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Posts or Comments 05 March 2008

Eliminate and simplify: A special feature & Wellbeing tool box & Simplify your life & Feng Shui Healthy Living | 28 Jan 2008 10:03 am

Simple solutions when you just can't shift your clutter:

By Carole Fogarty

Eliminate and simplify: A special feature:

I'm so thrilled with the five awesome financial wins I've had over the last 3 weeks. In fact they have totalled over $3,000 Aussie dollars ($2,644.00 US) which is a combination of money being saved very unexpectedly and cash.

By LunaDiRimmel

Better still I know it's all to do with my focus of detoxing and simplifying my life. I've gently gone through cupboards, draws and secret spaces added a good dose of bravery and eliminated allot of stuff which doesn't support who I am today. I've simplified most of my bills and a few crazy habits that I made complex like shopping for food.

The more I eliminate and the more I simplify the energy around me and in my home the more blessings and opportunities open up for me.

I have personally witnessed stunning changes to literally hundreds of peoples lives when they eliminated, eliminated and eliminated some more all the stuff around them. Most started out very slowly due to the strong emotions they had attached to their things but finished with clutter cleverness after three or four months. Yeah!

Nine simple solutions to over come your clearing clutter obstacles:

Find one or two proven solutions which speak to you from the list below then let your clutter be afraid, be very afraid.

You may also like to read my previous article on cluttering clearing called delete obstacles and welcome a rush of new opportunities.

1. Be gentle on yourself as there is absolutely no rush:
A home overcrowded with stuff creates foggy thinking which can prevent you from starting. Lighten your load by knowing it is not a race, there is no rush and you can't make a mistake. Just keep saying to yourself "I gently remove clutter at my own pace".

Think gently and never think of all the clutter in your entire home all at once. Only focus on one very small space at a time.

Think and feel gentle by calming and relaxing your breath. Long, slow deep breathes will oxygenate your body and relax your mind. Keep repeating " I gently remove clutter at my own pace"

2. If you need more inspiration to get started then read this book:
I can personally guarantee that there is not one person who has read the following book who has not then been able to tackle their clutter with enthusiasm. The book is very simple and easy to read and called Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui and written by Karen Kingston.

3. Focus on only one small space at a time:
Start small.You are not climbing Mount Everest. Focus on one draw a week until you have finished all the draws in your home. Nothing more and nothing less.

Spend 1% of your day which is 15 minutes emptying out the contents and making brave choices about what to keep, throw out or give away. Once you have completed all the draws in the house then you can progress to shelves, under the beds and cupboards. Just focus your attention on one small space at a time. I've also provided a list below giving you links to freecycle web sites just in case you are not sure who to give your good stuff to.

4. Do it with a close friend:
Your friends are not attached to your stuff. They will have your best interest at heart and can easily talk you out of keeping too much unnecessary stuff. I know for a fact this solution has worked extremely well for many people.

5. Do it to fabulous music:
Find yourself the most fabulous happy uplifting piece of music that you absolutely love and play it loud. The music stops your resisting thoughts getting the better of you, uplifts your spirits and allows you to throw out more easily. Click here and listen to some uplifting Bobby McFerrin "Don't worry be happy". I actually bought this CD and its such fun to play when doing the housework or to shift the kids moods. An all time classic.

6. Find your groove:
My groove is early in the morning when my thinking is not distributed and distracted easily. Yours might be late at night when everyone is asleep. Clear your clutter when you have the most energy and focus.

7. Sometimes its better just not to involve the kids and other family members:
If I left the decisions up to my kids they would never throw out any of their old toys out. Going through my kids cupboards is much, much, much easier when they are not around. Keep in mind though it might be easier (for you personally) having them around if they are happy to give their old clothes and toys to people who will be thrilled to get them.

8. Take some flower essences to shift your internal resistance:
If you are open or into vibrational remedies then flower essences taken a few days before you want to start clearing your clutter can the most perfect solution.

Clearing the internal emotional resistance with a few drops of flower essences can be an easy and gentle way to dissolve your attachment to your things. Clearing clutter is now only a bottle away.

I love and have studied with Ian White the founder of the Australian bush flower essences. I personally use bottle brush whose energetic properties are all about letting go. There is also a few blends which may appeal to you such as "abundance essence" and "purifying essence". If you live in Australia they can easily be bought in good health food store. If you live in America I have personally used and love Alaskan essences.

Alternately I can recommend a practitioner Jannette Tibbs who can mail you a bottle anywhere in the world. Jannette can easily make you up a special space clearing brew to shift the energies internally for you so you can create the desired and long awaited shifts externally. You can visit Jannette here.

9. If you need daily instructions then grab your free 2008 decluttering calendar:
If you need simple and easy daily instructions then get yourself a free copy of the 2008 Declutter Calendar. I personally do not use it but I'm sure if you need daily reminders it will be the perfect tool for you.

Useful resources:

Give away your stuff to someone who really needs them.

Freecycle - give away your stuff for free to someone who needs it: Australian

E-cycled - don't throw it away, give it away - Australian

Freecycle - changing the world one gift at a time

Thanks for reading my article.

Peace, love and lots of happy clutter clearing to you all, Carole.

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As I am on a mission to detox and simplify my life at a deep level I have personally found the Zen to Done e-book to be life changing:

7 Responses to "Simple solutions when you just can't shift your clutter:"

on 29 Jan 2008 at 12:25 am 1.Will said …

You can easily find your closest Freecycle group at finder.overcycle.com
on 29 Jan 2008 at 6:05 am 2.Beth Dargis said …

Thanks for including my Declutter Calendar!You have some excellent tips. I especially like finding your groove. One of my clients does decluttering before work. I do mine right after dinner during family chores.
on 29 Jan 2008 at 4:57 pm 3.sham @ Enhance Life said …

Very useful advice indeed. I suppose on needs a bit of discipline as well in order to regularly execute these
on 05 Feb 2008 at 4:58 pm 4.The Healthy Living Lounge » Your Feng Shui Wealth Location for 2008: said …

[…] home in the first place. I suggest reading two of my recent articles about clearing clutter called Simple Solutions When You Just Can't Clear Your Clutter and Delete Obstacles and Welcome a Wealth of New Opportunities to get the ball rolling for […]
on 14 Feb 2008 at 1:22 pm 5.Healthy Living said …

Thanks Will for pointing us in the right direction.

Carole
on 14 Feb 2008 at 1:23 pm 6.Healthy Living said …

Thanks to Beth for creating the declutter calendar, I just know it will help so many people.

Carole
on 04 Mar 2008 at 1:03 pm 7.Sandra said …

I was so pleased to find your website after following a link from Unclutterer. I was especially surprised to find that you have included a link to our site, e-cycled!! We started the site with the intention of simplifying our own lives while also helping others who may need pre-loved items while also being environmentally responsible about it. Thank you very much for letting your readers know about us.