2016 is the year of the monkey, a clever animal. Use these tips to cleverly organize your house using Feng Shui principals and see the benefits they bring to your life in 2016. Whether 2015 was a good or a bad year for you, it’s time to move on to 2016 and open your life to new experiences. Chi (Feng Shui energy) needs to be able to move freely in your home. A cluttered, disorganized home stagnates Chi, which affects various aspects of your life, including relationships and personal aspirations.

One aspect of Feng Shui I adhere to is an uncluttered living space. Doors should be able to open fully and freely; nothing behind the door impeding full movement and no cluttered entrances allowed. Sometimes rooms can be too cluttered with furniture, even though the surfaces are clear. When you have too much stuff in your home, your stuff takes over. No matter what space you’re clearing in your home, ensure that Chi can move freely around objects.

Some beds come with built-in storage at the head of the bed or underneath in the form of drawers. You can use these spaces but keep the area behind your bed clear – no objects behind your head. Store only clean linens under the bed to keep Chi flowing clear in the bedroom. In every area of the home you want to ensure that surfaces are free of extraneous items, or clutter.

Challenge Yourself:

• Clean Your Home: grime and dust and dirt all block energy from flowing. You may already notice that your home feels different after a deep clean. Start your Feng Shui path off with a freshly cleaned home. Banish dust bunnies from under furniture, scrub the inside of appliances free of grime, and clean the dirt and fingerprints off your windows.

• Clear Clutter: you’ll know what “clutter” is to you when you walk around your home and ask yourself which possessions enhance or detract from the life you want to live. Resist the urge to hold onto items associated with bad/sad memories, and items that “just cost too much to part with”. It’s costing you more to keep it around, cluttering up your home and stagnating the flow of Chi.

• Think of Storage as Temporary: Basement storage represents your past and cluttering that area holds you back. Cluttering your attic storage limits your aspirations, quite the opposite of what we’re trying to do here. Use storage for seasonal items like decorations and clothing, heaters and air conditioners. Really look at the other items you’re storing and as yourself if you want to bring them back into your life or let them go and live a life with someone else