances, floors, windows, glass and more.
The real upside of Thieves, though, is its scent. It’s awesome – a blend of lemon, cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus and rosemary, real essential oils. It’s a new way to smell clean.

If you’d like to order some for your home, email me

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Laundry Room/Mudroom

16. Set up a functional area for collecting and sorting laundry. The laundry room can look messy and cluttery for the sole reason that there are piles scattered about. When you get things set up so they’re contained, you’ll fell a whole lot better, calmer in the space. Maybe even want to come in. Maybe even not hate doing laundry that much.

However you do your laundry, you need a way to sort and separate. Some people like to separate by family member, some by color.

Great Resources for Getting the Job Done:

Antique Bronze Bag Sorter

Aluminum Frame Double Hamper

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Double Hamper


If you’re building or remodeling, make sure to pay special attention to this utilitarian room. Money spent on built-in sorters, adequate counter space for folding and shelf/cupboard space for storing things will be money well spent. When a space is functional, it’s so much easier to get things done – and maybe even enjoy yourself in the process.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes:  ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Office


15. Create an Active Desktop Filing System. In an earlier post I discussed eliminating the clutter of paper we don’t need. In this post, I’ll tell you about a solution for the paper you do need, that’s just lying around, waiting to get piled on top of, forgotten, even lost.

Create an Active Desktop Filing System

Let’s break down exactly what this is…

Active means that it’s for things you need to have easy access to, to take “action” on: To Do, To Pay, To Call, Event Notices or other items pending. (“Pending” meaning not done yet.)This is NOT the place for things that are to be filed for reference (“Inactive” files like bank statements or tax documents).

Desktop means that it sits on top of your desk, kitchen counter, or other workspace. They key idea being that it’s easily accessible – at your fingertips. A container with an open top is the best, but if you want it to be less conspicuous, and blend in with your décor, there are options with lids too. See specific product ideas below.

Filing means that 1) there are file folders involved and 2) you use these file folders to sort things out by category. So you can keep things separated, and keep then straight. (Less overwhelming. Orderly.) You can either just use hanging file folders, or tabbed folders with hanging, if you want to create subcategories within the categories.

System means that there’s a method, not madness. It may take getting used to (20 something days to form a habit) but once it becomes habit, it’s easy – second nature to keep up. It’s what you DO.

Product Ideas to Do It Yourself:

Silver Mesh Desktop File

Acrylic Desktop File

Bristol Desktop File (With Lid)

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Desktop File


OR – Get Organized INSTANTLY

With a Ready-Made Active Desktop Filing System

ONLY $36!
(plus shipping/handling)

It comes complete with:

Silver Mesh Desktop File Holder

10 Hanging File Folders
(labeled with: To Do, To Pay, Pending, To File, Activities, Events, Projects, Planning, Resources, Emergency Info)

30 Tabbed File Folders: 3 in each Hanging File Folder
(To Do includes one labeled with Urgent; To Pay includes one labeled with Urgent, one with Due 1st -15th, one with Due 16th-31st)

Order one for you, and one for a friend!


Save $10 when you buy 2 – 2 Active Desktop Filing Systems ONLY $62!!!

Both of you can GET ORGANIZED

Email me to place your order. Custom selections available at additional cost.

Hurry! $10 savings on 2 ends 1/31/12.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Blog Series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Office

14. Round up extra supplies and move ‘em out. When you find you have more than enough, it’s natural to let that overflow to someone who needs it. I’m talking about supplies that accumulate over the years that we keep because we think they might come in handy someday.

Well, sure. Some of them will. But not in excess. Too much stuff is bad for our health.

Top contributors to “Oversupply Syndrome”:

Folders

Notebooks

Pads of paper

Sticky notes

Envelopes

Pens

Paper clips


When you’ve got all the things you want to give away sorted out, google “office supply donation” to research where you can donate them in your area. Often non-profit organizations will take donations because they don’t have a large budget for supplies. Some non-profits also have stores where they can sell the donations and make a profit to do good. Or, many schools are often in need of art and office-type supplies.

Another way to do good, not just for you, but for the world.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Office

13. Recycle a bunch of papers. We all have ‘em. We all get annoyed by ‘em, but we all need to keep a certain amount of paper.

Thing is, we’re also hoarding lots of papers that we really DON’T need to keep.

So grab a paper bag or your recycle bin, a shredder, and hit these three areas:

1. Desktop (or kitchen countertop if you use that for a workspace)
2. Files
3. Any other basket or box you use to store papers

Go through them one-by-one, or eliminate entire stacks. Get rid of anything that is irrelevant, outdated or unnecessary. If you’re pressed for time, set the timer in increments of 9: 9 minutes, 18 minutes, 27 minutes, 36 minutes, etc. Do this each day for 9 days if you need to.

