Feng Shui Decluttering Steps: What Are the 7 Steps to Decluttering Your Life the Feng Shui Way?
Decluttering and Organizing in the Feng Shui Tradition
In the Feng Shui decluttering steps outlined by Karen Kingston, there are seven clear ways to begin clearing clutter from your life. We often refer to her book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, when walking clients through this process. I reread it each year to refresh how I explain these principles and to ground our work in the original teachings.
Karen Kingston talks about the energy map, or bagua, and how it applies to energy within the home. Applying Feng Shui principles to high-traffic areas like the bedroom, living space or home office can have positive and reverberating effects throughout your life. Feng Shui is all about balancing different elements such as wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and Ying with Yang. The bagua map, (which translates to “eight trigrams” in Chinese) is an important tool for creating this kind of harmony and balance throughout our client’s space. The ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui works with energy, or chi, to improve the flow of positive energy in the home or workplace. Clearing clutter is the first step toward having good Feng Shui. Clutter has a negative impact on your space, blocking the flow of chi.
According to Karen Kingston, the most important, and until recently, often overlooked step in the Feng Shui practice is getting rid of clutter. And not all clutter is created equal. Clutter falls into four categories: things you don’t use or love, things that are untidy or not organized, an excess of things that don’t fit into a space, and unfinished things.
Clutter is stuck energy.
More clutter, says Kingston, means more stuck, depressed energy in your home and can negatively affect your personal energy, mental state, and overall wellness. Clutter can also reflect what’s going on in your life (which explains why the pile of clothes on the chair seems to get bigger as you feel more stressed and out of control). On the other side, a clutter-free space filled with things that are loved and regularly used allows positive energy to move, not just through your space, but also through you. Kingston reminds us that, “If you have a clear focus in your life and you surround yourself with things that have this free-flowing energy, you will have a correspondingly happy, joyous, free-flowing life.” It’s good food for thought.
With this concept in mind, we offer the seven steps Kingston suggests to remove clutter from your life.
Don ‘t Clear Clutter Because You Should
The word “should” has a lot of negative connotation. It is a disempowering word. When you use it, you feel guilty and obligated. Kingston advises to remove “should” from your vocabulary and replace it with the would “could.” “Could” empowers you, gives you a choice, and later allows you to take the credit for a job well done.
Don’t Wait to Start Your Cleanup – Though Some Times Are Better Than Others
Kingston suggests at least one major clutter clearing each year and emphasizes that any time is a good time to begin. Still, certain times of year align naturally with renewal. Spring or the beginning of a wet or dry season can give your effort more momentum.
Other helpful times include after a big move, recovering from illness, starting a new job, or returning from vacation. During transitions, your perspective shifts. It often becomes easier to decide what truly needs to stay.
Know the Zones of Your Home and Declutter Accordingly
A key concept behind these Feng Shui decluttering steps is understanding the bagua. The bagua connects areas of your home to aspects of your life such as health, relationships, and career. Stagnant energy in one area of the home can show up in your emotional or physical life.
Before you begin, list the zones that need clearing. Start with the least cluttered spaces, such as behind doors or in drawers, and work toward heavily cluttered areas like basements or garages. Place an asterisk next to the zones that irritate you most and consider starting there. Clearing a space that bothers you daily often creates immediate relief.
Schedule Your Clutter Clearing
Choose a date and commit to it. Showing up for yourself is part of the process. One of the most practical Feng Shui decluttering steps is simply putting it on the calendar.
You do not need to clear everything at once. It can be a full day, a half day, or a series of shorter appointments. Assign specific time blocks to each section and respect those limits. Structure helps prevent overwhelm.
Play Upbeat Music – And Turn Up the Volume
Some people prefer silence, but Kingston notes that decluttering with loud, upbeat music can extend your energy. When the right music is playing through speakers at a danceable volume, many people find they can work two or three times longer.
Music shifts your mood. It keeps the energy moving, which aligns with the larger goal of restoring flow within the home.
Wear Something Red
Kingston suggests wearing red or another warm color when clearing clutter. Red encourages action. Warm tones can feel energizing and supportive, which makes letting go easier.
She advises against wearing black during decluttering sessions. Black can feel heavy and draining. Gray may leave you feeling indecisive about what to keep and what to release.
Reward Yourself, Even if You’ve Still Got Some Clutter
Rewarding yourself reinforces progress. Even if you have not cleared every drawer or closet, acknowledge what you accomplished.
Perfection is not the goal. As Kingston reminds us, focus on the main items clogging your space and then move forward with your life. That mindset keeps the process sustainable and aligned with the true purpose of Feng Shui decluttering steps, which is restoring balance rather than chasing an ideal.
To go deeper into these Feng Shui decluttering steps and understand the bagua more fully, consider picking up a copy of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. It is available on Amazon and remains one of the most practical guides for connecting your space with your energy.