Is the chaos in your living space starting to take over your life? Claire Josefine, the Eureka, California-based author of The Spiritual Art of Being Organized (Winter’s Daughter Press, 2004), explains how to increase self-awareness and achieve serenity by organizing your house in three easy steps.
Evaluate your belongings. “Walk through your house and touch each object, asking yourself, ‘Do I love this? Does it make me smile?'” says Josefine. “If not, and if it’s not something that’s fundamentally useful, like a toaster, it shouldn’t be in your home.” This process of examining your belongings allows you to make sure each one is enriching your life.
When you’re organizing, work in small chunks. “This way, you can relish in the experience of success,” says Josefine. Start small—with a single drawer, for example, or with something you can look at and say, “I can do that.” Each minor accomplishment will build on the next, and you won’t get overwhelmed.
Give back. Once you decide what you no longer need, don’t just throw it away. Give the item to a homeless shelter or another like-minded organization. “Change your mentality from ‘get rid of it’ to ‘share it with someone else,'” advises Josefine. This act of generosity will give you a sense of abundance and doing good in the world.