You’ll feel a whole lot better and tons lighter after you’re done. Why? Because each and every piece of paper weighs on us, whether we realize it or not. Get rid of ‘em!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bathroom


12. Streamline personal care products. Body lotion, face lotion, day cream, night cream, eye cream, volumizer, smoothing serum, hold spray – woah. We have a lot goin’ on in the bathroom. Not always to our benefit. If you’re knocking into and tipping over products and not having space to store all those products or get ready easily, something’s gotta give. And not your sanity.

Like the closet, the bathroom is where we spend some time at the start and end of each day. In order for us to feel light and happy, we need the space to breath. We need our routines to be easy. Otherwise we go through the rest of our day or into the night feeling overwhelmed and burdened. As if we don’t have enough other stuff going on in life to overwhelm and burden us.

The solution is here: Read an earlier post for 3 ways to Keep Bathroom Clutter in Check, and go about it in an environmentally-minded way.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Bedroom


11. Clear the top of your dresser. Too much clutter in the bedroom is dangerous, as I mentioned in my earlier post about piles of books next to the bed. Clutter can affect your sleep, your mood, your general well-being. Clutter is distracting, and it needs to be dealt with for you to live at your best.

The bedroom should definitely NOT be the place to dump things for later, like receipts, papers, odds ‘n’ ends and things in general that collect dust. In order for your sleep to be restorative and deep, you need your bedroom to be a clear, serene space. And that includes the surface space of your dresser.

Clear it off, and only place a few special objects on it for peace or inspiration. Then, establish the rule that those items, and only those items are allowed to live there – for your well-being.

If you need storage for things on top of your dresser, consider these eco-friendly solutions:

(or re-purpose a box you have in another area of your home – good for jewelry, etc.)

From Pristine Planet

From Décor Universe

From Organize It


Sleep tight!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bedroom

10. Organize your closet so what you need, and only what you need, is at your fingertips. I’ve written before about organizing your closet. Obviously, this is one of the places that challenges people the most. One probable reason for the challenge, though, is that your closet has too much stuff in it that you don’t need.

You’ve got to let go. A lot like the “someday” ideas I was talking about in my post on magazines, you don’t have to keep pieces of clothing you “might wear someday”. Just keep the pieces you know you WILL wear. Because “someday” usually doesn’t come.

Ways to Get ‘Er Done:

Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter

Chic & Easy Organizing on the Cheap
Idea #3: Feng Shui Your Closet and Make it an Organized Place to Start Your Day

Then, after you realize how much you buy that you really don’t wear or need, you will definitely be a more saavy and waste-conscious consumer. Smart!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Bedroom

9. Get rid of some books. Are you one of those people that has stacks of books next to the bed? Reading in bed is a lovely, relaxing experience. I enjoy it myself, and often have a few books going at once – I never know which one I’ll be in the mood for! Sleep can be challenged, however with too many books near the bed.

The more books, the more clutter. And clutter – in the bedroom, but especially right next to your bed – can interfere with sleep.

In feng shui terms, books are ideas. Every book exudes the energy of the content it contains. What types of books do you read? If your selections include relationship complications, violence or general despair, you especially want to relocate those. If you’re reading self-help or personal growth books, these can keep your mind busy, and then you don’t get adequate sleep.

I recommend having no more than 3 books near the bed. Store the rest on shelves in your living space or office. And it’s a good idea to only have those in the bedroom that are soothing to read before you sleep.

Speaking of too many books, it’s also good to do a review of your shelves at least every 6 months, but preferably every 3. Keep only what you really love and know you’ll read or refer to again. Let the rest go. Donate them so someone else can enjoy.

“Aim to end up with a collection of books that represents you as you are today and the intended ‘you’ of tomorrow.”

- Karen Kingston Space Clearing Expert

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Living Area

8. Do SOMETHING with the photographs. A few days ago I wrote a post discussing ways to eliminate the clutter of too many or mismatched frames. That was regarding those photos that were lucky enough to get into a frame. We all have lots and lots of photos – whether they’re in one place or scattered in closets and cupboards throughout the house – that need “something” to be done with them.

The challenge is that maybe what we “think” needs to be done with them will take too much time. Time we don’t have, because organizing those photos is not a priority.

I’m here to say that anything undone in your space, even if it is hidden from view, still grabs for your attention. It’s all about energy. Subconsciously, you know you need to do something with those photos.

I recently took a few hours on a Saturday to get to my photos. I had “planned” to get them all in albums. Well I’m being realistic now, and I’m not going to take the time to do all that, for all photos. I got them to a place where I can relatively easily find what I might be looking for in the future. And now they’re going in photo boxes. Safe, sound and accessible.

There are so many different ways to organize photos these days, I can’t get to all of them here. But what I will recommend is that you do “something”. Something that works for you – your style and in your time parameters. Then schedule a time for it on your calendar and honor it.

From a living green angle, you’ll probably want to view and share photos electronically whenever possible. How many of us have stacks of prints that are no longer relevant to our lives? If it’s electronic, you can just delete the file when you look back and decide you DO NOT want to remember what freaky hairstyle you had in 1998, or how big that old boyfriend’s nose really was.

