<![CDATA[AWAKENED HOME ORGANIZING AND FENG SHUI

<![CDATA[AWAKENED HOME ORGANIZING AND FENG SHUI - Blog]]>Mon, 13 May 2024 08:06:24 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[The Transformative Power of Organizing in 2024]]>Mon, 18 Dec 2023 18:45:39 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/the-transformative-power-of-organizing-in-2024

As we approach 2024, whether we're prepared or not, change is inevitable. Many of us have found ourselves lacking the energy to continue the status quo. Priorities have shifted, and there's a collective exploration of new ways of doing things, even though these paths are not yet clearly defined. Amidst this evolution, one constant remains: the transformative power of organizing.
Whether it is rearranging the physical space in our homes or offices, or sorting through and reflecting on our thoughts, organizing can profoundly impact our efforts to move forward. Discovering long-lost items, fixing makeshift solutions, or simply making necessary change in our living environment can unexpectedly kickstart progress in seemingly unrelated areas. Take a moment to organize a neglected space or address a task you've been putting off.

For those seeking to provide a meaningful boost to themselves or a loved one, consider the gift of Professional Organizing. I bring an objective perspective and a strong intention to align with your goals for change.

]]><![CDATA[Take it to a DONE!]]>Mon, 30 Jan 2023 03:54:34 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/take-it-to-a-done

When deciding to organize a space, it is good practice to decide up front that you are going to go all the way with it. I have found if an area is halfway organized, the same patterns that created the disorganization continue to happen. Thoroughly sorting through things such as clothes, toys, books, tools, etc will allow you to fully define categories that make sense in your life. When there is crossover of two or more categories that have been thrown into one, it can create confusion, especially when you are establishing new organizing systems. Simply said...Dont do it halfway. If you feel unsure about the sorting process because there are too many categories, call on a professional organizer to help.

]]><![CDATA[Puzzled]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2023 20:13:55 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/puzzled

If you have ever put together a good size puzzle, you might have experienced the process of your intuition kicking in and entire areas of the puzzle coming together quickly. You have to go through the moments when you can’t find any pieces that will fit.
This is much the same process as organizing a room or an area of your home. It is an organic process and sometimes takes patience before it all starts to come together.
Every decision that is made to either pass something along to someone else, throw it away or even where it will go in the end is a valuable decision. The room may not look like you thought it should after a period of time but if you keep going you will see the transformation and it might be better than you expected.
People sometimes tell me that they hate organizing or going through things and making decisions on them. They might have hit the point in the puzzle when they cant find where anything goes. You have to be willing to set something aside until you know where it goes later on in the process and keep going.

If you feel you have hit that point with organizing your home or office and would like some help, please call me. I will help you get things moving again.

]]><![CDATA[Transform Your Small Space: How to Feng Shui Your Apartment]]>Tue, 03 May 2022 20:23:21 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/transform-your-small-space-how-to-feng-shui-your-apartmentApril 28, 2022 by Mekaila Oaks
If you’re living in a small apartment and feel like your space is always cluttered, feels confined, or the atmosphere just feels off, you’re not alone. Luckily, no matter the size or layout of your apartment, you can easily transform your small space with Feng Shui. And what better time than the spring to declutter and decorate to create a well-balanced, harmonious home?
To help you get started, we’ve reached out to Feng Shui experts across the country for their best advice on transforming a small apartment with Feng Shui. So whether you’re renting a studio apartment in San Francisco or living in Denver, Atlanta, or another city where you can get more bang for your buck, these transformational Feng Shui tips will help you make the most of your small space.

Set the tone for your apartment with the entrance.  Half the battle is won through paying extra attention to your home’s entrance or main door. The main door has the utmost importance, along with the kitchen and bedroom, which forms the critical trinity in home Feng Shui. Apartments with good Feng Shui will have a bright and spacious entrance and walkway (called the “Bright Hall”). – Feng Shui Discovery

Small spaces are cozy and comforting. To make the most of it, keep all areas tidy, the bathroom door closed, and move shoes away from the front door. As small as your place may be, keep the front door clear so chi can come into your home to fill it with prosperous energy. If you can, keep two planters on the outside of the front door. When looking out the front door from the inside, the planter on the left side should be larger than the one on the right side to increase your luck and protection. – Kerstin Tracy

