14 DAY TRIAL // Those of us who live in high-density urban areas know full well that small living spaces are a fact of life. No one likes minimal square footage, but most of the times, a small apartment is not as much a choice as it is a necessity. However, with a little help from three basic feng shui principles, we can come up with a relatively simple plan to give our small apartments a little weekend makeover which will prove beneficial for both the state of our wardrobes and our spiritual wellbeing.
Rule number one: no more clutter. "Clearing clutter is a logical step to accomplish your goals. Keeping your home and workplace clean and organized promotes happiness, efficiency, and peace of mind" advises Jayme Barrett, who specializes in techniques for personal fulfillment and author of bestselling book "Feng Shui Your Life".
Whether we're talking shelves or counter tops, the basic rule of thumb is "minimalism". Remove every single object from such surfaces, dust them and then reorganize all the items you need to keep visible. Focus on your dearest photos, the objects you care about most and which have positive connotations. But remember - not too much of them.
Next, reorganize your wardrobe. Coordinate your clothes after a certain code - whether it's color, season, type and so on. Personalize as much of the process as you possibly can, in order to create your own world with your own rules - something which is bound to keep the feel-good factor up and running.
Next, it's time to put aside the dusting cloth and focus more on feelings. Barrett explains that "Feng Shui is based on the idea that everything is energy, therefore 'energetic'? and that every object in your life has a memory association, as well as an energy attachment that consciously or unconsciously affects you".
In other words, don't let any photos of your exes linger around. Put anything that you associate with a painful break-up or emotionally distressing episode in your life in a box and store it out of sight if you can't stand the thought of throwing them away completely.
Finally, it's important to identify the places in your apartment where you're more likely to spend a lot of time seated - your desk, the living room couch, your favorite kitchen chair. Whether it's framed movie posters or world maps, they make for excellent inspiration and will remind you of positive experiences and projects you may have for the future. There's always room for a little more color in your life, and this is the best way to get it. Just have fun purchasing the posters and putting them up - then enjoy the results of your hard work and you'll feel better already.