Favorite photo organizing resources:

Snapfish

Shutterfly

The Container Store

Michael’s

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Living Area

7. Pare down the knick-knacks. And stop yourself from buying any more. Plain and simple, knick-knacks are cluttery. Especially when spread around a room, on every shelf, tabletop or surface. If you have some precious items you like to keep on display because they lift your spirits, by all means honor them with a special place in your home. But if they are things you have collected over the years that are just there because they’re there, then they need to go.

Everything in your home should be loved, otherwise it’s not worth the space it’s taking up.

Having things you don’t love take up space in your home is like letting someone live rent-free in your home while you cook all their meals and pay the mortgage payment. Those things are creating a pull on your energy, draining you, and they’re never going to give you anything in return.


My rules for knick-knacks:

You’ve got to love it to keep it.

Even if it was a gift and you don’t love it, leave it.

Don’t buy knick-knacks for other people as gifts. Be mindful of what that person is going to DO with another THING.

Don’t buy things on impulse. Stop and ask yourself what it really is that you’re responding to about it. (Usually a feeling.) Do you NEED the THING to GET the FEELING?

Group collections together to display them attractively.

If you have a huge collection of things you adore and not enough room, store half of it so you can fully enjoy, then rotate your display after a while.

If you have collections of things that are worth money, sell them. Put the money towards debt, savings, retirement, a vacation, or donate it to charity to give love back to the world.


If things don’t have value to us, we don’t need to value them. The people we love and experiences that enrich us offer TRUE VALUE. We won’t be taking any stuff with us when we go. But we can leave knowing we lived our lives authentically.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Living Area

6. Edit the photo frames you have displayed. To “edit” something can mean a few different things. Depending upon what’s happening with the frames you’ve accumulated over the years, choose from one of the following ways to “edit” what you’ve got, therefore making sure your display says what you want it to – narrates the story of your life, as you’d like to tell it.

Definition of editing #1: To collect, prepare or arrange

Having too many frames spread out around a room can look very cluttered. Gather them together in one place, and arrange them in a balanced way.

Definition of editing #2: To revise or correct

Do your frames match, with a common finish or color theme? If not, buy a set of new matching frames or replace a couple that are really clashing.

Definition of editing #3: To expunge or eliminate

Get rid of the photos that are tired, outdated or that make you cringe. Only keep the ones that create a warm spot in your heart. If you have too many, pick the best-of-the-best. If you have outdated ones, replace the photos with more recent ones in the same frames.

  

The Green Way to Go About It

• Re-use old frames that don’t match by spray painting them to match.
• Donate the old frames you no longer need, so someone else can make use of them. 
• Choose recycled material or sustainable wood for the new frames you buy.

Some resources for you:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenHouseFraming

http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock-Fair-Trade/Recycled-5-x-7-Wood-Picture-Frame-Thailand/5093801/product.html?cid=123620

http://www.perpetualkid.com/recycled-magazine-picture-frame.aspx

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Living Area

5. Get rid of magazines and catalogs. Conveniently store the ones you WILL read or refer to. Busy lives can create a lot of “someday” ideas. Someday I’ll read that/do that/get to that/organize that/look at that/deal with that. That’s how clutter breeds. Clutter is created by postponed decisions.

We tend to hold on to magazines and catalogs according to “someday” ideas. Well, if “someday” never comes, you’re still left with stacks of mag’s and cat’s.

Environmental considerations: these are printed on paper. The great majority of them non-recycled. They take resources to print and distribute. Take note of your impact on collecting these things – solicited or unsolicited. Then decide whether or not it’s worth it.


Lighten your load and ease the burden on the environment:

1. Recycle the magazines you no longer need/won’t get to reading, or donate to dentist's and doctor’s offices.

2. Go to your online account for companies you receive catalogs from. Unclick the check box or unsubscribe to paper catalogs and direct mail offers. The same information and offers can be obtained electronically.

3. Think twice before you subscribe to a periodical you receive through the mail. Ask yourself whether you have time to read it, and whether the information can be obtained elsewhere, such as via the web (published articles, RSS feed, enewsletter subscription, etc.). And whether you want it added to the already-overwhelming amount of paper received through the mail.

4. Store magazines you DO want to keep, but set a LIMIT for their accumulation. Links below include some handy magazine storage products:

Organize.com

ContainerStore.com

Target.com

A Handy Tool To Help Plan Meals & Shop for Groceries

By Jessica Hoelzel

Speaking of keeping an organized pantry (read my last post) I’d like to share a website that can help you plan your meals out for the month: MonthlyMealPlanner.com. This website, run by a friend of mine, offers custom meal planning, grocery lists, and lots of creative family- and kid-friendly recipes.

When you can plan things out, and shop only for what’s on your list, you’ll end up with less clutter in your pantry, and less waste for your pocketbook and the environment.

