I think we're in store for another hot one this Feng Shui Friday.  That's okay because I'm no where close to being ready for the end of summer.  Summer just feels fun to me.  Shorts and sleeveless tops, flippers (Hawaiians call them slippers so I mixed it up with flip flops since the Mainlanders think slippers are for bedtime), Happy Hour on the deck, grandkids in our backyard plastic kiddie pool , longer days, and cooler evenings (thank you Colorado!). 

Summer feng shui includes getting things done.  Its fire element encourages energy, activity, and spark.  So how about spending just a couple hours a week clearing clutter the feng shui way. 

 Like nearly every book you read about feng shui, in Mary Lambert's* new book Feng Shui for Today's Living, she devotes several pages to "clearing out your junk".  The prerequisite and first step to creating good feng shui is clearing clutter.

Balance and harmony are achieved through the positive flow of what she calls "the invisible life force called chi".  Mrs. Chi needs room to move with ease through your home, and as Lambet says "any piles of clutter or other blockages will slow it down, making it [Mrs. Chi] sluggish and lethargic."

Mail is often one of those piles of clutter.  Let's keep Mrs. Chi moving with summer's fire energy through your home or office.

1.  Manage your mail every day.  I can't tell you how many clients stack their mail for weeks at a time (in baskets and on counters) and have difficulty dealing with this daily occurrence.  If you want to move forward and experience new opportunities every day, managing your mail on a daily basis is a huge step in the right direction.  When you don't, you are creating a pile of 'yesterdays' every day.

2.  Just do it.  The longer you wait to deal with your mail, the bigger the task it becomes.  Mail continues to arrive every day and the pile just keeps getting bigger, taking you more time, which is why you don't like dealing with your mail.  Huh?  Schedule a mail review daily the same as brushing your teeth or eating a meal.  Would you go weeks or months without completing one of these daily habits?

3.  Three is the magic number.  Tackle your mail with three piles: one for shredding, one for recycle, and one for trash.  Make a decision about what to do with each piece.  RECYCLE OR TOSS THOSE ENVELOPES!  Then use three folders for the mail you want to keep:  to read file, bills to pay file, action folder for items that require action at a later date (e.g. application completion, RSVP for an event, item to discuss with someone, telephone follow up call, rebate offer, etc.). Don't let three days go by without managing your mail.

*If you can find a copy of Mary Lambert's out-of-print book "Clearing the Clutter for Good Feng Shui", grab it up!  It's excellent.

Until next week

Wishing you Simplified Interiors,

Kathie Seedroff