We all know that clutter clearing ALWAYS improves the feel of a space. But, many people ask me, “Where should I start?” Following are 9 tips to help you prioritize your clutter clearing efforts. The first three tips are focused on the best locations to begin clearing. The final seven tips identify the types of items to clear for immediate feng shui benefits.

1. Clear clutter from spaces that greet you when you first enter your home.

The condition of the space that greets you when you first enter your home has an immediate effect on your energy. If it’s neat, organized, clean and lovely, you will feel comforted and your energy is likely to go up. If, however, you are greeted by a chaotic environment with lots of clutter, dust and grime, your energy will plummet because you are being assaulted by the negative energy of the space. Create a clutter free greeting and everything that happens after you enter your home is likely to be more peaceful and positive.

2. Clear clutter from spaces where you spend the most time.

After you create a positive greeting you can move on to clear clutter from the kitchen, family room and bathroom areas, places where you spend significant amounts of time. The energy of places where you spend the most time have the most impact on your energy. Clutter clearing shifts the energies of those spaces from negative to positive. Positive energy results in positive interactions with others, positive experiences, and optimal productivity.

3. Clear clutter from your bedroom.

You spend more time sleeping than doing any other activity in your home. The quality of your sleep is directly affected by the condition of your bedroom. A cluttered bedroom is full of negative energy. Negative energy is noisy energy, alerting you to the fact that all is not well, that there are things that need to be done. It’s hard to sleep well when distracted by the shouting chorus of bedroom clutter. And, persistent clutter in the bedroom can have a profound impact on health because you are being exposed to that negative energy for prolonged periods of time.

4. Clear out anything you hate.

Why would you keep something you hate? Hated items are negative energy pure and simple. Their energy will make it easy for you to keep a negative focus. A negative focus will attract more negative circumstances into your life. If the hated item belongs to a family member, make sure it is located in an out of the way area where your aren’t greeted by it on a regular basis.

5. Clear out anything that is broken that can’t be quickly fixed or that    is not worth fixing.

Broken things attract being broke or having a broken body (health issues). They are strong sources of negative energy requiring some type of work on your part. If you accumulate numerous broken items you are likely to start to feel broken. Decide quickly whether a broken item is worth the effort and/or cost necessary to fix it. If fixing it is not worth doing, pitch it quickly. If it is worth fixing, take immediate steps to fix it.

6. Clear out irritants that can’t be made less irritating.

Wires are a common source of irritation. If they can be bundled or hidden, they are usually less irritating or not irritating at all. A trash can that is too small for the needs of a space is an irritant when it is constantly full and overflowing. Removing it is the only option for reducing that irritant.

7. Clear out items that immediately remind you of a painful relationship, event or time in your life.

Items with painful negative associations hold the energy of the particular pain in place. It’s hard to move on to a more positive future when you are regularly exposed to the energies of old painful memories.

8. Clear out items that remind you of past failures.

If every time you look at an item you are reminded of a failure, you are being exposed to negative energy that says, “You are a failure!” It’s impossible to feel good about yourself and your successes when surrounded by failure energy. And, failure energy attracts more failure.

9. Clear out items that are used less than once a year.

Using an item is one way to keep its energy alive and positive. Items that are used less than once a year tend to have energies that have gone dead. Dead is negative. You wouldn’t keep dead animals or bugs in your space, why keep dead things. Either activate the item by using it more frequently or pitch it.