Check it out!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Kitchen

4. Clean out your pantry. Here in America we love to consume. Our homes tend to get cluttered as a result, making us feel overwhelmed. The pantry is one place that things can easily get stacked and packed in, either because we:

• Buy in bulk
• Stock up because of a great deal
• Forget what it is we have, or lose it at the back of the cupboard 

I personally do not buy in bulk because I don’t have the extra storage space, and because I don’t want to have that much stuff around. I like to KISS my home: Keep It Super Simple. If you have found significant dollar savings in buying bulk (Have you done a spreadsheet on it?), and have the storage space to keep things “on reserve”, go for it. But only buy what you know you WILL consume. Otherwise you’re creating more waste, and your dollar “savings” are wasted.

Action items to make your pantry streamlined and functional:

• Toss expired things. Recycle any cardboard boxes and glass jars
•  Bag the things your family likely won’t eat, donate to the food shelf
•  Be realistic when shopping: buy only what your family can reasonably eat, or buy ingredients only for specific meals, not 5 cans of chili beans just because they’re 5/$3
• Take the items you want to keep in the pantry out, organize them by category: dessert, sides, grains, etc
• Wipe the shelves down and put the items back, in their category grouping

An organized kitchen can help make cooking a pleasant experience, and also save you the money spent on eating out.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less clutter = Healthy Home
Less waste = Healthy World

In the Kitchen

3. Purge your plastic cups and water bottles. Any family knows plastic cups can stack up, literally. So, we need to ask ourselves, how many of ‘em do we really need? And that all depends on how many kids you have around and how often you run your dishwasher. I guarantee you probably don’t need any more than 6. Get rid of the ones you don’t need, either by donating them or recycling. If you don't have many, and are looking to buy some, choose glass instead. They last longer and they won't impact the environment like plastic will once they wear out.

We’ve all learned about plastic water bottles leaching plastic into our beverages. If you have water bottles that aren’t BPA free, let them go. These tend to collect from giveaways and gifts. But just because someone gave it to you, or it was free, doesn’t mean you need to keep it. You’re the boss of your house and your stuff! Don't let things take over the well-being of yourself and your space.
Streamline those cupboards!

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

I’m introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less clutter = Healthy Home

Less waste = Healthy World 

In the Kitchen

  

2. Get those bags under control! I’m not talking about the bags under your eyes from disorganization-distress. I’m talking about plastic and paper shopping bags. Let’s take them one at a time.

Plastic. They are bad for the environment! We all know that, right? Lest you need a reminder, click here.

Some solutions:

• Elect not to take your things in them from the store.
• If you have loads of them, take them to a recycling collection location, like a grocery or department store, to unload.
• Reuse them (not the greatest solution, since they still go back into the environment, but they come in handy for some messier situations; poopy diaper, anyone?).
• If you keep some for re-use, take one bag, open it, and put all the others “scrunched up” inside. Or get one of these.
  

Paper. Biodegradable, but still kill trees.

Some solutions:

• Recycle a bunch if they’re taking over you cupboard or pantry.
• Reuse them for taking things places or to collect recycling.
• If you keep some for re-use, take one bag, open it, and put all the other (folded) bags inside it. You can store that “bag-with-the-bags” upright or on its side for easy access.

Better solution: Use reusable bags. They are everywhere now. Actually they can get a bit out of control too. My solution for taming them is the same as with plastic or paper: open one, put the others inside it (folded). If you have way too many, donate some. I, personally, keep my bags in the trunk. They are there when I shop, then put back after unpacking groceries. Sometimes I do forget them, but then I re-use the bags I bring home.

If you’re on-the-go on foot or by bus or train, consider the fun Chico Bag.  I got one for my sister and cousin last year for their birthdays. It scrunches up really small in it’s own little storage bag, and you can keep that in your purse or backpack. Some styles also available at REI.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

In my last post, I shared an easy 3-Step Process for Clearing Out Clutter.

Now, I’m Introducing a NEW blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes. Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for 21 ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Kitchen

1. Weed out your stained, warped, and orphan plastic containers and lids. Recycle them if you can – check the bottom for the number, and if your service doesn’t take them, sometimes your local Co-op will. Do not buy those cheapies again. Buy sturdy Food Storage Containers that hold up to wear and tear. The best for your health are glass or porcelain. If you buy plastic, buy a sturdy BPA-free plastic instead of the flimsier “disposable” ones.

Sturdy containers may be more of an investment, but they will last longer. So, you’re not throwing as many away to collect in the landfill for 100s of years once they wear out or you can't find matching pieces. When you have a few that you use and take care of, that stay in good condition, you’ll have less clutter in your cupboards, and less hassle.

Here are links to some I like:

From the Container Store®

From Target®

An Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter, Day to Day

By Jessica Hoelzel
 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…because maybe you haven’t heard it! This 3-Step Process is one the easiest ways to declutter an area. Whether your kitchen cupboards are bursting at the seams, your closet is packed or your living room has piles and piles of mags and newspapers, you can use this simple strategy to streamline and get organized.