Choose colors intentionally to create a soothing home atmosphereSmall spaces may feel even smaller if there’s too much stuff or too many colors everywhere. Give your apartment breathing space by keeping a wall in a light, neutral color and use wall scones that reflect light upwards. Apply soothing colors that you see out in nature, such as aquamarines, sky blues, light sand beach tones, or light shades of grays that inspire a sense of freedom and comfort. This is a simple way to bring nature into your space and give your mind a place to rest. – Zenotica

Utilize mirrors to lighten your space and incorporate plants to bring in the wood element Mirrors are excellent in small spaces as they encourage good Feng Shui and lighten and brighten throughout. Love plants? Position the mirror to reflect the plant, and you’ll amplify the wood element of Feng Shui. Need a serene grounding energy in your space? Shape is key in Feng Shui, so go with a square or rectangular-shaped mirror. – Pure Living with Lisa Morton

Place furniture and artwork with balance in mind.  A small space can be just as beautiful as a large space when you follow the rules of Feng Shui. Make sure you don’t have too much stuff than your space allows for. If you need to declutter, ask yourself, “do I need this” or “do I love this” when looking at each item. If not, consider letting it go. Having a few right-sized pieces of furniture balanced properly in the room makes a huge difference in how a space feels. It’s almost important that you don’t over-accessorize. A few statement pieces and art on the walls with depth or a large mirror can make the room feel more expansive. Keep in mind that every wall doesn’t need art, but it needs to be placed properly, so it’s balanced in the room. – Metro Interiors

Removing clutter from your apartment is essential for positive energy flow.  Allow your apartment to feel lighter and brighter by decluttering.
Encourage positive energy to enter and flow through your home by removing clutter – which is anything that’s no longer used or doesn’t have a proper home. Clutter drags you down and creates barriers in your life, while decluttering makes a space feel lighter and brighter, boosting energy and making space for new opportunities. Fix or discard broken items and invest in colorful or white stacking boxes to tidy paperwork, sentimental items, important papers, and stationery. Wicker or sisal baskets can be used in the pantry for storage and the bathroom for toiletries. After you’ve cleared your home of clutter, donate items and clothing you don’t need or will no longer use. – Anne Roselt

Only keep your favorite items
With small spaces, it’s crucial to pair down your belongings to your absolute favorites and necessities. You want the right balance of things for the size of your space because a space can only hold so much before the energy flow gets blocked and stagnant. Clutter blocks the energy flow in an environment, inhibiting positive energy flow in your life. – Montero Healing Arts

Always keep functionality in mind.  Remember that less is more, so keep it simple, and function should always come first. Ideal for smaller spaces, consider mid-century modern furniture with its pleasing contours and soft, tapered, generally rounded edges. Steer away from furniture with points as the points cast poison arrows at those in front of them. Paint your walls in a single, light color as this creates a sense of expanse. – ZenSpot Institute

Distinguish a beginning and end with your work from home setup.  If you have a small apartment or studio with an open floor plan and you’re working from home, place a simple shoji screen in front of your desk to close the door on your work for the day. Use soft lighting in other areas of the apartment to draw attention away from the work area. – Awakened Home

Fill your new apartment with items you love and bring you the most joy.  The most important idea to remember in Feng Shui is that you must love and feel comfortable with your surroundings. Love conquers all. The most important rules in Feng Shui are 1) get rid of clutter, 2) only have what you use, need, or want, and 3) surround yourself with what you love, what makes you feel comfortable, and what brings you happiness. – Dianne Lawson

Maintain the balance of Yin and Yang throughout your apartment.  Keep the balance of Yin and Yang in the entire apartment rather than in each defined space or room. Yin and Yang must be equally present as they are inseparable forces. Focus on balancing the main rooms as follows: the bedroom is Yin, (passive energy is black) water, and calm. Try incorporating artwork with the water element or blue hues. The kitchen and living room are Yang, (active energy is white) fire, and, energetic. Use bright colors and plants to activate this element. – Landolac Designs

Focus on the layout of your apartment and arrange rooms, so they align with their purpose.  When done properly, Feng Shui can transform your life by harnessing the prevailing energies in the physical environment to suit you, your life goals, and your lifestyle. Ideally, a Feng Shui master would assist you in finding the best apartment block for you and then the best available apartment in that block. But if you already live in your apartment or own your home, we can still achieve transformative results. It is all about the layout of your apartment and ensuring the rooms are fit for purpose and set up in the best possible way. A properly qualified Feng Shui master can help you arrange your rooms and align your activities such as work, sleep, exercise, and rest to make the best use of the prevailing energies in your apartment or studio. – Master Boon of Feng Shui with Master Boon

