108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces GIVEAWAY

featured on two classy chics, by Chris

In our busy lives, it is nice to have some peace and clam when we are at home. Many of us have heard that reducing the clutter and streamlining our offices and homes can open up the mind to more opportunities and free thinking. By allowing the clutter to erase from our space, we also remove the clutter from our minds.

Feng shui is the Chinese practice of harmonizing your space with your environment. I wrote a piece last year that helps explain the process more. Called 3 Tips to Feng Shui Your Office For Prosperity, you can check it out for more info and tips on how to Feng Shui your office!

I was sent a book to review and check out for help with my spaces. I am excited to share it with you.

108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces

Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing and Organic Homes

New York, NY – FENG SHUI can change your life — but learning how to use feng shui can be overwhelming to some. In her new book, “108 WAYS TO CREATE HOLISTIC SPACES: FENG SHUI AND GREEN DESIGN FOR HEALING AND ORGANIC HOMES” (168 pages, $22.95, ISBN-13-978-1502995643) www.holisticspaces.com) architect, interior designer, and feng shui practitioner Anjie Cho clears the clutter and shows how to apply feng shui and green design principles to support and enhance one’s life. From the bedroom to the home office, with furniture placement and the use of color, Anjie describes simple, straightforward tips that will transform a home and workplace and improve the flow of energy throughout life.

We are excited to be able to offer a few items for giveaway here on the blog, courtesy of Anjie Cho.

Enter to Win

One lucky winner is going to receive a copy of the book and a 2015 keychain, like the one here. Cool! Here is how to enter!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or over. You must complete the Mandatory Entry to be eligible. Follow the directions in the Giveaway Tool below. This giveaway will close on March 1st 2015 at 11:59pm EST Time.

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14 Easy Tips That Will Help You Be Happier In Your Home

featured this month on BuzzFeed, by Mackenzie Kruvant

What is feng shui and why is it important?

Feng shui looks at how energy (also called chi) moves through your home. If there is an area where the chi is moving too quickly or is stuck then that can represent either an area where you’re stuck in your life or things that you need to improve on.

There are two ways to look at your apartment. You can think, "This is just my apartment" — or you can look at it as an ecosystem, an environment that affects you. If you choose to look at it the second way, then feng shui can help you achieve good energy and a space that will get you over your energy funk — and it’s easier than you’d think. We asked feng shui expert Anjie Cho to show us how.

1. Make sure your entranceway reflects who you are — it’s how energy comes into your home.

“Your door represents how opportunities come to you. It’s where energy comes into your home,” Cho tells BuzzFeed Life. “That’s why it’s so important that it reflects you.” It’s also important that you have a clear number or name written somewhere. “If you don’t have anything on your door it may stop people from being able to find you,” Cho says. If possible, try not to crowd the door. “Make your entry look nice, because it’s your face to the world. Have a clean and positive doormat for clean and positive energy.”

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by Anjie Cho

Getting Organized: Insights from Janine Sarna-Jones

Today is Organize Your Home Day! In honor of this day, I have an interview with Janine Sarna-Jones, a talented professional organizer. And since many New Year's resolutions are about organization and de-cluttering, I interviewed her on this topic to help all the readers and learn about organization from a non-feng shui perspective.

AC: When you see a disorganized home or office, how does it hold people back?

JS: I do not judge a space by what I see. I can only determine that a home or office is disorganized by how the person feels about their space. Disorganized spaces hold people back in thousands of ways, both logistically and emotionally. Sometimes it is as simple as not being able to find stuff; in other cases the individual feels deep shame and incapable of inviting people into their space.

 What is the biggest benefit you've seen after organizing someone's home or office?

It’s hard to pick just one benefit, but one of the biggest is the realization of an organizational system that is in tune with the way that individual thinks and operates.

What are areas that are often overlooked?

The key to getting organized is to start in the places you actually use. In my experience, rather than overlooking areas that need to be organized, people tend to focus their efforts on the least important areas. For example, begin organizing their attic rather than the desk they sit at every day.

How have you created a holistic space for yourself in your home or office?

For me, this is a work in progress. Living with my family, as I do in a New York City 2 bedroom apartment, creating a holistic space involves creating homes for everything and jettisoning things that are no longer useful.

What are three simple tips that you can offer readers in beginning to organize their homes or offices to create a holistic space?

1. Stop thinking about organizing as a task you put on your To Do list and block off a Saturday to accomplish. Start working on small organizing projects, for example, one drawer. Daily!

2. Evaluate what you are keeping in your “prime real estate” areas. For example, do you have clothing you consider memorabilia (and you would never consider wearing again) hanging in your closet? Then put it in a container and move it to a less accessible place. 

3. Let go of items that have outlived their purpose and/or no longer serve your needs.

by Anjie Cho

Janine Sarna-Jones is founder and president of Organize Me Inc. She is a Certified Professional Organizer® and an Evernote Certified Business Consultant and has been helping people get organized at work and at home since 1992. Janine has achieved the distinction of being a member of the Inaugural group of Certified Professional Organizers® (2007) and attained a CD Specialist Certificate from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) since 2001, Janine has contributed her expertise in a variety of leadership roles. In 2007, she was elected to a three-year term to NAPO’s Board of Directors and served two terms as President of the NAPO-New York Chapter from 2005 to 2007.