Here’s what you do:

Easy 3-Step Process for Getting Rid of Clutter

1. Always keep a box/bag/bin in that area. Designate it as the “To Donate” box. If you need to, you can also have an additional box or bag for “Trash”.
2. Toss things in the box as you come across them and know they need to go. Justifying reasons: it’s old, it’s dingy, it’s broken, I don’t use it, I don’t need it, I don’t like it, etc.
3. When the box fills up, bring to the place you’d like to donate, trash the trash. If you are doing this process in several areas of you house at once, designate an area in your garage to collect things to donate (where you will see the stuff and be reminded of it every day), then donate when you have a big pile-up. You can also call a donation organization to come pick up the things…couldn’t be any easier than that.

 Happy Decluttering!

My Top 5 Favorite Products for Keeping Paper Clutter Under Control

By Jessica Hoelzel

These are all from The Container Store. If you don’t have one near you, you can order online too. Or look for something similar at the department store where you like to shop. And no, I don’t get anything from recommending The Container Store, I just picked products from there because I like their solutions, prices and, of course, product organization!


1. Open-Top File Box
For keeping papers corralled, but accessible on the countertop or desktop. (Active files only.)


2. Fun File Folders
Pick a scheme that makes you happy so you are inspired to develop and keep up a system.


3. Wall File
Great for small desks or small spaces. Get desktop clutter off the desk and up on the wall, using your vertical space.

4. Storage Boxes
Use these on shelves to store papers by category. Stackable too!

5. Translucent Expanding File Carrier
Great for storing tax doc’s and papers related to an organization or committee you’re on.

Create a “To File” Area for Papers

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my last post I was talking about how I got down to business and filed all my papers that were building up in my “to-file” folder. Do you have a “to-file” area? If not, establishing one could alleviate lots of paper that’s just lying around.

The first thing to do, to get control of paper clutter, though, is to alleviate the excess. For many people, half of the paper that arrives via US Mail is paper that can go directly in the recycling – ads, coupons, offers, catalogs. This type of paper should get chucked right in the bin. Don’t even think about letting it clutter up your countertops. If you glance at it then set it aside because you think “I may look at that later if I’m interested.” don’t. Only keep it if you are 100% sure you’re going to use it as a resource or take action on it.

And then, another ¼ is made up of paper that just needs to go right in your files – statements, correspondence, how much (or little) you currently have in your 401K, etc. Put a file tray, a box or decorative bowl near where you open your mail. All the things “to file” can go there.

It’s ok to let this type of paper stack up for a while, then file it later. Then, if you need to refer to a statement or record, you go two places: “to-file” area or the “file” area. It’s much easier to find something in one of those two places than mixed up with other random papers “around here somewhere…”

An easy suggestion to get control of the paper “situation” most people get overwhelmed with. Do you have a paper “situation” of your own? Let me know in the comments section of this blog. I’ll help you find an easy solution.

Embarrassed but Proud

By Jessica Hoelzel

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been procrastinating (avoiding, ignoring, refusing to acknowledge) my “To File” stack of papers for months now. It grew to approximately 2.5 inches thick, and at one point I did remove it from the file folder it was busting out of and moved it to a more expandable hanging file folder. Denial is an ugly thing, especially for a professional organizer.

When I decided “enough is enough, I must take action” yesterday, I spent the first few minutes of filing in astonishment. Some of the papers, I saw, dated back to April. Can it be true? Can I really have let it go like this?

YES. Factor in career changes, moving, new school, vacations, summer and there you have it. A backlog of papers that had to be dealt with. A big ol’ stack.

When I had all the papers filed, and emerged from my low point, I actually sat back and felt, well, proud. First of all, I had the files created already, so all I had to do was stick the papers in where they belonged. I’ve recently been blogging about simplifying your life, and setting up this system for my papers is one way I simplifed mine. Secondly, the filing had taken me less than an hour. In less than an hour’s time, I was feeling like parts of my life were back in order – finances, insurance, health care; my ducks are now in a row.

Now, the efficiency learning lesson here is that that backlog of papers was from about 6 months. If I had filed those papers monthly, like a good little organizer, it would have only taken me about 10 minutes a month. Instead of having to force myself to sit for one hour. If it’s uncomfortable for me, I know it’s torturous for you.

10 Minutes a Month. That’s all it takes. You can avoid having to sit that long. And avoid procrastination’s avoidance game, which really just keeps you from feeling good and living the life you want.

Simplify Your Life: Regain Control Over Your Inbox

By Jessica Hoelzel
 
Here’s the final tip from my 5 Tips for Proactively Managing Email:

5. Schedule time to set up folders for messages you want to keep on file. Take 15 minutes per day for one week to designate files and place messages in them. This should totally clean out your inbox, except for the newest messages you haven’t gotten to. Think seriously about whether you need to keep a message, though, before you just throw everything in there. Can you get the information elsewhere, say on a website? Can you request it again if you need it? (Make a note of the person’s contact information.) Do you want to print out a hard copy to put in a paper file? Does the content belong elsewhere in your computer, say in another file?