Clean and minimal spaces allow for abundance.  When you think of a large and wealthy home, you soon realize that there’s room for abundance, meaning that all surfaces, like drawer tops, tables, etc. only have a few items on them and no shoes or coats are visible in the entryway. So get organized, declutter every horizontal surface, and let the abundance of Chi flow in now that you’ll have the room for it. And don’t forget fresh flowers. – Healing with Heli

Thoughtfully decorate your home.  The magic ingredients to making a small apartment look spacious are to place your intention on decluttering and allowing for a vibrant flow of energy to circulate throughout. To achieve that, avoid decorating with small objects spread around and be sure to dedicate areas where functionality blends with themed decor. Leave space between those areas for the Qi to circulate smoothly and choose a wall color that exudes a personal message to your apartment, whether it is serene, minimalistic, or exuberant. Then accessorize your space with non-angular furniture wherever possible and harmonizing colors. – Chez Feng Shui

Use the Bagua Map to Feng Shui your apartment.  Lay the Bagua Map at your apartment door, aligning the Career gua to your doorway, to discover where the specific guas are. Next, think about what you’d most like to change in your life. Are you trying to attract love? If yes, enhance the Love & Marriage gua with pairs of things such as matching candleholders, two bird figurines (like lovebirds), or a picture of a couple that captures the love you’d like to manifest. If love and marriage are in your bedroom (and even if it isn’t), remember your bedroom should be a serene sanctuary for rest and romance only. – Feng Shui Made Simple]]><![CDATA[Effective Habits and Sacred Space]]>Sun, 30 Jan 2022 01:29:12 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/effective-habits-and-sacred-space

If our homes are working well for us, they feel like a safe place that nurtures and supports us in caring for ourselves and our family. We can find things easily and our homes are simple to keep clean.
If you think about the different areas of your home and what you do in each room, you can feel that certain things belong in certain areas based on how and when you use them. For example, toilet paper belongs in the bathroom, bills belong in the home office, clothes belong in the bedroom.

If you walk in your house, kick off your shoes, drop what is in your hands on the first flat surface and start taking your clothes off as you walk through the house, you might notice a trail of work that you just created for yourself in the first 5 minutes of being home.

On the other hand, if you take your shoes off and put them on a shelf, take the mail directly to the home office and change clothes by the laundry hamper, you will have just saved yourself a lot of work by putting them in the place they will get handled when you are ready.

Sacred Space has a feeling to it. It is respected and cared for. If you are expecting your home to always take care of you but you aren’t willing to take care of it, you might be a little out exchange with your home.

If you have areas that feel chaotic and you would like to turn them into a sacred space that works well for you, call, text or email me.
I am happy to help.

303.587.5773 elsa@awakenedhome.com

]]><![CDATA[Starting the thing you feel you can't do]]>Fri, 24 Dec 2021 02:25:33 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/starting-the-thing-you-feel-you-cant-do

Many people have said to me in December, "lets start organizing after the New Year". There is nothing wrong with that, but when you really want to do something you can always take small steps today that will start the ball rolling. The hardest part of organizing or starting any large project is STARTING.

Starting does not have to be when you dive into the project. You can start a project simply by sitting down and writing what your thoughts are about it. That is getting energy moving in the direction of the project already.

Benjamin Franklin said “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”

You may not be able to clear out a room today, but you can write down what is important to you about cleaning out the room.

Find a place to start on the thing you feel you can’t do. If you called me to help you, that is a start...

]]><![CDATA[October 18th, 2021]]>Mon, 18 Oct 2021 20:21:20 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/october-18th-2021Changing your wardrobe with the seasons

Photo by NEOSiAM 2021 from Pexels

The change of seasons is here. The leaves are turning beautiful colors and the air is getting cooler.
Our actions and activity changes with the seasons as well. We may start spending more time inside than we did in the summer and even thinking differently about what we want to do.
When a home is well setup, it supports you in doing what you want easily without feeling like your home is an obstacle to getting there.
One area that can feel like an obstacle is when you have too many clothes to keep up with or when you can’t see what you have, to make choices in what you would like to wear.

In Colorado a lot of people like to keep their whole wardrobe out all year long because of the weather. It could be 40 degrees one day and 70 degrees the next. Even so, there are always things we won’t reach for because we are thinking differently in the winter months.

Putting away even part of your wardrobe in bins from the season that is passing and storing them, can have a big effect on your day-to-day experience of finding what to wear.

