Whether you go by the Western calendar or the Chinese one, January offers a great opportunity to take advantage of the fresh energy of the new year. (In the Chinese solar calendar, used in feng shui, the year of the earth rat begins on February 4 in 2008).

 

 

Here are ten small things you can do to turn your home into your haven this year:

 

TEN – Clear out the medicine cabinet – How much of that stuff will you really ever use?  Old prescriptions, hotel shampoos, bath salts someone gave you for your birthday three years ago. SERIOUSLY… if you haven’t used it in the last six months, why do you have it? If you do happen to need it sometime in the future, will it still be any good? (And would you even know where to find it?!)

 

NINE – Freshen your art – Put on a metaphorical pair of “fresh eyes” glasses and walk through your house looking at your art and all the things on display.  What do you notice? What does this collection say about the person who lives here? Is this the person you are today, or someone you were in the past? Don’t be afraid to let go of things that no longer reflect you and your dreams – you’ll just be making space for something better to come in.

 

EIGHT – Seating in gathering areas – Many homes these days suffer from not having any place where people can gather together and be comfortable. Even if your living room or den seating has a TV as a focal point, see what you can do to arrange the seats so that people can easily interact.  Seats should be close enough together for people to talk comfortably, and make sure that no seat is “cut off” from the rest by its angle or by other large furniture (including a chair or sofa that’s too big for the space).

 

SEVEN – Plants – Can you think of anything better for bringing life into a home than bringing life into a home?  Be sure to get rid of unhealthy plants (don’t worry about it, just do it! There are more.) and dead plants, and put away your empty pots so they’re not in sight – or better yet, fill them with fresh new plants.

 

SIX – Niggly repairs – Make a list of all those minor repairs you never seem to get to, and set aside an hour – just an hour! – a week to work through the list until you’re done.

 

FIVE – Collage – Images speak louder than words. As you see things in magazines and online that make your heart soar, pull them out or print them out and keep them in a special file or box.  In a few months you may have enough to create a graphic depiction of the FEELING you want your home to provide for you. 

 

FOUR – Keep the front of your house updated, well-manicured and clean – This includes walkways, plants and shrubbery, and the front door itself. I invite you to take a special look at your doormat... cleaning or replacing a dirty or worn doormat is one of the most common recommendations I make to my clients.

 

THREE – Celebrate your relationship – or invite one in – The bedroom is a great place to have pictures of you with your beloved in good times; it’s generally NOT a great place for pictures of children, parents or others – there are other rooms in the house for that! If you are not in an intimate relationship and would like to be, invite your partner in by literally making space for him or her in the bedroom (clear out the clutter, “give” him/her a bedside table that is cleaned off and waiting, with a lamp equal to the one on your favorite side of the bed). And ladies… remove all those images of strong independent SINGLE women that represent the goddesses that you are (go ahead, try it just for a month or two and see what happens!). Instead, bring in images of couples and think in pairs (candles, etc.) while decorating.

 

TWO – Give homes to things – One of the biggest reasons people have clutter is because they never learned to create homes for things.  What is perpetually in your way? Chances are, these things either don’t have homes, or their homes aren’t the right size or in the right place. Take the program and get help in actually figuring this out for your own home.

 

ONE – Keep your desk clear – Whether you work at home or just have a spot for checking email and paying bills, try finding another home for everything that lives on your desktop besides your computer and a coaster. Ok, maybe a plant and a notepad, too. Your top desk drawer is just as accessible to you as you work as your desktop is, and probably has lots of stuff in it that you never use.  Clear that out – get rid of it (how many pens do you REALLY need?), or if you don’t want to let it go, move it somewhere else – to make space for some clarity and sanity when you walk by and sit down to do your tasks.

 

 

 

Read the article: Setting Your Intentions in Place

 

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