Read my earlier post for the lead-in to these tips. Utilize all 5, and you’ll be on your way to creating your life and work according to what really matters to you.

If YOU have tips to share, please click below to Post a Comment.

Simplify Your Life: Regain Control Over Your Inbox

By Jessica Hoelzel
 

Here’s the 4th of my 5 Tips for Proactively Managing Email:

4. UNSUBSCRIBE. Take your name off lists for information you don’t read or need. Be realistic about what you have the time and energy to take in. If you have subscribed to something that looks interesting, but turns to be different, ditch it. If you thought you’d have time, but have a backlog of messages, cancel it until you have more time. Usually the information you have an interest in can be found on the website, or you can request it again later.

Read my earlier post for the lead-in to these tips. And…stay tuned for the next tips. You’re on your way to creating your life and work according to what really matters to you.

If YOU have tips to share, please click below to Post a Comment.

Simplify Your Life: Regain Control Over Your Inbox

By Jessica Hoelzel

Happy Monday!

Here’s the 3rd of my 5 Tips for Proactively Managing Email:

3. Start with DELETE. Before you even get into the nitty-gritty of what to read and respond to, delete unwanted messages. Do a fast scan first thing and select the messages you know can be discarded. This is the first phase in streamlining that inbox. Delete, delete, delete!

Read my last post for the lead-in to these tips. And…stay tuned for the next tips. You’re on your way to creating your life and work according to what really matters to you.

If YOU have tips to share, please click below to Post a Comment.

Simplify Your Life: Regain Control Over Your Inbox

By Jessica Hoelzel
 
Here’s the 2nd of my 5 Tips for Proactively Managing Email:

2. Designate specific times to check your email, and specific times to respond to messages. Check your inbox at the beginning of the day, to see what is most pertinent to respond to. Incorporate things that require action into your plan for the day or to-do list, according to what is most timely or urgent. Check your email no more than 2-4 times per day at your scheduled time. Reply to emails when you have the least distractions.

Read my last post for the lead-in to these tips. And…stay tuned for the next tips. You’re on your way to creating your life and work according to what really matters to you.

If YOU have tips to share, please click below to Post a Comment.

Simplify Your Life: Regain Control Over Your Inbox

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my last post, I wrote about simplifying your life according to what really matters to you. With so many distractions, and information coming at us from all angles, we absolutely must consistently check in with ourselves to see whether what we are doing, how we are living and working, is based upon our authentic desires. Are we making choices that serve us on a physical, mental, spiritual level? Are those choices in line with our definitions of work/life balance, supporting us in achieving business and personal success?

At a networking lunch & learn today, the speaker, Tony Signorelli asked the group what they thought the biggest time-waster was. The overwhelming response was right on – email. Let me ask you, do you find hours and hours of your time each day or each week spent on emails? Checking email, getting distracted by new emails, trying to organize email or find something in your email? If email is way old-school for you, does the same ring true for managing text or instant messages? Be really honest with yourself about how much time is actually taken up. If you haven’t a clue, take tomorrow to log it.

Tony’s “New Rules for Self Employment”, found on his website, include time management strategies, and his advice (specifically for small business owners, but applicable to many) is similar to mine (found below). One thing I haven’t added to my list, though, is his idea to hire a Virtual Assistant to delegate email filtering to. If you want to know more about that, he’s got plenty of info on his website.

It's one thing to feel overwhelmed by the stacks of actual paper on your desk, but with flooded inboxes as well, how does one stay focused, like I heard Tony say today, on the things that really matter, the things that make you productive?

Here's some of my advice. (Adapted from an article printed in the Blaine Spring Lake Park Life)



The 1st of my 5 Tips for Proactively Managing Email:


1. Set limits around checking email. Also disable the pop-up feature to eliminate distractions and temptation. (Do this for Instant Messaging too!) Interruptions decrease efficiency because the mind has to change focus several times, which is also draining.

And…stay tuned for the next tips. You’re on your way to creating your life and work according to what really matters to you.

If YOU have tips to share, please click below to Post a Comment.

Simplify Your Life

Yampa River, Steamboat Springs, CO June 2011

By Jessica Hoelzel

 

A very wise man, back in the 1850’s – when it seems life should have been far less complicated that it is today, wrote this:

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand, instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail.”

That man was Henry David Thoreau, Philosopher, Naturalist, author of Walden.

What he wrote so long ago, his advice gleaned from pulling himself out of the busy shufflings of society, and into the tranquil balance of nature, is advice we should heed, now more than ever.

Now, our world can seem chaotic. Now, our world can seem like time is accelerating. Now, we need to focus on what really matters. And not let things that don’t clutter up our lives.