Having access to everything you own all at once can be overwhelming and it plays out when it is time to get dressed, or do laundry.

When the seasons change it gives you a chance to take another look at clothes you haven't seen in a while and decide if the clothing still feels like you or if you have moved on. Clothes also wear out for the purpose you are using them for and can find a new purpose in someone else’s wardrobe.
Going through your clothes and making decisions on what will stay and what will go will make life easier for you as well as others.

If you have questions about your clothes and how to organize them to make life easier, call me. I am happy to help.

]]><![CDATA[Organization for the whole family]]>Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:26:01 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/organization-for-the-whole-family

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.com

What is the routine like for everyone in the house? Does everyone find it easy to get out of bed, take a shower, and get ready in the morning? Is it easy to find the toiletries, clothing and items needed for the day?
If the first part of the day is frustrating, it can carry into the rest of the day; affecting you without you realizing it. If the setup of the morning flow works well for some but not for others, this can also have an impact on family dynamics.
Some people seem to be unaffected by a chaotic environment and can focus easily on a video game, computer work, or a project. But when it comes time to transition to a new activity the chaos around them becomes frustrating.
Organization helps everyone. The important thing is that the organization makes sense to each person. Everyone has their own idea of how they would like their space to be… and that matters.
Sometimes a little help is needed to get things set up so life can run smoothly for everyone. An unattached objective point of view can make all the difference in helping someone get there.
Organization is a gift you give to yourself and everyone in the whole house.

]]><![CDATA[The little things]]>Mon, 26 Jul 2021 22:49:06 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/the-little-things

There are so many little things we keep track of in a day just walking through our home. "That light bulb needs to be replaced, I need to check my account to make sure I can pay this bill, I need to schedule a doctor visit, Oh the kids need new clothes for school, the bird feeder needs more seed, and on and on. We hold all of these ideas, things we see and are trying to remember in our minds. All of those things take up space just like clutter takes up space in our homes. When you think of the same things over and over again without doing anything about them they begin to weigh on you like clutter can and can affect your self esteem.

If you feel like you are bogged down with all the things you need to do, carve out a day to just take care of the little things. Start early in the morning so you can get a jump on the day. Write out a list of those things ahead of time so you are ready.
When you start getting the little things done, you may have a sense of accomplishment, and more energy to take advantage of new opportunities coming your way.

]]><![CDATA[The Gift of Starting]]>Thu, 24 Jun 2021 18:35:22 GMThttp://awakenedhome.com/blog/june-24th-2021

You look around in your home and see that every room in your house needs attention. One thing affects the next thing, affects the next thing and so on. You have the feeling of giving up on the idea of organizing before you even start and the spiral goes down from there.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Getting started can be the hardest part of the whole project.
The first thing to notice is how you are feeling in that moment and to do something that will start you moving upward instead of downward. It may be to take a walk outside and just get out of the house with the intention to look at it again when you get back.

When you feel overwhelmed, usually you are looking at the whole project with an expectation and possibly judgement as to how it should be, rather than how it is. The expectation that we should be able to handle something all in one go, that has built up over time is unrealistic.

If starting is the hardest part of a big project, think of one simple thing you feel you can do.

I recently experienced this myself with my yard. The tree in front needed to be trimmed. Branches were hanging down so low that they would brush my car when I pulled in the driveway. The belt on my lawnmower had just broken and it would take 2.5 weeks until it could be fixed. A slat in the fence needed to be repaired. The thistle weeds were getting higher and higher and my front lawn was taking over. I was feeling completely overwhelmed.

I realized that I was looking at the whole yard and everything that needed to be done at once.
I asked myself "What is one thing I could do right now that would start me moving in a different direction"? It was to start pulling weeds. I didn't need a tool for that and it was something I could start on right now. When I finished pulling the weeds, I got an idea about another tool I had that I could use to trim the tree myself. I trimmed the tree and found I had energy to bundle the branches. The next thing I knew my neighbor came over with his lawn mower and mowed my front yard. It was the momentum that was created by just starting somewhere that began things moving. I was blown away when I came home the next day to find my neighbor had mowed my back yard as well as a surprise act of kindness. What a wonderful gift that was for my neighbor to mow my yard and buy me time to get my lawnmower fixed. The initial gift that was given was the gift I gave myself by starting.

Your starting point may be to reach out to a professional organizer. Anything you do that starts things moving in a different direction is where you start.

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