Another year has flowed through our lives and we look into the next year with the hope of renewal. To help that renewal along use these home energy cleansing rituals.

Ring chimes in each room of your home to break up cluttered energy, concentrating on areas you feel stuck energy clinging on.

Burn white sage or sweet grass bundles to purify the air with the smoke, once again concentrating on spaces that feel they need some extra love.

Cleanse the air, fabrics, carpets and rugs of your home using an organic lemon and/or orange essential oil spray.

Open all of the doors and windows (yes, even in the north) to allow any remaining unneeded energies to pass through, while filling your home with a fresh start.

Plants give off oxygen, increase our sense of well-being, and release water into the air decreasing incidents of respiratory issues and dry skin. Here’s a list of some of the best plants for air purification:

Spider Plant
Peace Lily
Boston Fern
Bamboo
Snake Plant

Entrance: Energy flows into the house from its entrance. It needs to be clean, bright and organized. Make sure the door can open fully and is not blocked by storage or shoes.

Livingroom: Needs to be bright. Make sure the sofa backs up to a wall.

Kitchen: The stove and sink should not face each other because fire and water are conflicting elements. The faucet should not face a window because that means water (symbol of money) flowing out of the house.

Bathroom: Keep the toilet lid closed (it’s more hygienic) to keep money energy from flowing out of the house.

Bedroom: Do not place the bed in front of a window to increase the security of sleep. The bed should not be facing the door. There should be space on both sides of the bed.

Moving is one of the best times to declutter. Why bring things you don’t need, want or use into your new space. Try these tips to make your move that much easier.

1. Toss anything that is expired: food, medicine, ink, household supplies, etc.

2. Have Donate boxes in every room so you aren’t creating more clutter as you go.

3. Start earlier than you think you need to. At least double the amount of time you were planning to a lot.

4. Use block timing to set aside time each day to declutter and pack without burning yourself out. Respect the plan!

5. Identify a set number of boxes to use per room. If you decide on 3-4 boxes fill them with all of the most important things first. What doesn’t fit in those boxes may not need to come to the new house.

Track your spending with an app like iSpend or a program like Quickbooks.
Create a comprehensive budget.
Compare your income with your budget, and your budget to your spending.
Stop lying to yourself to create excuses that allow you to spend money you don’t have.

Decluttering your home is the first step. Tidying is the next step. But without creating organizational system that work for you, you will be doing this all over again in a year.

Do you prefer visual abundance or visual simplicity? Do you need to be able to see everything or else you fear you’ll forget it exists? Or do you prefer to have things hidden behind closed cabinet doors? Do you prefer organizational abundance or organizational simplicity? Do you prefer lots of small containers for smaller categories? Or do you prefer larger bins with more inclusive categories in them?

1. Create a plan.
2. Have a morning routine.
3. Make sure you have the tools you need on hand.
4. Make your bed every day.
5. Stay on top of laundry and dishes (no excuses!)
6. If it takes 60 seconds or less, do it now.
7. Have an evening routine.

Overwhelm is created by taking on too much at one time. To begin taking control of your overwhelming home you will need to break you tasks down into their smallest components. Instead of thinking about the entire kitchen, focus only on one category like disorganized storage lids. Identify a plan. Follow through on that plan. Allow that to be enough for this moment. You can attend to another category at another time. Pat yourself on the back. You did good.