Time to get real. Time to re-focus. Time to live authentically, with what really matters: LOVE.

Be with the people you love.

Do what you love.

Surround yourself only with what you love.

There’s nothing more simple than that.

Feng Shui at Work: Watch Your Back

By Jessica Hoelzel

I’ve written before, in an earlier post, about the importance of your desk being in the “command” position of your office. You want to make sure you:

Have a view of the door

Are not too close to the door

Are not in direct line with the door

Are towards the back of the room (ideally diagonal from the door)

If you don’t work in an office, but rather a “cube”, you are usually at a disadvantage because they are designed so that you face into the cube, not out. You back is, most often, to the entrance. This is troublesome because, energetically, anytime you have your back to the entrance, it sets you up to be vulnerable, at risk for being “stabbed in the back”, “blindsided” or “taken by surprise”.


Feng shui is all about metaphors. It’s based upon the well-founded, scientific idea that everything in our universe is energy. So even though it may seem preposterous to move your desk away from the lovely view out the window, turning it so it faces out (What? It doesn’t have to be up against the wall?) and then diligently organizing your computer cords so they are not unsightly, and no one breaks his or her neck tripping over them…it is not. (Preposterous, that is.)

When you rearrange your desk to be in the command position, you change the flow of energy. Instead of blasting you in the back, you are there to meet it. Hello world. Whatever you present me with today, I am fully prepared to meet, head on.

If you’re in a cube, situate yourself the best you can, and put a mirror in front of you. Either hang one or put one on your computer, so you can see what (and who) is coming. Here are some convex mirrors from fengshuishopper.com that will work nicely.

By enhancing and directing chi flow, we are able to direct our fate in a positive way.

- Kirsten M. Lagatree

Good "office luck" to you! Please comment if you have a workplace challenge you'd like me to address.

Feng Shui at Work: The Dangers of Too Much Yang Energy

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my earlier posts, I’ve been writing about balance, and how the basic feng shui guiding principle “use nature as your model” can help you achieve it. The Yin/Yang symbol represents balance, according to the I Ching (an ancient Chinese text used for divination and explaining the order of the universe).

The aim of the I Ching practice is to bring about balance in which celestial consciousness guides earthly awareness to follow the rhythm of nature.

- Roger Green

Its design symbolizes how chi (life force energy) fluctuates between Yin and Yang, which are opposites. When balanced, there are equal amounts of both Yin and Yang energy. Things get challenging if there’s too much of one or the other. (Off-balance.)

In the workplace, balance is often difficult to come by – for many reasons. One reason being that there is often too much Yang energy. Yang energy is masculine, aggressive, willful and active. Too much Yang can overpower. Yin energy is the opposite: feminine, passive, flexible and still. Too much Yin can underpower, but adding some Yin can balance out the occasions of too much Yang.

Too much Yang, according to Kirsten M. Lagatree,
in Feng Shui at Work, can:

Impede decision-making
Cause lost opportunities
Cause bad financial outcomes
Hurt morale
Encourage high turnover

How do you assess what’s going on and fix it?

Common Workplace Issues
Too much Yang................Add some Yin

Florescent lights..................Turn some off, use desk lamps/task lighting

Smelly................................Use diffusers* or fans, empty and clean trash regularly

Noisy.................................Designate quiet areas, wear headphones

Hectic................................Put systems in place to create order, create opportunities for breaks

Too warm..........................Add window shades, use a fan, fix heating

Crowded...........................Reorganize/eliminate furniture, encourage off-site work

Male-dominated.................Bring in art/accessories with feminine feel, hire more women

Cluttered............................Purge, organize, streamline things

I'd love to hear from you. What's going on in your workplace? Do you think there's a solution? Click below to leave a comment.

*Curious about diffusers? Check out these options from Young Living. The Travel Diffuser would work perfectly in an office or cube. Contact me by email for more information.

Boundary Waters Balance Part 2

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my last post, I wrote about how adhering to one of the basic principles of feng shui, “use nature as your model”, can help you find balance in your space and in your life…my reflections after traveling into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). But I also alluded to the fact, at the end of the post, that our trip wasn’t all balanced bliss. Yes, feng shui practitioners are human too, and it’s not all perfect feng shui and organization in their worlds, all the time.

What happened was a good learning experience for me, as most episodes of being “off-balance” are. So here’s the story…

My mistake was to turn over all packing responsibilities to my husband. He has more experience than I, in going into the back country. Since we didn’t have to portage this trip (carry our canoe and gear) he went a little overboard. Not that I’m blaming him, but his thought process was that since we didn’t have to go very far into the BWCAW, didn’t have to carry our stuff, and since this was the little ones’ first trip in, that he’d pack all the stuff they needed (plus a lot more –just in case they needed it). His goal was to make it easy and comfortable for them.

