Declutter Your Way to Peace and Beauty

Practitioners of meditation have long known that spiritual growth leads to less clutter, but a new trend does it in reverse. People are now decluttering their way to spiritual growth! The end result from both processes is the same: Simplicity brought about by a yearning for peaceful beauty. Peaceful beauty! Such a place is not where you find old stuck energy that has ended in a confused mess! No wonder the No. 1 rule of feng shui is to remove clutter! Declutter your way to spiritual growth using Clutter Codes. Here’s what they are, and how they help:

Decluttering your way to spiritual growth is about dealing with the issues of our lives that come up when dealing with the clutter. Are your mother’s ashes on the mantle piece? Are you 50 years old and still have every test and paper from high school? Instead of seeing clutter as a meaningless mess, you can classify it and begin to understand its place in your life. Some clutter can stay, some must go. Coping with the meaning of the clutter provides spiritual healing.

Tag all of your clutter with one of the following Clutter Codes. I’ve given some examples for each one. Once you’ve coded your clutter, resolve clutter that falls in the “stagnant” code first. Stagnant energy holds you back and festers. On the other end of the spectrum, “active” clutter can remain. Active energy is alive and vibrant!

Stagnant: Things that you can no longer use.
A pile of magazines and catalogs that has been read or are no longer relevant and out of date. (You know you will never go back to them.)
Clothes that no longer fit.
Old vitamins and pills.
Expired coupons.

Stuck: Things that you will probably not use.
Papers, magazines, fliers that you think you might peruse but most likely will eventually become stagnant.
Books you may or may not read, but probably won’t.
The high school papers, mentioned above.
Broken items that you want to fix, but probably won’t.
Unfinished craft projects.

Waiting: Things you use very occasionally or seasonally.
Holiday and seasonal decorations that aren’t stored coherently.
Seasonal clothing and sporting equipment that don’t have an off-season home.

Active and Disorganized: Things that you use regularly, but not frequently.
Clothes, papers, projects that are may be used within a few weeks but that are “homeless” in that they are not filed, processed or stored in a way that is out of the way. (This is more about “mess” than “clutter.”)
Kitchen appliances that you use only occasionally.

Active: Things that you actively use
Activities of the day, or the next few days, that are in process.
Things that you like easy access to for daily use—sunglasses, coats, schoolbags, etc.

By Annie B. Bond

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Latoya B.

7:54PM PDT on May 8, 2013

The way I do it, I take every single item out of a room and then start bringing things back in one at a time. If I don't know exactly where I can put something, I'll think of whether or not I need that item.

May 8
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Cynthia B.

3:08AM PST on Dec 21, 2012

December 21
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Victoria M.

6:42AM PST on Dec 18, 2012

Thanks.

December 18
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Jose P.

11:01PM PST on Dec 17, 2012

create space for the junk of the season!

December 17
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Susan S.

9:28AM PDT on Oct 23, 2012

Interesting way of thinking about clutter.

October 23
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Mercedes P.

11:11PM PDT on Jul 3, 2012

Thank you!

July 3
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Leslie P.

12:03AM PST on Mar 8, 2012

Great tips!

March 8
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Michele W.

4:30AM PST on Jan 5, 2012

I check room by room in the house, and everything I think I might want in the future...such as books I haven't read yet, magazines, half finished projects etc are put in a cardboard box neatly away in a cupboard. If, after 6 months I have not taken anything out of that box to use/read/whatever, then it goes to recycling or to be donated.