When we got to our site and started to set up camp was when I first felt overwhelm creeping in. Then over the course of the short time we were there, I kept getting distracted and bugged by all the stuff. We probably only really needed about a third of what we brought. The stuff, getting in our way at the site – in our way of both movement around the site, to perform “camp tasks”, and in our way of viewing the beauty of nature – hindered my experience of balance.

Lessons learned: next time we will 1) do the packing together 2) be more minimalistic in packing and 3) give ourselves more time to plan, set things out, and decide what we REALLY need.

You live and you learn…and every experience is a valuable opportunity to grow, and make things better.

Boundary Waters Balance Part 1

By Jessica Hoelzel

The feng shui of the Boundary Waters? Perfectly balanced and harmonious.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, John Lake

For good feng shui, one of the core principles you must follow is to “use nature as your model”. Heading into nature every now and then is a good way to observe nature’s perfect balance, and achieve a state of balance for yourself.

When you are in nature there is less distraction, pulling your energy this way and that. No TV, no cell phone, no Internet…in our case, no motorized boats or traffic either. When in nature, you are free to be present, to BE. When you can BE, unencumbered by the typical distractions, you have the opportunity to find some balance. With the nurturing solace of nature’s beauty surrounding you, you have the opportunity to:

BE in quiet

BE clear-headed

BE healed

BE refreshed

BE inspired

…and return to a state of physical, mental and spiritual harmony.

So how do you keep that state alive when you return home? By ensuring that your surroundings are also balanced. That you don’t have too many noisy distractions – or at least opportunities for quiet. That you also have a place of beauty which provides you solace.

Stay tuned for more to come on how “stuff” impacted our experience of balance…

Energy Scattered? Make One List

By Jessica Hoelzel

Do you ever feel like you are bouncing all over the place, from one thing to the next, unable to focus?

Not sure what should be your top priority?

Sometimes our energy can get scattered when we have too many things “scattered about”. Whether it’s random sticky notes around your desk, or piles on the kitchen counter, what you need to do is make one list of “to dos”.

Pull all the paper “reminders” that are out in the open into a file folder or tray. Then place a list of what’s to be dealt with on top. For example:

 To Do:

1. Make hair appointment 
2. Renew tabs 
3. Call Mom
4. Buy groceries: eggs, tortillas, salsa, strawberries
5. Bring dress to tailor
6. Schedule dentist appointment

To be even more efficient, you can either 1) create your list with priorities at the top or 2) highlight or star the most urgent tasks. That way they’ll pop out at you. Make sure your file folder or tray and list are in a prominent place.

If you are tech savvy, put your list on your phone. And you can even set up reminders or appointments with yourself to complete different tasks.

This should work better for you, because your priorities will be organized and easy to access, as opposed to scattered or set around. Sometimes when things are out, they don’t actually work as good reminders, because they become “fixtures” in the space, and soon get ignored instead of dealt with.

Happy achieving!

Your Home Needs Fresh Air Too

By Jessica Hoelzel

Open the windows. Let the breezes blow in and refresh your space.
Now that the weather is a bit cooler early and late in the day, give your house a dose of nature’s medicine – fresh air. Houses can be nourished just like people. Clear out all that stale, recycled air and freshen things up.

When you restore the health of your home by letting in vital chi (life force energy), it’ll translate to your own health being revitalized too.

Embrace the quiet.
Listen...no more constant hum. If your air conditioner has been running all summer, give it a break. Not only will it allow your home to get a wee bit quieter, but your efforts will consume less energy, and let nature do what it’s meant to do.

If you’re looking for more ways to refresh your space, read my earlier post on diffusing essential oils.

Keep Bathroom Clutter in Check

By Jessica Hoelzel

Are you seduced by personal care products? The promise to clear, hydrate, firm, shine, volumize, straighten, curl or what have you? We all succumb to the marketing of these products, and sometimes you do have to buy it to try it. But if a product (or products – multiplied) doesn’t work out, where does that leave you? With one more bottle or tube of something you won’t use, cluttering up your bathroom space.

I’ve seen showers that you cannot step into without creating an avalanche of bottles…The clutter is burdensome on us, and the excess consumption is burdensome on the environment. What I recommend is to keep things simple.

Here are three ways to make that happen:

1. Choose products that offer a small trial size. They won’t take up as much space, and if they don’t work for you, you’re not out much money. Their waste has less of an environmental impact too.

2. Use up what you have before you start using another. Make use of every last drop of that shampoo,
before you bring the next bottle into your shower. Simple.

3. Choose products that have multiple uses. Try Dr. Bronners multiple-use soap. Body wash, shampoo,
laundry detergent, and more – all in one (18 uses, in fact).

The bathroom is a place where you spend time at the beginning and end of your day. Make it neat and streamline, and you’ll feel unburdened and productive before you even leave the house. And at ease before you slip into bed at night…Nice for you and nice for our world.

Looking for natural personal care products? I recommend Young Living. Email me with questions or products you’re interested in. I’d be happy to let you know how you can place an order, and help you get the best deal.